Every Friday during Election Season 2014, GOOD Morning Wilton will offer a compilation of letters we receive during the week regarding candidates and issues. Please consider taking part in the conversation by writing your own. For information on how to do that, check our Election Coverage Guidelines.
Impressed by Lavielle’s Responsiveness
September 4
To the Editor:
Gail Lavielle has done an outstanding job as our state representative, and I am pleased to support her candidacy for reelection. I have been so impressed by Rep. Lavielle’s constituent outreach, and her responsiveness to the community. It’s clear she understands that her allegiance is to us, the voters.
A couple quick examples: When an out-of-town developer announced plans to place 20 apartment units on a one-acre parcel, right on Westport Road, Gail was among the first to join neighbors and community members in leading the fight to oppose such an ill-conceived proposal. And when Metro-North cancelled express service on the early morning Danbury-New York train, it was Gail Lavielle who stood out in the cold collecting signatures on a petition to have the express service restored – an effort that was ultimately successful.
Rep. Lavielle fights hard for Wilton and I am proud to stand with her.
Roseann De Simone
Lavielle a Voice of Reason
September 8
To the Editor:
I am writing to express my strong support for State Rep. Gail Lavielle’s reelection bid. I have been disheartened to watch the past few years as the Democrat-led state government has enacted one bad policy after another, and the predictable results – Connecticut sinking farther and farther as a preferred place to operate a business, raise a family, or plan to retire.
Rep. Lavielle has been an outstanding voice of reason a midst the chaos in Hartford. She has consistently used her business background to argue for tax reform, for spending reductions and for a comprehensive restructuring of the state’s spending priorities. And she’s had results. Rep. Lavielle has established herself as a thoughtful legislator, who does her homework and truly has the best interests of our state in mind.
We need Rep. Lavielle now more than ever, and I am pleased to give her my support.
Annalisa Stravato
Lavielle a Voice for Fiscal Reform
September 8
To the Editor:
If you need any proof of the need to keep State Rep. Gail Lavielle in office, please consider the following two facts: For every tax dollar Wilton sends to Hartford, we get back two cents in services; and a 2014 Patch survey found that Wilton residents pay the highest taxes of any town in the state.
Clearly, we are taxed enough. Yet the Democrat-led legislature in Hartford continues to call for higher and higher taxes to fund even more spending and to pay the bills for past spending.
Rep. Lavielle has established herself as a voice for fiscal sanity! She helped author a budget plan that included NO tax increases and forced fiscal accountability. When her Democratic colleagues wouldn’t listen, she was back the following year. She is a true voice for fiscal reform, and we desperately need her leadership.
Lori Bufano
DePanfilis–Courtesy, Helpfulness and Professionalism are Constant
September 9
To the Editor:
I write to offer my enthusiastic support for the reelection bid of Anthony J. DePanfilis for Probate Judge of Wilton and Norwalk. Unlike courts of general jurisdiction which are trial courts overseeing disputes where strict procedures and formality are required, our probate courts are less formal, more personal. They operate to a significant degree as family service courts, assisting individuals and families in such matters as settlement of the estate when a loved one dies, and matters involving the best interests of children, including adoption and adjudication of parental rights where concern for a child’s well-being has been raised.
Having practiced in the Norwalk-Wilton Probate Court for decades, I have come to know and appreciate the sensitivity, caring and compassion extended to families and individuals by Judge DePanfilis and the fine staff he has assembled. Courtesy, helpfulness and professionalism are a constant.
I encourage you to re-elect Judge DePanfilis on November 4, to another term as our Probate Judge. The community will be well served.
Roger Valkenburgh
DePanfilis has ‘Perfect Skill Set’
September 9
To the Editor:
I write in enthusiastic support for the reelection of Anthony J. DePanfilis as Probate Court Judge for the District of Wilton and Norwalk. I have known Tony for some 20 years as a friend, colleague and practitioner in his Court. His intelligence, experience and temperament are a perfect skill set for the Probate Court where the matters he deals with are at their core about individuals and families. Judge DePanfilis is caring and concerned; always conscious to put the person and the family first. I wholeheartedly support Judge DePanfilis’ reelection and I encourage the voters of Wilton and Norwalk to do so on Nov. 4. We will be well served.
J. Casey Healy
Rodgerson ‘Better Choice for Bipartisan Results’
September 10
To the Editor:
The League of Conservation Voters (LCV) got their endorsement wrong. Gail Lavielle opposed LCV initiatives labeling toxin on children’s products, voted to lower fines for polluters, and authored a bill to liquidate Wilton’s open space. LCV claims that Lavielle has been “a reliable champion of the environment since she first set foot in the Capitol” yet that year they gave her a 64% rating.
Separately, she is an ineffective legislator, authoring 102 bills without success. She’s never secured bond funds for Wilton and drives up our tax bills. Her first legislative action co-sponsored a fringe GOP effort to shut down all bonding to transportation and infrastructure across the state, cementing her status as a marginalized partisan.
The LCV and voters have another choice, a better choice for conservation issues and more importantly, a better choice for bipartisan results. Keith Rodgerson, the father of a young son, will make the right choices for our environment. He has spent his life cleaning up after polluters and creating open space, vibrant neighborhoods, and good paying jobs. He is a lifelong Connecticut resident and uses his talents and skills to help us–not hurt us like former Wal Mart and Philip Morris PR-hand Lavielle’s constant disparaging of Connecticut.
Jon Tan
Lavielle’s Problem Solving Attitude
September 11
To the Editor:
A major difference between State Rep. Gail Lavielle and other elected officials is that when Rep. Lavielle sees a problem, she’s willing to do something about it. This problem-solving attitude is an important reason why I support her reelection campaign.
For example, we frequently hear about “bureaucratic red tape” and “onerous regulations.” We see it here in Wilton, where our schools are forced to comply with “one size fits all” mandates that require our teachers and administrators to spend hours filling out paperwork and complying with rigid, non-applicable state requirements. Rep. Lavielle helped create a “mandate relief task force” in Hartford, of which she now serves as Chair. Through this important task force, we will finally see some changes.
I greatly respect Rep. Lavielle’s willingness to step up and address this problem, and will be pleased to support her this fall.
Don Drummond