Letter: Vote Democrat to keep West Hartford Prosperous, Vibrant and Caring
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To the Editor:
West Hartford elections are fast approaching, with the Town Council and Board of Education up for grabs. The Democrats run on a history of proven success, having led our town to the prosperous, vibrant, and caring community it is today. The WH GOP launched their campaign by pleading that voters ignore their support of MAGA policies, and by asking that we view the race in local terms only. So let’s do just that, and contrast the proven policies of the WH Democrats with those espoused by the WH GOP.
Under Democratic leadership, West Hartford is thriving. The Town Center, Park Road, and other commercial districts are alive, with people coming from all over the region to enjoy the excellent restaurants, shops, and entertainment. The schools are routinely ranked among the best not only in the state, but in the nation, with a focus on academic excellence that is matched only by the outstanding arts, music, special needs, and athletic programs. The police and fire departments are world-class, fully deserving of the accolades and respect they’ve earned. The town budget and Grand List are balanced and position West Hartford for a prosperous future, even amid a national environment of rising costs and shrinking employment.
The real estate market is perpetually hot – because people want to live here. Affordability is being addressed with new apartment and affordable housing projects, and traffic calming measures have been put in place all over town. People from all ethnic groups and sexual orientation are welcome because the town actively promotes an open environment across its institutions. The parks, recreational facilities and libraries are top notch, with the Trout Brook Trail being an outstanding recent addition. Is it any wonder then that West Hartford was recognized by U.S. News and World Report as the best town to live in CT – and 19th best in the Nation?
In contrast, the Republicans started their campaign with an attack on the LGBTQ community, and are now targeting diversity programs and amplifying smear campaigns against rival candidates. The few rational policy statements they’ve offered are largely warmed-over variations of ongoing Democratic initiatives. Affordable housing? Balanced Grand List? Traffic measures? All well on the way thanks to Democratic leadership.
But the point of a campaign is not to debate speed bump variations or lawn sign regulations – it’s to contrast the fundamental differences in governing agenda and policies. And to truly understand the core of the WH GOP, one must dig deeper into their official social media accounts, such as the “X Account for the West Hartford Republican Town Committee.” There’s no shortage of MAGA idolatry and toxic content there, but let’s focus on a few themes most important to West Hartford citizens.
The first is multiculturalism, one of the town’s biggest draws. But apparently not for the WH GOP. Responding to a report that 20% of CT workers are immigrants, they reposted “we are being replaced, there’s no denying it.” The report clearly specified legal, hardworking immigrants; not violent criminals, not sex offenders, not even the undocumented workers so demonized by Republicans. “We are being replaced” is the central mantra of the far-right Great Replacement Theory, and exposes an ugly core of xenophobia. If WH GOP endorses such a statement, what makes one think they wouldn’t welcome masked ICE agents into our schools and churches to round up legal residents and those on a legitimate path to citizenship? That’s not a hypothetical situation – it’s happening every day around our country under the administration backed by WH GOP.
On economics, WH GOP complains ad nauseum about the town’s balanced and carefully constructed budget, but curiously never identifies what services they would cut or eliminate. Education? Police? Parks? Fire? Special needs? Traffic measures? One thing is for certain: they’ll slash programs for the vulnerable. When the so-called Big Beautiful Bill passed, WH GOP posted it was a “great day for the American People,” ignoring the millions kicked off Medicaid and SNAP and the decimation of science and health funding. They had no hesitation when almost $350k for West Hartford schools was part of the $4.5B targeted to be cut from local K-12 education funding. They posted that Social Security, an earned benefit that many in our town rely on, is “government sanctioned discrimination against youth by people who didn’t take care of themselves.” And before anyone cries “local issues only!”, these policies absolutely affect most everyone in West Hartford – and provide a clear MAGA-inspired blueprint of WH GOP’s own intentions.
Affordable housing is another issue on which they’ve made their position crystal clear. “We don’t need affordable housing slums,” WH GOP stated about the Camelot project in the Center. Slums? That’s not the kind of elitism we need in West Hartford. Their most recent proposal to build a handful of single-family homes in reclaimed parking lots is vaguely interesting, but hardly sufficient to tackle affordability. In the meantime, the Democratic-led Town Council has been busy working with developers to construct affordable housing and apartments all over town, significantly expanding options for those looking to call West Hartford home.
And finally, WH GOP railed against the “hateful discourse” in politics, and declared they’re interested in a “positive, issues based campaign.” But a closer look reveals something else entirely. They posted that the WH Dems are “pro-human trafficking, pro-sexual assault, pro-criminal.” They said “the left is the party of murder” and that Democrats have been “thoroughly corrupted by evil.” They labeled the hardworking volunteers of the League of Women Voters as “radical, far-left Witch Hags.” Their Vice-Chair said the Democratic Party is “full of hate and antisemitism.” They called left-leaning voters “evil a**holes.” Remember, these are not the rantings of some random passerby at a coffee shop – they’re the words of officials and candidates of the WH GOP. West Hartford deserves mature, responsible leaders who will govern in the bipartisan manner befitting our town, not those prone to vile rhetoric and inflammatory statements that serve only to further divide.
Of course, WH GOP will respond that they are being attacked unfairly. But what could be more fair than simply restating viewpoints from their own official channels? It’s been said that some on the GOP slate don’t support such toxic views; if so, they have every opportunity to publicly denounce them. But doing so would put them directly at odds with the WH RTC, the MAGA ideologues on the slate, and the far-right rhetoric of their official social media accounts.
So the choice is clear, West Hartford. Let’s continue with the outstanding progress and bright future for our town under the proven leadership of West Hartford Democrats. Vote Row A to keep our community prosperous, vibrant, and caring.
Bruce Hoopes
West Hartford