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 Lisa Deane, who is running for the State Senate from the 12th District, which includes Killingworth, East Haven, North Branford, Branford, Guilford, Madison, Durham and Middlefield. 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.
My name is Lisa Deane, and I am running for Connecticut State Senate in the 12th District because I believe our state needs more people in Hartford who understand what decisions made there actually mean in the real world.
For more than 30 years, Madison has been home for my family. My husband, Peter, and I own Brother Mike’s restaurant, where I have experienced firsthand the challenges Connecticut small businesses face from rising costs and taxes to mandates that make it increasingly difficult to operate and employ people.
I currently serve on the Madison Board of Education and am the founder of demandZERO, a nonprofit I started after losing our son Joe to fentanyl poisoning in 2018. What began from a devastating personal loss became a determination to do something about a problem that was and still is, destroying families. I saw something that needed to be done, figured out how I could make a difference, and went to work. Since then, demandZERO has worked alongside local, state and federal law enforcement and provided more than $700,000 in resources to fight drug trafficking and educate young people about illicit fentanyl and fake pills.
That experience reflects how I have approached challenges throughout my life. I am a hard worker. When I see a problem, I don’t believe in sitting around talking about why something can’t be done. I ask what needs to be done, make a plan to accomplish it, and get to work.
I am running because Connecticut has become too expensive for too many families, seniors and small businesses. We need to control spending, reduce the tax burden, address high energy costs, support our businesses, keep our communities safe and preserve a strong local voice in our schools and towns.
I am not a career politician. I want to bring a solid work ethic, determination and real-world problem-solving to Hartford and be a strong voice for the people of the 12th District.
