We-Ha.com welcomes Letters to the Editor from the public. Please provide your name and town, as well as your phone number at the end of the letter. Phone numbers will not be published but are required in case verification is needed. Please submit letters to [email protected].

Letter to the Editor,

By almost every measure, the State of Connecticut is failing its residents. Every day brings more news about the fiscal incompetence, the education achievement gap, our crumbling infrastructure, and layoffs in basic human services juxtaposed with stories of career politicians scoring big pension benefits. If we want to stop the flight of businesses and retirees and provide an attractive, viable living alternative to new graduates, we have to change the caliber of the candidate that we elect to the State Legislature. We have to elect qualified people who care more about their community than they do about taking advantage of rich State benefits. We have to elect people who will speak up for what is right, rather than fall in line with whatever leadership tells them to do for their political party.

Chris Barnes, my fellow Town Councilor, is such a person. He has gained valuable experience and worked tirelessly serving the West Hartford community. He understands how the State’s Education Cost Sharing Grant has short-changed the Town by more than $100 million over the last 3 years and why it is imperative that we reform aid to municipalities and eliminate State imposed unfunded mandates on the Town. This is experience you only gain at the municipal level.

Chris listens to residents and takes action to address their concerns. He fought for the residents affected by the State’s DEEP Trout Brook clear-cutting and knows how the actions of various State agencies reverberate at the municipal level. Chris believes in an open, transparent government and insisted on a town-wide forum to discuss the future of the UCONN property. Chris has worked with me to fully understand the time bomb of unfunded pension liabilities threatening both our Town and the State’s fiscal health.

I urge West Hartford residents of the 19^th District to vote for Chris Barnes. We need people with his background, in-depth knowledge, commitment, and dedication to represent West Hartford.

Regards,

Denise Hall,
Republican Town Council Minority Leader