Editor’s Note: HK-Now.com and Haddam Killingworth News asked the candidates in the November 2026 election to provide brief biographies as a way of introducing themselves to voters. The statement below is from State Sen. Norm Needleman, who is running for re-election in the 33rd District, which includes Haddam, East Haddam, East Hampton, Chester, Deep River, Essex, Clinton, Colchester, Lyme, Old Saybrook, Portland and Westbrook.. The candidate’s reply is unchanged from the original as submitted. HK-Now.com and Haddam Killingworth News are not responsible for errors in grammar, usage, punctuation or spelling.
State Senator Norm Needleman is running for re-election for his fifth term representing the 33rd State Senate District.
Since 2018, Senator Needleman has represented the 12 towns of the 33rd at the State Capitol, part of his commitment to public service, as he is additionally the First Selectman of Essex. He operates as a legislator by using common sense when considering policies, knowing a pragmatic path forward can better support our communities.
In his time as State Senator, Norm has served as Senate Chair of the Energy and Technology Committee, working to improve the state’s energy policies in ways that benefit all state residents. Under his leadership, the Committee has pushed back on Connecticut energy companies’ demands. Norm is determined to continue fighting executive offices more focused on profits than people while state residents struggle with high costs.
The “Take Back Our Grid” Act and its unofficial follow-up bill several years later implemented performance-based rate adjustments for utilities and introduced penalties for poor response to severe weather, also advancing new utility regulations that provide ratepayers with a seat at the table for future negotiations.
Norm’s tenure at the State Capitol has come with strong benefits – he supports Connecticut’s gold-standard paid family and medical leave law, its fiscal responsibilities to pay down debt and balance budgets, its debt-free community college program and workforce pipeline expansions, and its continued investments in Connecticut schools and communities.
In addition to Norm’s work in public service, he is additionally the owner of Tower Laboratories, a pharmaceutical manufacturing company, which operates three locations in Connecticut and employs more than 150 people.
