NewCanaanite.com recently received the following endorsement letter(s). We will publish them through Oct. 26.
***
I’m writing to encourage you to vote for Tom O’Dea for State Representative of the 125th District. Tom has served in this role for seven terms, and he has done an outstanding job. He deserves to be elected to an eighth term this November 3rd.
Since 2018, Tom has served as Deputy House Minority Leader. He has a long list of accomplishments and has earned a reputation for reaching across the aisle and getting things done. I encourage you to visit his campaign website and learn more about his record and accomplishments as our representative. In my opinion, he is by far the more qualified candidate for this seat.
I have known Tom personally for more than 20 years and have witnessed firsthand his passion for serving our community. Our sons are close in age, and we first met through various sports-related activities. Tom has been a coach, mentor, and tireless volunteer in youth sports for many years. His long history of public service also includes serving six years on the New Canaan Town Council before moving on to the State Legislature.
At a time when politics has become increasingly polarized and toxic, Tom is a rare example of someone who serves for all the right reasons—to improve the quality of life in our community. He is a man of integrity and honesty who is selfless and passionate about public service.
We are extremely fortunate to have Tom O’Dea as our representative, and I strongly urge voters in the 125th District to reelect him this November.
Sincerely,
David Carlson
***
Dear Editor,
I am writing to urge New Canaan voters to please support Meredith Tobitsch in her campaign to represent the 125th House District. Meredith wants Connecticut to be a state with an affordable cost of living for all, whether it is the taxes or the energy bills we pay. She believes working families should have access to affordable childcare and high-quality schools. She is a creative, energetic problem solver who has worked hard to achieve tangible results in New Canaan and other communities in which she has lived. Meredith has a track record of collaboration and being an effective advocate. She will work across the aisle to improve the lives of New Canaan and Connecticut residents.
Since living in New Canaan, Meredith helped to raise $20,000 in just six months for her children’s preschool. As co-chair of the Friends of Waveny Playground Committee, she played a critical role in raising $900,000 for new equipment that will serve children of all abilities. Meredith is also Vice President of New Canaan Newcomers, helping to welcome new residents and to acclimate them to their new life in this town.
Her professional life has included gaining a first-hand knowledge of how government works, having been a political reporter for New Jersey’s leading newspaper, the Newark Star Ledger where she covered City Hall. Meredith has served as an advocate for improved school funding and access to high-quality education. She has also been involved in raising more than $1 million for organizations such as Planned Parenthood, the ACLU and the Sierra Club.
New Canaan will benefit from having a new voice representing the 125th House District in Hartford. With two small children in New Canaan pre-school, she understands the pressures facing young families and is invested in ensuring the future of high-quality education in our town. We need state legislators like Meredith who are smart, compassionate, collaborative and think outside the box to solve the problems that the state faces.
Angela Jameson
***
New Canaan has experienced first-hand the harm that comes from losing local control of planning decisions. In 2021, New Canaan’s moratorium under the state’s affordable housing law known as Section 8-30g lapsed, and during that lapse, developer Arnold Karp submitted plans for a massively out-of-scale 102-unit complex at the corner of Weed and Elm Streets, as well as plans for a 93-unit complex on Hill Street. Neither project would be permitted under New Canaan’s zoning code, but under 8-30g, our Town is powerless to stop them.
If not for Tom O’Dea, developers would still be targeting New Canaan with applications for oversized projects. In 2022, with the completion of Canaan Parish, New Canaan again qualified for a moratorium, but the state Department of Housing changed the moratorium formula and refused to give New Canaan credit for some affordable units that had been built.
Enter Tom O’Dea. Tom has represented New Canaan in the General Assembly since 2013, and he knows how to get things done in Hartford. As the Deputy House Minority Leader, Tom works with the Democratic leadership on a daily basis to manage the flow of legislation on the House floor. Tom invited House Majority Leader Jason Rojas to New Canaan to see firsthand the progress that New Canaan has made in creating affordable housing.
Tom worked across the aisle with the House Majority Leader to pass an amendment that clarified the law and ensures that New Canaan and other Connecticut municipalities get full credit under 8-30g for their efforts to create affordable housing. With the benefit of this clarification, New Canaan was granted a new moratorium in 2024, and the Town also has enough affordable units for another moratorium in 2028. If not for Tom’s experience, bipartisan relationships, and legislative know-how, New Canaan would have remained vulnerable to developers who could construct massive complexes with near impunity.
Tom’s opponent this November lacks his critical experience and knowledge. She has lived in New Canaan for only two years and never held any position in town or state government. The relationships Tom has built over the years give him influence with Democrats and Republicans alike, and he can be counted on to fiercely advocate for New Canaan’s interests. Tom’s opponent, by contrast, would be a junior member of an increasingly extreme Democratic supermajority that has been intent on pushing through legislation that would strip towns like New Canaan of local control in areas such as zoning and schools. New Canaan cannot afford to lose Tom O’Dea in Hartford.
Please join me in voting to re-elect Tom O’Dea as Representative for the 125th House District.
Brett Dockwell