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Dear Editor,

There are two ways to get your name on the ballot for the 18th State House Democratic primary: win the endorsement of the West Hartford Democratic Town Committee (DTC) or obtain enough signatures to petition onto the ballot. The endorsement is decided at a convention where members of the DTC for that district vote. Recently, a chairperson for the DTC informed his members by email that the 18th State House of Representatives Convention is the convention for State Representative Fleischmann.

This is a convention, not a coronation.

It is unfortunate that the insular attitudes of a few have the potential to disregard the needs of an energized community. New members of the DTC began their term in March. For some, this is their first convention. The chair should explain the process to them, not use his position to misrepresent the convention as a rubber stamp for the incumbent.

One of the many reasons I’m running for State Representative in the 18th district of West Hartford is to bring a fresh perspective to the State Capitol and the Democratic Party. A fresh perspective can’t come soon enough. Intentional or not, members of the local DTC are circumventing their own process – and the Democratic Party can do better.

Jillian Gilchrest
West Hartford