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To the Editor:

My name is John Lyons, and I am running for Town Council on the Republican ticket. I am appalled at the “blame game” that is going on now with respect to Charlie Kirk. We have no facts yet and yet people on both sides of the isle are suddenly experts in mental health, guns, trans issues, the political leanings of someone they do not know and will never meet, and goodness knows what else while blaming each other for it all.

What I do know is I support those from all points on the political spectrum who condemned the assassination of Charlie Kirk (and condemned all other political violence) and you should too. But the full stop must happen right there until all of the facts are known.

I didn’t know much about Charlie Kirk, I had heard his name and not much more. His expertise was going to college campuses and engaging young adults in political debate and more significantly, engaging them in the political process. He was good at both, and arguably had a hand in making a difference in the outcome of the last presidential election. In fairness, I learned most of this since this past Wednesday in the aftermath of his assassination, but it is, no doubt, an area of general agreement in the media.

This assassination exposed in the rawest of terms a litany of problems in this country, the most significant of which is too many Democrats hate Republicans and too many Republicans hate Democrats. Individual character and intent of a person does not matter. Both are convinced the other side “started it” whatever “it” happens to be. Too many folks openly celebrated Kirk’s death and too many people blamed Democrats for the violence.

I had the benefit of learning that this level of vitriol exists right here in West Hartford when I accepted the Republican nomination for a Town Council seat after having served on the Democratic Town Committee in various roles for nearly 10 years. It did not matter that I had been one of the largest donors and had worked my tail off for folks seeking to be elected. Suddenly, I had scores of enemies who were friends a few weeks earlier. All this for my wishing to help by serving in a volunteer, unpaid position in community government. The things said about me online and said to me (or within earshot of me) in the last couple of months were highly offensive but also inaccurate.

The reaction to the assassination of Charlie Kirk has likewise been divisive, only much bigger, on a national level and with national exposure. Both sides blamed the other for”‘starting it” (there we go with that term again). There has been no consideration of outside factors that have driven each party to their own corner and that is a problem. We are seeing political violence directed at people from both parties and with increasing frequency.

I want you to consider what happens on a playground when kids have a disagreement and blame others for starting it. We all should know better than to buy into this claim. It is remarkable to me that this is the justification for accepting political violence or trying to claim only one side is guilty. We all must dig deeper into our souls and try to understand what is contributing to this chaos and destruction of our once civilized country.

I have a lot to unpack here, if you are uninterested, scroll down to my last paragraph.

What are the factors that are causing the problems?

• Special interest groups and fear groups raising money: While some have a greater purpose, some of these groups are a big problem. They raise money to fight for their cause and if there is no cause or strong feeling around their causes, they don’t bring in the money that they do when there are loud arguments on the matter they support. Many intentionally WANT chaos and division because that is the revenue source for them.
• Social media: Social media has given voice to people who are not qualified or not educated in the matters they are discussing/arguing. Prior to social media, cooler heads prevailed. Now social media conglomerates are earning money for clicks and time spent on the app or site. They are conflicting objectives. They give a partial story, often highly one-sided.
• Mental health: Mental health has been a serious issue and while there has been some attention paid, clearly more is needed. Facing the issue with honesty (and not only when it serves “your side’s” agenda) is a good start.
• Everyone wants to “hate” someone. This used to apply mainly to sports but recently, it seems to transcend just about everything.

We have a decision to make. Do we want to be a country or a cause (to paraphrase Henry Kissinger)? Tribal politics is driving Americans to becoming nothing better than a cause. My decision to switch parties to serve in an unpaid and volunteer elected position was about country (or more accurately, community). I am grateful to the party for accepting and nominating me. I told them it would not be easy and said I might be more trouble than I am worth as a centrist, but hating folks in the other party is both misguided and useless. If it continues, no one is ever going to listen, and no one is going to change. And when elected, no one will work together because of all the vitriol. I want to work with the entire Town Council to provide the best for West Hartford residents

At this point, I am asking myself why I decided to run. I have to imagine other candidates are asking themselves that question too.  When the threats of violence or even online attacks loom, does anyone think for a minute we are getting out best and brightest to run for these positions? Two of our Board of Education members were threatened a few years back. I spoke at the BOE meeting that immediately following the threats condemning the behavior and offering support to the two women who received those threats. We’ve just put in a sophisticated security system in our house and taken other measures to protect ourselves. Again, all for an unpaid volunteer community position.

Vote for me for Town Council, I will not participate in the blame game and will not bring hatred to the position and I will vocally denounce anyone who does. Until the deep hate can be resolved, we are stuck. If elected, I will work hard for you and all of West Hartford. If not elected, I will express my opinions, which who knows, could be more fun! Until then, stay safe and stay reasonable.

John Lyons
Republican candidate for West Hartford Town Council