Every Friday until Election Day, GOOD Morning Wilton publishes Letters to the Editor that we’ve received about the candidates and/or election-related issues. Learn more about our election coverage guidelines and policies, including requirements for Letters to the Editor. Letters are printed in the order in which they are received. To send a letter to the editor, email it to editor@goodmorningwilton.com.
Lavielle–Best Equipped to Help Wilton Regain Fiscal Health, Increased Property Values
To the Editor:
Gail Lavielle has again earned my vote to represent me, Wilton and the 143rd District in Hartford. Gail is the person best equipped to help Wilton/143rd regain fiscal health and increased property values. Gail has deep experience, intelligence, drive and tenacity, transcending party politics to achieve critical constituent priorities. Gail pushed through transportation initiatives vastly improving the quality of life for myriad Wilton commuters. Gail doesn’t miss a vote in Hartford and is the last one to leave the floor. I am happy and proud to count Gail my champion, my Representative and my dear friend. Please vote for Gail.
AP Duffy
Lavielle a Woman of Action for Constituents
To the Editor:
Forget alternative facts, let talk reality: Gail Lavielle is a woman of action for her constituents.
It’s easy for candidates to make promises. It’s not easy to back them up. While others talk generically about “gun control,” Gail voted three times to regulate legal firearm ownership: SB1160 expanded background checks, limited magazine size, and banned certain firearms; HB5054 required firearm surrender within 24hours of the issuance of a temporary restraining order; and HB5542 limited bump stocks. Gail has also clearly articulated her opposition to ghost guns and plastic printable firearms.
We need to address the root cause of tragic shootings though. Supporting our neighbors and addressing the connection between mass shootings and mental health is extremely important. Gail has acted toward that end by voting against Malloy’s budget cuts to the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services.
Our elected officials should be focused on our local concerns. Gail educates herself about the issues, and is always responsive to constituent concerns. As an unaffiliated voter, I don’t vote on party lines. I don’t vote for sound bites. I vote for qualifications. I vote for integrity. I vote for action. I vote for Gail Lavielle.
Melissa-Jean Rotini, Esq.
We Need Fresh Ideas in Hartford
To the Editor:
Enough negativity and Connecticut bashing from our own representatives! It’s exhausting and ineffective. It was obvious at the recent League of Women Voters Forum that we need fresh ideas in our state’s capitol, not the same old finger-pointing rhetoric.
I strongly support Stephanie Thomas for State Representative of the 143rd District. Stephanie is a driven, purposeful, strategic leader who will bring a renewed energy to the consensus-building work of turning our statewide economy around. She’s a businesswoman who knows that it takes collaboration to get things done and attract business to our state. She also understands that, without a good transportation system, that won’t happen! The incumbent has had eight years to fix things. Stephanie will seek solutions through a proactive and creative approach. Her background makes her an active, respectful listener and a strong problem solver.
Her opponent’s positions reveal much: against absentee and early voting, against increased transparency for large corporate donations, against a minimum wage increase to $8.50/hour (still below the poverty level), and against reducing marijuana use penalties. She even opposed medical marijuana use, a position unconscionable to me! Stephanie will fight for legislation that protects and enhances gun safety, women’s rights, voting rights, and much more.
She has spent a great deal of time in Wilton getting to know the hearts and concerns of our residents. There is no doubt that she will be a champion for every one of us. Now is the perfect time for a new voice to represent Wilton in Hartford.
Linda Arden
Stern: Kind, Patient, a Good Listener
To the Editor:
When families come before the probate court they have usually just come through a stressful life event. The judge must take time to hear every family concern and, regardless of how the matter is resolved, the family must feel they were listened to and their feelings taken seriously. The judge must be available, accessible and render decisions in a timely manner. The judge should appreciate the economic environment surrounding the family and be able to explain the law effectively.
Finally, an effective judge of probate should be kind, patient and a good listener. Doug Stern has all these traits and will have my support on Nov. 6.
Brad Williams
Thomas–Woman for Our Time
To the Editor:
Stephanie Thomas is running for a seat in the Connecticut State Legislature in the 143rd District, our district. Since the early summer Stephanie has been in contact with voters daily, attending meet and greets, present at community convenings, and going door to door. She has been discussing with people the issues that are uppermost on their minds, getting to know her constituents and their concerns, one door at a time.
I have campaigned with Stephanie as she meets the voters. People are impressed because she is actively listening to their thoughts and offering them genuine responses. Stephanie is committed to reflecting the concerns of her constituents and Wilton and Norwalk need women legislators who don’t just go along. We need a thoughtful representative who examines the facts, listens to the electorate, and works to represent our communities up in Hartford.
She came from a poor family, but was encouraged to always strive for excellence, something she has done her entire life, including building her own business. She is a professional who knows how to talk across the aisle to gain consensus. Her business savvy, combined with empathy for those in need, are the secrets to her success. These are the very qualities that will make her a great Representative for us all.
Take a close look at this quietly powerful candidate. Stephanie Thomas is a woman for our time.
#VoteStephanie
Rob Maher
Vote Himes, Murphy and Haskell for Common Sense Guns Laws
To the Editor:
Our children deserve to feel safe in school. Jim Himes, Chris Murphy, and Will Haskell are strong advocates for sensible gun control. With every shooting Himes and Murphy have called out those in our government who are funded and controlled by the NRA, and Haskell has called out his opponent for saying CT’s gun safety laws “went too far.” If you believe that strong and sensible gun controls and our children’s safety matter more than the ability to own an assault weapon, vote for Himes, Murphy and Haskell. They will fight for the future of our state’s and nation’s children.
Leslie Holmes
Vote Democratic in High Stakes Midterm Election
To the Editor:
The 2018 midterm election could be the most important in history. What’s at stake? If Democrats are elected, the party could stop the Republican legislative agenda in Congress, win the ability to block Trump’s nominees from being confirmed, pass new liberal state laws in many parts of the country, and win many offices with power over the critically important 2021 redistricting process that will tip balance of power through 2030.
With that in mind, I urge you to vote for Democrats Will Haskell, Stephanie Thomas, Ross Tartell and Ned Lamont; they are the energetic new leaders we need in Hartford, and continue to support Democrats Jim Himes and Chris Murphy, who are fighting for our values and legislative agenda in Washington.
Paula Casiraghi
Will Haskell: Fresh, Smart, Ideas, that Work For Connecticut
To the Editor:
Will Haskell has that wonderful combination of youth, integrity, and wisdom, that pervades his presence, and a quality of connection and capacity of heart to see through obstacles and surface appearances to what’s underneath and in need of transformation. His fierce commitment to key issues that have well thought out solutions in transportation and improvement of Connecticut’s infrastructure, reducing gun violence, and the revitalization of the economy evade his older political opponents.
Profoundly troubled by the growing human generated threats to these core concerns, he is forceful in calling politics to account, demanding that it be consonant with larger purposes, new values, and a new sense of the possible. Years of political experience do not make bad ideas better. We must not allow a backward looking politics to determine the balance of Congress. We need fresh, smart, ideas that work for Connecticut. Unlike his opponent, Will is on the right side of the issues. Acting on his highest priorities, particularly for drawing business back to Connecticut he stands to energize college graduates looking to enter the work force with a renewed culturally creative environment that will encourage young workers to make Connecticut their home. A vote for Will Haskell is a vote to move Connecticut forward.
Johanna Berkowitz
Vote for Strong, Fiscal Conservatives–Lavielle and Boucher
To the Editor:
The 143rd District is incredibly fortunate to have Gail Lavielle as their representative in the State House. As ranking member on the Education Committee and Assistant Minority Leader, she assures our interests are well represented !
Gail has consistently voted against tax increases. She understands the importance of economic growth and reducing Hartford’s out of control spending. Last year Governor Malloy gave away the farm when he negotiated a labor agreement for our state workforce that guarantees these workers wages that are 25% to 46% higher than their private sector counterparts. These contracts must be restructured!
The Tax Foundation ranks Connecticut 47th in terms of business tax climate. Is it any wonder our businesses are leaving? General Electric, after much study, decided they would be better off in Massachusetts rather than keeping their headquarters in Fairfield. Imagine that–TAXachusetts was their better option.
What is the solution? Well in our district it is voting for strong fiscal conservatives like Gail Lavielle and Toni Boucher. Together, they want to reduce income taxes, streamline government expenses, reform state employee benefits and implement a dynamic economic development plan.
Make a difference with your vote on Nov. 6 (or vote by absentee ballot that are now available with our Town Clerk). It is now time for the grownups to run the state. Vote Lavielle!
Jonathan T. Woods
Elevating Public Discourse and Standing Up for Values Begins with Electing Haskell
To the Editor:
I’m convinced that Will Haskell is the new state senator we need to represent the 26th District in Hartford. Will’s work to increase opportunities for businesses and individuals and open-minded analysis of revenue and spending are vital. He will help build an independent trust model to pay our pension debt and work to stop the cycle of bonding that passes debt onto the next generation.
Will’s creative ideas about transportation funding, including giving heavy users a stake in highway maintenance, will further economic development. He will invest in repairing our crumbling and unsafe bridges.
Will’s commitment to healthcare includes diversifying the insurance exchange to reduce premiums and improve coverage. He supports development of education to increase consumers’ health insurance literacy.
Will’s advancement of common sense gun regulation will protect our families. He’ll work to ban “ghost guns” and limit the number of weapons purchased in a single transaction.
“All politics is local.” Elevating the public discourse and standing up for our values begins here. It begins with electing Will Haskell as our State Senator.
Jill Koleszar
Vote for Democrats to be Check on Trump and Republican Congress
To the Editor:
Since November 2016 we have learned over and over again, elections have consequences and those consequences can be devastating and lasting. The upcoming midterm election may be the most important election of our lifetimes because who we have in Hartford at this critical time is as important as who we have in Washington. Our state legislators and state executives can act as a check on President Trump and the Republican-led Congress.
We need Democrats in Hartford to be that firewall and to provide quality affordable healthcare, pass common sense gun laws to keep our children and families safe, protect voter rights, enact pay equity and paid family leave laws, preserve a woman’s right to control her body, pass a fiscally responsible budget while reducing our tax burden, improve our transportation system, ensure Connecticut is a place where companies want to grow and people want to live, and protect our environment for our future.
If you are troubled by the assaults on our democracy and on our rights and are continually unnerved by what is happening in Washington, I implore you to vote for our Democratic candidates up and down the ballot. They are not only our last line of defense, they are our best hope for protecting our democracy and building a positive future for us and our children here in Connecticut.
Melissa Spohn
Lavielle’s Passionate, Thoughtful Reasoning Much Needed in Volatile Political Climate
To the Editor:
During the time I have been a resident of Wilton, CT. I have had the opportunity to meet with Representative Gail Lavielle and discuss issues of importance to our community and the State. I have been impressed by Gail Lavielle’s visible presence in our community, and by her tremendous efforts to keep Wilton residents informed about news coming out of Hartford. Gail is in attendance at virtually all public meetings and events, and is always willing to spend time chatting, or offering to help with any problems or concerns. I trust Wilton voters realize how fortunate we are to have one of our community members representing us, and how much insight and access we would lose if a non-Wilton resident had the job. In the volatile political climate we currently find ourselves, passionate but thoughtful reasoning is a much needed temperament. Gail possesses these qualities. She is an outstanding legislator and a great voice for Wilton and its residents.
Sincerely,
Roger Van Brussel