State Representative Mary Mushinsky is a legend.
When I first joined the Energy & Technology Committee, she was a constant — an expert voice grounded in decades of experience. She is always talking about clean waterways, thoughtful environmental policy, and practical climate solutions.
Naturally, I sought her mentorship. But the truth is, Mary gives that mentorship so freely you barely have to ask.
A few years ago, after I supported expanding existing loan funding sources to include heat pumps and geothermal solutions, Mary came up to me in the chamber. She told me she appreciated the incremental approach — even though she always wanted to push further and faster. She said that some movement is always better than none, and that progress, even in steps, still matters. In that moment, I felt like I was part of something bigger — part of her movement. That affirmation meant more to me than she probably realized.
I’ve been on national calls with legislative leaders through the Council of State Governments and NCSL, sharing my desire to deepen my expertise in energy policy. More than once, when Connecticut was mentioned, people recognized Mary Mushinsky by name — as a thought leader, a brain trust, a steady force in environmental policy. I loved that. I still do.
But when I think about Mary’s legacy, it’s not only her policy expertise that comes to mind.
It’s her quiet support.
As a new mom balancing legislative service — pumping milk between meetings and sending it home on late session days — I was walking a path she helped blaze. Mary was one of the first women to have her children while serving in the legislature. She was one of many firsts. And because she did it, because she stayed, because she led, women like me have been able to serve a little more fully and a little more confidently.
Mary is the epitome of a woman who reaches a hand back and lifts up the next in line.
And while her service in the General Assembly may be concluding, I have no doubt her leadership, her mentorship, and her steady voice for clean water and thoughtful energy policy will continue shaping Connecticut for years to come.
What a gift she has been to our state — and to me personally.
Rep. Jaime Foster, D-57th District, is a member of the Connecticut General Assembly’s Energy and Technology Committee.