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Dear Editor,

I write to support State Senator Beth Bye for reelection. Thanks to her profound commitment to our community and her proven ability to pass relevant legislation, we are represented by one of the strongest leaders in state government – any state government.

On December 19, 2012 Beth and I had a scheduled breakfast meeting to talk about an early childhood initiative in town. But the Newtown tragedy had occurred a few days earlier. We tabled our previous agenda and got to work addressing state-wide gun violence through common sense gun safety legislation.

Passing gun safety legislation is excruciating. The unspeakable sorrow caused by gun violence clashes with the vitriolic, threatening discourse of a few vocal NRA members.They tried, but failed to derail Beth and her bi-partisan supporters who now have Second Amendment worthy gun laws that respect the rights of all parties.

This anecdote highlights many of of Beth’s best qualities: her commitment to a more peaceful community, her willingness to listen to all her constituents, and her courage to take on powerful opponents without hesitation.

There is an enormous amount of work to do in the next legislative term. Reelecting Beth Bye is our job; she will do the rest.

Jane Lehman
West Hartford