The incoming Speaker of the House of Representatives has told State Rep.-elect Christina Ayala she has to be a resident of the assembly district where she was elected in November or she need not show up to be sworn in.
According to the Connecticut Post, “State House leader Brendan Sharkey, D-Hamden, has warned Ayala she must live in the neighborhood that elected her, the 128th House District, by the time new members take office Jan. 9.”
Sharkey’s spokesman, Larry Perosino, said the district residency issue is of concern for the speaker-elect. The article added, “The state House of Representatives has the authority to weigh any evidence that Ayala is unqualified to serve and act on it, according to the Secretary of the State’s office.”
The question of Ayala’s residency arose after she was arrested for domestic assault earlier this month at a residence she shares with her boyfriend that is in the 129th House District. Ayala used that address when arrested in August for a hit-and-run collision with children in her car. Both cases are still pending.