Governor Dannel Malloy announced on Wednesday that he intends to nominate Waterford State Representative Betsy Ritter to be the state's next commissioner of the State Department on Aging.
Ritter is a five-term Democrat who has served as co-chair of the General Assembly's Public Health Committee, and deputy Speaker of the House. The commission was established in 2013.
Ritter will take over for the agency's first and only commissioner, former State Senator Edith Prague.
Speaking to reporters Wednesday, Ritter said she will strive to continue Prague's hard work on behalf of the state's elderly population. "Edith's work in putting the agency together, the passion that she always has, and still brings to these issues is so remarkable," Ritter said. "Her influence and her passion, I hope, are things that will stay with the agency, and with all of us, for years to come."
The mission of the State Department on Aging is to empower older adults to live full, independent lives, and to provide leadership on aging issues on behalf of older adults, families, caregivers, and advocates. According to Malloy, over 21 percent of Connecticut's population will soon be senior citizens.
