Elected when he was 32 years old, Rep. Christopher Coutu (R-Norwich) has already established himself as a man of many hats. Prior to his election to the Connecticut House of Representatives in November, Coutu was serving as a financial advisor, an adjunct professor of finance at Three Rivers Community College, an Officer Candidate with the Connecticut Army National Guard, as well as a volunteer firefighter in the town of Norwich. This vast array of experiences led him to seek public office with the knowledge that he could relate to members of his community through his hardships and successes.
"My background is just like everyone else's," said Coutu. " I've worked everything from delivering papers to serving ice cream, to small business...I worked for the federal government, I worked for the state government; I've done a lot of things in my life."  Having already won an election for Alderman of the City of Norwich, Coutu was eager to participate in Connecticut's new Citizens' Election Program. In the process of collecting small contributions to qualify for the program, he encountered and was able to engage a diverse group of individuals. "The great thing about [public] campaign financing is the fact that just about anyone can come up with five dollars...all different types of people, all different types of economic backgrounds...it has really opened up who can participate in the political process," commented Coutu.The Citizens' Election Program provides public financing to candidates who show ample support and viability. In order to qualify for the program, each House candidate must raise $5,000 in small donations of $5 to $100, and must have a minimum of 150 contributors. Once qualified, House candidates receive a grant of $25,000 from the state and agree to forgo all fundraising for their campaign. Candidates must also abide by strict expenditure guidelines and disclosure requirements.                 By knocking on doors of members of his community and asking for small donations, Coutu was able to mobilize a dedicated volunteer base who felt invested in his campaign. His desire to shift the focus from dialing for dollars to the issues propelled him to become one of the first candidates to qualify for the program. "[The Citizens' Elections Program] truly does enable candidates to focus on the issues over anything else. And there's nothing better than getting candidates out there to shake hands and meet people and talk about the issues instead of thinking in the back of your mind ‘How can I get more funding from this person?' It's a great thing."Rep. Coutu's hard work ultimately paid off and he was sworn in to the Legislature as the representative for the 47th District in the Connecticut House of Representatives. He is on a number of key legislative committees including the Finance, Revenue and Bonding committee as well as the Judiciary, Human Services and Veterans Affairs committees. As a fourteen-year veteran himself, Rep. Coutu is honored to be dealing with the issues facing those who have served our country.