We-Ha.com welcomes Letters to the Editor from the public, including endorsements. Letters submitted by political candidates will be considered for publication up to 14 days prior to an election and most will be published within 48 hours of receipt. Letters that contain personal attacks or include profanity of any type will not be published. Rebuttals to letters should be submitted as a separate document, and commenting on letters will no longer be permitted. Please provide your full 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 Phone numbers will not be published but are required in case verification is needed.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].

To the Editor:

The man. The myth. The legend. The marginally accurate prognosticator of weather-related events. His name is as ubiquitous as anyone’s in town. He is literally at every town-related event – every council meeting, every fundraiser. I’ve seen him work multiple booths at Celebrate West Hartford on the same day. But what do we really know about John Lyons?

As he gears up for a run at Town Council, I’m finally letting him cash in on a pledge I made years ago.

I’ve been urging him to run for office for quite some time. As the administrator of the West Hartford Political Forum [Facebook group], I’ve maintained a long-standing policy: no formal endorsements. Impartiality builds trust, and if you want people from both sides of the aisle to engage meaningfully, neutrality is essential.

But I made a bet with John years ago that if he ever ran, I would break that rule. Since he was a long-standing member of the DTC, I expected the local RTC to criticize the endorsement – labeling me as “in the tank” for the Democrats. As it turns out, life is full of ironies.

I first met John about 12 years ago. He was the auctioneer at West Hartford’s Cookin’. We exchanged a brief, nondescript conversation. A few weeks later, I was stranded at an airport layover trying to get home after a canceled flight. I looked across the terminal and saw John Lyons. I doubted he’d remember me.

He did.

He offered me a ride home in the rental car he’d just booked.

When I launched the political forum in 2017, it eventually grew to the point where I needed help. I wanted someone who knew West Hartford politics but approached issues with a nonpartisan mindset. John was my first choice. He was as centrist a person as I could ask for – a bona fide Reagan Democrat. I was relieved when he agreed to help.

I had no idea how much help I’d need very soon. It was fall of 2019.

By February 2020, I found myself fumbling with a wine decanter in the WHCi studios before filming a show I co-host. I suddenly heard a voice behind me – an epidemiologist – alerting me that I was blocking the teleprompter. Across the room sat John Lyons, along with a panel of health experts he had assembled.

He was producing a show to prepare the town for what he called “an event the likes of which we haven’t seen since World War II.”

At the time, many – including myself – thought it was overblown. Yes, COVID-19 was serious, but John made it sound like the world was going to shut down.

A month later, the world shut down.

During the pandemic, my political forum quickly morphed into a COVID information hub. Meanwhile, John worked tirelessly to keep the town informed. He co-hosted a talk show with Ronni Newton featuring healthcare professionals, local officials, Governor Lamont – and yes, even the humble admin of the West Hartford Political Forum. He was all over town social media, which, at that point, was our only lifeline to one another.

And now we come to the elephant in the room: the party switch – to the elephant party.

For years, I’ve expressed my frustration with how our municipal elections are conducted. Everything is framed through a Republican or Democrat lens. Why? The vast majority of municipal elections in the United States are nonpartisan. A recent University of Georgia study found that 75% of town council and 90% of school board elections across the country are nonpartisan.
(Source: University of Georgia Study on Local Elections)

So why do we cling to party affiliation at the local level? Who benefits? It only divides us.

When John told me he was switching parties, I told him plainly: I didn’t care whether he ran as a Republican, Democrat, or member of the Party of Mickey Mouse. He had my full support.

Yes, I took a friendly jab earlier about his “Neighbors and Friends” weather forecasts – but the truth is, I’m often shocked at how accurate he is compared to the networks. His instincts are sharp, and more importantly, he would be good for this town.

So whether you’re a Republican, a Democrat, or a proud member of the Party of Mickey Mouse, I encourage you to vote for John Lyons for Town Council.

And maybe – just maybe – someday we can move beyond the partisan divide. And vote for people, not rows.

Rocky Holland
West Hartford