NewCanaanite.com recently received the following endorsement letter(s). We will publish them through Oct. 26.
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Homecoming was this past weekend in New Canaan. It has never crossed my mind to go back to Southern California for my own homecoming, and if you know me well, you know that I loved my high school experience. That said, aside from my high school, there was not much of a community and not much of an identity that was formed outside of those four years. On the contrary, my husband is a New Canaan High School graduate and rushed home this weekend from coaching a lacrosse tournament out of state to be here for his reunion.
The commitment to New Canaan that I have grown to love in many of our residents, is something that is easy to see in Tom O’Dea. He has spent countless time across many years advocating for New Canaanites. New Canaan is special because our local leaders like Tom, have been engaged not only here in New Canaan but also leading in Hartford, thoughtfully considering what is uniquely needed to serve our residents and our children. He has led through challenging times, from remote learning during COVID to amendments to 8-30g, generously giving his time and building bipartisan relationships that have kept New Canaan in charge of the character that drives our community pride.
My husband pulled me into New Canaan over 12 years ago, and although I can now joke that I came kicking and screaming to suburban life, I am incredibly grateful this is now where I call home. As the mom of three girls in our public schools who will call New Canaan home to their childhood, I do hope they will always recognize how blessed they are. I hope they will feel that same pull to coming home that my husband does. I hope they understand the importance of local engagement and how important it is to the formation of families.
Our community is special. Leaders like Tom are rare. He is dedicated not only to today but to where we are going. He has proven what it means to stay in a community, be engaged, work across the aisle, learn from lived experience all the while advocating for a growth that maintains town character.
I endorse Tom O’Dea for his relentless commitment to our community and his example of staying, regardless of circumstances. One day, our girls will be graduates of New Canaan High School, but what I will be proudest of is that they will call the town of New Canaan “home”.
Raquel Harrison
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To the Editor,
The 36th District needs a state senator who has already proven herself, and Jill Oberlander spent more than a decade doing the real work of local government. That kind of service shows dedication, and it gives her the practical experience to get things done in Hartford.
Jill served six years on Greenwich’s Representative Town Meeting and four years on the Board of Estimate and Taxation, the town’s finance board. That board is split evenly, six Democrats and six Republicans. When it came time to choose a new chair in 2018, the outgoing Republican chair nominated Jill, and the board elected her unanimously. She went on to serve on the Board of Selectmen.
Jill also built a strong legal career. A graduate of Cornell and the University of Chicago Law School, she practiced at private law firms and at the MTA. After 9/11, she served as general counsel of the Downtown Alliance, helping rebuild lower Manhattan.
Jill understands how state decisions affect our towns, from energy bills to local budgets. As our state senator, she will work to lower utility costs and make sure New Canaan, Greenwich, and Stamford get their fair share of support from Hartford.
I trust someone who has experience leading in a bipartisan setting. Levelheaded leadership is something I admire and respect, and it is what we need in the State Senate. Jill will be a thoughtful, independent voice for District 36, and I encourage voters to support her on November 3.
Lina Lee
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With State Senator Ryan Fazio running for Governor, voters in Connecticut’s 36th District have an important decision to make about who will represent us in Hartford. Ryan leaves big shoes to fill, but I believe Republican Joe Kelly is exceptionally well qualified to succeed him.
Joe may not be as familiar to New Canaan residents as he is to his Greenwich neighbors, but he is someone well worth getting to know.
Joe has enjoyed a successful business career spanning finance, energy and real estate, including work internationally in Europe and Asia. He understands how businesses operate, how investment decisions are made and how government policies affect economic growth and opportunity.
Just as importantly, Joe has an extensive record of public service. He currently sits on Greenwich’s BET (equivalent to New Canaan’s Board of Finance), where he serves on the Budget Committee. He has previously served as Chair of its Board of Education and as a member of its Representative Town Meeting (equivalent to New Canaan’s Town Council). He has served on the building committees for a number of major public works projects including the building of Cardinal Stadium. These elected and appointed positions demand sound judgment, financial discipline and the ability to work on a bipartisan basis to get things done.
But what impresses me most about Joe is the breadth of his commitment to his community. He spent a decade as a volunteer firefighter, served on numerous charitable boards, and devoted years to coaching youth sports. As head rugby coach at Greenwich High School, he led his teams to 9 championships in 10 years. Perhaps most tellingly, the Kelly’s have also opened their home to children in need as foster parents and legal guardians, in addition to raising four children of their own. These accomplishments reflect a lifetime of leadership and commitment to his community.
New Canaan deserves a State Senator who will defend our interests, respect local decision-making, insist on fiscal responsibility, and work to make Connecticut a more affordable place to live and do business. We need a State Senator who will answer the call when we need a strong voice in Hartford to push back on the Democratic Supermajority.
I believe Joe Kelly has the experience, character and judgment to do exactly that. I enthusiastically endorse him for State Senate and encourage my fellow New Canaanites to join me in voting for him on November 3rd.
Chris Wilson
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I first spoke to Jill back in March when she went on a listening tour, and I was immediately impressed with her vast experience and her method of questioning and listening to the New Canaan citizens regarding their concerns.
As a senior in New Canaan, I am choosing Jill Oberlander as my choice for the State Senate. Jill is a demonstrated centrist leader who will bring no nonsense solutions to Hartford. Her plan when elected is to take on special interests such as utility monopolies and Big Pharma who have had too much influence over legislation in Hartford.
Jill knows the challenges that seniors face. She believes that seniors should have the choice of remaining in their homes as they age if that is what they wish. Through her vast charitable work, she knows the challenges that seniors face, and has the knowledge to create a plan for success:
- Expand home- and community-based care to help seniors remain in their homes.
- Through recruitment and training programs, strengthen long term care oversight and enlarge the pool of qualified care-givers.
- Seniors live on a fixed income. Jill will address senior affordability including housing and property-tax pressures.
During this time of divisive politics, Jill will work across party lines to serve the citizens of New Canaan, Greenwich and Stamford. She is a logical centrist and that is what we need. You will not regret your vote if you vote for Jill Oberlander for the State Senate 36th District.
Best regards,
Ruth Rothseid
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Connecticut is a great place to build a life. A lot of people who have lived here for decades will tell you that. Like me, they raised their families here, worked here, paid taxes here, volunteered in their communities, and hoped to enjoy their retirement here.
But for too many people, that is getting harder to do.
Connecticut’s lack of affordability is one of the central themes I hear from voters throughout the 36th District, particularly from older residents. In Greenwich, North Stamford, and New Canaan, their concerns are the same: high electric bills, rising property taxes, whether they can retire comfortably, and whether their kids and grandkids can find good jobs.
These aren’t abstract concepts; they’re people’s lives.
Let’s start with property taxes.
For someone living on a salary, a property-tax increase is painful. For someone living on Social Security and retirement savings, it can be more serious. Their tax bill keeps going up, but their income doesn’t keep pace.
In Hartford, I’ll fight the unfunded state mandates and other policies that drive municipal costs higher and put more demands on local property taxes. Towns should have the flexibility to manage their budgets responsibly without having new expenses dumped on them by the state.
Then there’s electricity.
Connecticut residents don’t need anyone to tell them their electric bills are high — they see it every month — but those costs can hit retirees especially hard because they have less ability to absorb another fifty dollars here or a few hundred dollars there. Seniors on fixed incomes should never have to choose between paying an electric bill and paying for food or medication.
I’ve spent my career in the energy and financial business, and I know there are better ways to provide reliable power without making customers to pay more and more. In Hartford, I’ll be the leading voice demanding greater accountability from the utilities, because I know what to ask. I’ll also fight to get unnecessary public-benefit costs off electric bills, and I’ll make affordability a priority in every energy decision.
But there’s another part of this equation that doesn’t get talked about enough.
For many older residents, staying in Connecticut isn’t only about whether they can afford their own home; it’s also about whether their children and grandchildren can afford to live nearby. That’s where housing costs, taxes, electricity, and jobs all converge.
I hear this a lot from families. Parents and grandparents want their children to be able to build careers, buy homes, and raise their own families here. And they want to know that after a lifetime of working and paying taxes, they can afford to stay here, too.
That means we need to make it easier to create more housing and lower the costs of building it while still respecting local involvement in those decisions. It also means creating an economy where young people can find good jobs and see a future for themselves in Connecticut.
Helping Connecticut’s aging population isn’t about creating yet another government program. It’s about making sure people who worked their whole lives can afford to stay in their homes, without property taxes and electric bills steadily eating away at their retirement savings. And it’s about making Connecticut affordable enough that their children and grandchildren can build their lives nearby.
These aren’t separate challenges; they’re all part of the same affordability problem.
If we get affordability right, we do more than lower a few bills. We give families a reason to stay, businesses a reason to invest, and the next generation a reason to build its future here.
That’s the Connecticut I want to fight for in Hartford on behalf of the 36th District.
Joe Kelly, Greenwich