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Dear Editor,

After months of knocking on doors and engaging with voters, two things are abundantly clear to me: West Hartford residents love our community and we are deeply concerned with the state budget. That’s why I am challenging Andy Fleischmann to a Democratic Primary. After 23 years of Andy as our State Representative, our state is in trouble and we need new leadership. The Democratic Party cannot afford to sit on the sidelines doing the same thing year after year. We need to lead by example.

Years of inaction on the part of Andy and other elected officials have led to unprecedented debt, the country’s highest income inequality, sluggish home price recovery, cuts to public K-12 and higher education, anemic population growth and slow job growth. Instead of addressing these problems as any strong leader should, incumbents like Andy ignore them in order to avoid having to make difficult decisions in an election year. We need legislators who are less concerned with re-election and more concerned with fixing our state.

If elected, I plan to address these issues head on. I will bring a fresh perspective and a collaborative leadership style to the Capitol. I will leverage my relationships with legislators on both sides of the aisle to effect change. As a working mother, I am heavily invested in the success and prosperity of West Hartford and I will work to keep it diverse, vibrant and economically strong.

I’m tired of watching legislators talk about tolls, study tax reform, discuss changes to the education funding, and claim to support paid family and medical leave without taking any action. In order to turn this state around, we need to hold Andy accountable. On August 14th, Democrats in the 18th district will have a choice. For more information on my campaign or to connect with me, please visit our website: Gilchrest2018.com

Jillian Gilchrest
West Hartford

Editor’s note: Jillian Gilchrest is a petitioning candidate for State Representative in the 18th district.