Markley unchallenged in Senate race

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Joseph Markley
Joseph Markley

PROSPECT — The race for the state Senate 16th District is shaping up to be a one-man show.

Joseph Markley, the Republican incumbent from Southington, has been endorsed for a fourth term in office. The 16th District covers portions of Cheshire, Prospect, Southington, Wolcott and Waterbury.

“To say I have unfinished business is putting it mildly,” Markley said. “I will resist what I see as a wrong direction for the state charted by Gov. [Dannel] Malloy.”

Markley was originally elected to the state Senate in 1984 and served one term at the time. He returned to the Senate in 2011 and has held the seat ever since.

Democrats have not endorsed a candidate to run against Markley, and so far no one has stepped forward to challenge him.

Markley said if re-elected he would continue to fight against what he sees as the errors of the Malloy administration.

“I think the biggest thing we need to do is stop the increase in state spending, balance the budget using existing state revenue and put an end to borrowing,” Markley said.

Markley graduated from Southington High School in 1974. He earned a bachelor’s degree magna cum laude from Amherst College, and a master’s degree in English from Columbia University.

According to his biography, Markley has taught English at both the high school and collegiate levels. He has also been employed as the executive director of state and national trade associations, and as the campaign manager for congressional and statewide races.

Markley currently serves as a member of the Senate’s Appropriations Committee and Program Review and Investigations Committee and a ranking member of the Human Resources Committee and the Labor and Public Employees Committee.

Election Day is Nov. 4.