[Note: NewCanaanite.com through Oct. 21 will publish Election 2020 endorsement letters from New Canaan residents for candidates seeking to represent the town.]
Editor, NewCanaanite.
Two years ago I supported Will Haskell for State Senate because I loved his enthusiasm and he offered a demographic that was sorely missing in the state legislature. Today, I am supporting Will Haskell because of the outstanding job he has done representing us. His strong support of the environment, his commitment to gun safety measures, and most recently, his strong stance on holding Eversource accountable for their rate hikes and miserable response to Isaias are a few of the reasons I believe Will has earned our support for a second term. If re-elected, I know Will will continue to listen to, and fight for his constituents. Please join me in voting for Will Haskell for State Senate.
Beth Jones
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To the Editor,
As you can see from the chart, Connecticut is run by one party and has been for over 32 years. During this time policies enacted by our government has put us on the wrong end of state rankings.
For example, Connecticut is ranked:
-46th in the nation for fiscal stability
-47th on the State Business Tax Climate Index
-43rd on Forbes list of Best States for Business
-2nd State Debt per Capita
-6th highest state for personal tax burden
-9th in the nation for outward migration
-44th on the cost of living index
Our state has been in the hands of the majority party for too long and the results are disappointing. If we want Connecticut to be affordable for all of our residents, if we want taxes to be lowered not raised again, and if we want businesses that thrive and prosper, I ask you to join me in voting for Ryan Fazio for state senate representing the 36th District in November. He will bring the kind of leadership and solutions that we need to Hartford.
Please help Connecticut by voting to bring a new voice and party to Hartford.
Bob Hamill
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For 30 years, I have cared for five chronically ill children in addition to a child with neurologically-based developmental and seizure disorders. It has been challenging to meet the demands inherent to nurturing children with a rare genetic disorder while trying to maintain a sense of normalcy. As difficult as it has been to find a possible cure, I have never lost sight of the fact that we are fortunate because we have great health insurance through my husband’s employer.
As an advocate for those impacted by chronic illness and Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities, I have met many families facing much more devastating realities due to a lack of access to appropriate, comprehensive healthcare. The global pandemic that we are currently facing has revealed the glaring inequalities in healthcare and as a nation we are only as healthy as our least insured.
State Representative Lucy Dathan has dedicated her time in Hartford to study, identify, and propose solutions to the problems burdening our healthcare system. Lucy believes that everyone should have access to quality healthcare and has worked tirelessly to evoke the changes necessary to make this possible. Lucy co-sponsored and passed the insulin bill that caps the cost of diabetic supplies and co-sponsored legislation to extend telehealth benefits through March 15, 2021. Lucy also voted in favor of paid family leave and strongly believes that pre-existing conditions should not prevent individuals from acquiring quality healthcare and supports federal and state mandates that ensure insurance providers cannot discriminate on the basis of pre-existing conditions. Lucy voted in favor of capping the cost of generic prescriptions and boosted the ability of the state to help lower the cost of prescription drugs.
Lucy Dathan is a champion of comprehensive and affordable healthcare and has worked tirelessly to ensure that her constituents have access to the medical care necessary to lead healthy lives. I strongly urge you to vote for Lucy in November.
Elaine MacKenzie
New Canaan
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To the Editor
We are writing to express our strong support for Will Haskell in his campaign for re-election to the 26th District of the Connecticut State Senate.
First and foremost, Will is a strong proponent for the issues that we feel strongly about; He is a strong advocate for the environment and supports paid family and medical leave and fair gun control laws.
Will was raised in the Fairfield County area, and he recognizes the importance of transportation for all commuters in the State. He put together a public-private partnership to provide 4G access for Metro-North commuters at no cost to taxpayers.
Will understands the importance and cost of higher education. As the chairman of the Higher Education and Advancement Committee he succeeded in passing legislation that will bring free community college to Connecticut. He has also been a strong advocate for our public schools and has consistently resisted regionalization, notwithstanding the false claims of some Republicans.
Will has been very present in New Canaan, including at important events such as the Annual Addiction Awareness Vigil. He has also been very hands on with respect to our schools, including being a key speaker at the New Canaan High School Model UN Club Fall Scrimmage. He is available to residents of New Canaan and all the towns in his district to answer questions or address local concerns.
We are proud and pleased with the representation that Will Haskell has provided over the last four years in Hartford and all that he has accomplished in so many critical areas. We are confident that he will make an even bigger contribution both to New Canaan and the State if elected for another two-year term. We hope you agree and will vote along with us to return Will Haskell to the Senate.
Bill Bowers and JoAnne Kennedy
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Dear Editor,
The New Canaan Democratic Town Committee is immensely proud to support the re-election of Jim Himes as our town’s and district’s US Congressional Representative.
Congressman Himes has faithfully served us for 12 years with incredible and unwavering competence, compassion, honesty, and a singularly impressive ability to represent all constituents effectively and fairly without regard to partisanship, in spite of the jarring political divisiveness we’ve seen develop.
The suddenness and severity with which the COVID-19 pandemic affected our community and upended every aspect of our daily lives would have been unimaginably more distressing if not for Jim’s steady leadership, great productivity, and dedication to serving his constituency with care, focus, and sustained communication. It was clear to us all that his live streams several times per week, in which he explained various forms of Congressional relief and answered questions immediately, felt like a mooring in a tempest to many.
Congressman Himes responded immediately in March, when we first realized the impact of the pandemic, by co-sponsoring the CARES Act, which authorized trillions of dollars in wide-ranging, quick, and meaningful economic rescue for businesses as well as individuals and families who faced health, food, housing, and economic insecurity. Since then, billions more have been secured in grants for local infrastructure and entities like small businesses, non-profits, and educational institutions. Additionally, just this month Jim helped pass an updated HEROES act to provide $2.2 trillion in ongoing support to families, businesses, states, and localities.
We feel reassured by the certainty that Jim will continue to work hard and fight for us every day to come through this time of trial, and to remain the steadfast and caring person we have consistently known him to be.
Sincerely,
New Canaan Democratic Town Committee
***
Dear Editor,
We live in an age of epic—at times overwhelming—access to a constant stream of information coming from town, state and federal sources. As with all things, this type of unfettered access comes with a downside: misinformation. It’s troubling to see, hear and read outright untruths especially when used as political fodder to discredit our locally elected officials. Sources matter, facts matter and above all, people matter. Our elected officials and their actual stances on issues as well as their actual work on specific challenges facing our cities and towns matter. Lucy Dathan’s work speaks for itself. Lucy tackles every challenge head on with truth, transparency and integrity—not to mention a work ethic that has her following through on those things that matter most to her constituents. Unfortunately, Lucy Dathan’s opponents attempt to discredit her by spreading a false narrative. Here is the truth: Lucy Dathan voted against school regionalization and worked within her own party and across the aisle to kill that bill, she has not only co-sponsored but also voted in favor of every bill that supports working families, gun safety, public safety, women’s health and voting access for all people in our state. Lucy Dathan, like her campaign states, is moving forward not backward as an advocate for Connecticut’s future.
The future belongs to those who show up. Lucy Dathan shows up for her constituents—again and again. Lucy Dathan will show up for you, that’s what leaders do, that’s what women do, that’s what moms do, that’s what working moms do – they show up, they speak up, they stand up, they listen and they get the work done. Please join me on Tuesday, November 3rd by showing up at the polls to cast a vote for Lucy Dathan—a vote for Connecticut’s future.
Sincerely,
Lauren Nussbaum
New Canaan Resident