NewCanaanite.com recently received the following endorsement letter(s). We will publish them through Oct. 26.
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To the Editor:
I urge my neighbors to re-elect State Representative Tom O’Dea in the 125th District.
I know Tom personally. He and his wife, Kerry, raised their three children here, and all three went through New Canaan Public Schools. He served on our Town Council from 2005 to 2012 and has represented us in Hartford since 2013. He knows this town because he has lived its everyday concerns: our schools, our budgets, and our local zoning.
That record shows in his results. Tom secured a $200,000 state grant for the Waveny Ice Rink and has helped bring state funding home for public safety, infrastructure, and education. He has worked with Democratic colleagues on bipartisan measures, including the fiscal framework that helped stabilize the state’s finances and practical reforms that protect local decision-making. That is not the record of a partisan. It is the record of a legislator who gets things done.
Some have tried to tie Tom to national politics. That has nothing to do with the man I know or the job he does. A state representative’s work is local, and Tom’s focus has always been New Canaan.
We are also told that we need “change” and that electing his opponent, a Democrat, would give our town a “seat at the table.” But New Canaan already has two: Reps Lucy Dathan and Savet Constantine. Tom is our only Republican/Independent voice in the House, where Democrats hold 102 of the 151 House seats and have controlled Hartford since 2011. They maintain vetoproof supermajorities in both chambers, with a vote to spare in the House. Adding one more vote to that majority doesn’t bring balance. It removes one of the few checks left.
As Deputy House Republican Leader, Tom is the first deputy leader from New Canaan since 1952. That role gives our town a real voice, especially on protecting local control of zoning and education.
Experience, results, and character matter. Please join me in voting for Tom O’Dea on or before November 3.
Hugo Alves
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To the Editor:
New Canaan’s strength comes from its ability to honor its traditions while continuing to evolve. Our commitment to family, education, and community has endured for generations, but our willingness to embrace new ideas and respond to changing needs has been equally important to our success.
That is why I believe Meredith Tobitsch’s is best suited to be our representative for Connecticut’s 125th District.
Meredith brings substantial professional experience in government accountability and public policy. As a city hall reporter for New Jersey’s Star-Ledger, she covered local government firsthand, learning how decisions are made, how public officials are held accountable, and how policy affects everyday lives. She went on to work in nonprofit advocacy, organizing support for stronger public schools, expanded reproductive rights, and marriage equality. Her experience includes building coalitions, working with families, and advocating for meaningful policy change.
Today, Meredith is focused on issues that directly affect our community: easing the financial pressures on families, protecting strong public schools, supporting reproductive healthcare, advancing responsible gun safety laws, and finding practical solutions to housing and energy costs. These are not abstract political talking points. They are issues that shape the quality of life in New Canaan and across Connecticut.
Her commitment to this town is also evident in her volunteer work, including early childhood education initiatives and fundraising for the new all-abilities playground at Waveny. These contributions complement a professional background built around public service and advocacy.
We’ve become accustomed to keeping elected officials in office for years, sometimes decades, as though longevity alone were a measure of effective leadership. But public office is not a lifetime appointment, and 14 years is more than enough time to examine a representative’s record and ask whether our community’s priorities are being advanced. Meredith Tobitsch brings professional experience in government accountability, public education, and advocacy that deserves serious consideration. New Canaan has never been afraid to evolve, and our expectations of leadership in Hartford should reflect that same spirit.
Jen Potter
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I’m writing to endorse Alma Sarelli’s candidacy for the Connecticut State Senate in the 26th District.
On November 3rd, we will have the opportunity to elect a State Senator who can focus on the issues that most affect the residents of this state.
Affordability: Lower taxes so seniors and young families can stay in Connecticut.
Local control: Keep planning and zoning decisions within our towns.
Maintaining strong schools, including funding for special education.
Supports public safety in every school and community.
Fiscal responsibility that safeguards essential services.
Alma Sarelli’s service is meaningful. Appointed to Westport’s Representative Town Meeting in 2024, she was re-elected in 2025. She serves on several RTM committees, is active in community organizations, and serves on the boards of various nonprofits.
Alma’s passion for service is undeniable, rooted in her desire for a better life than the one she knew growing up in communist Albania, where citizens had no voice in government. Since then, she has built a life here: 17 years in Connecticut, four children, and a national event-production company co-owned with her husband. She knows firsthand the burdens small businesses in our state face.
Alma puts residents ahead of party labels and aims to work across differences to deliver results. She is fiscally conservative and believes in accountability in how funds are allocated and spent. She is committed to lowering energy bills by expanding natural gas options and ending special-interest incentives for the private energy sector. The Independent Party’s endorsement reflects her ability to work with everyone, Democrats and Republicans alike, and to keep the focus on delivering sound solutions that serve Connecticut’s residents.
I believe Alma Sarelli is the senator our district needs. Please join me in voting for her on Tuesday, November 3.
Sincerely,
Cristina A. Ross
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To the Editor:
This November 3rd, we will have the opportunity to participate in one of the great rights afforded by our democracy: our right to vote. I am grateful for the ability to exercise this important responsibility.
And on November 3rd, I will be voting for Jill Oberlander for State Senator for the 36th District.
Jill’s experience reflects a commitment to the principles of representative government: listening to residents, weighing competing needs and taking responsibility for decisions.
She has served her community extraordinarily well as the first Democratic chair on Greenwich’s Board of Estimate and Taxation, as well as on the Board of Selectmen and the Representative Town Meeting.
Democracy needs Jill’s kind of patient, practical, reasoned leadership. It also needs government that earns our confidence by addressing the problems we live with: rising costs, schools, transportation and infrastructure.
I understand the national stakes can feel overwhelming. But our response and our responsibility begin close to home, with the representatives we choose and the standards we insist they uphold. State government matters. So does every vote.
On November 3, I will vote for Jill Oberlander. I hope you will join me.
Yours truly,
Pam Ferraro, Greenwich