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Dear Editor,

Last year, West Hartford faced its most serious financial challenge since the Great Recession, when the governor proposed a state budget that would have eviscerated our education funding. Had that budget passed, West Hartford would have been required to look at unthinkable options – including drastic tax hikes and cuts to our schools.

Fortunately, that didn’t happen. Instead, the legislature adopted a budget that restored millions of dollars in education aid to West Hartford. This was due in large part to the leadership of State Representative Andy Fleischmann.

As House Chairman of the Education Committee, Andy is one of the most respected lawmakers in the state on education issues, and he has always been a powerful voice for West Hartford’s public schools. I was proud to watch him fight tooth and nail to ensure that West Hartford students got their fair share of state funding – millions of dollars more than proposed by the governor.

This is a critical period for West Hartford, and we need progressive leaders like Andy who have proven they can advocate effectively for investments in our schools and community. If you care about our schools, if you care about protecting West Hartford’s state education funding, please support Andy in the Democratic primary on August 14^th.

Dallas C. Dodge
West Hartford Town Council