Letter: West Hartford Voters Have a Clear Choice – Trump Republicans or Responsible Leaders
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To the Editor:
After years of failing to run a full slate of candidates for Town Council, West Hartford Republicans came up with the requisite six candidates. That’s good news for democracy, but overshadowed by the crazy quilt ticket they did endorse.
Gone is current Town Council Minority Leader Mark Zydanowicz, a real conservative who got kicked to the curb because he put governing ahead of partisanship. Then there are two credible candidates in incumbent Alberto Cortes and Gayle Harris; one unknown with no apparent experience; and far-right Kyle Zelazny who often out-Trumps Trump.
But wait, it gets worse. Jason Wang and John Lyons are both recent Democrats now turned Republicans only because each failed to win the trust and support of West Hartford Democrats during a fair and open endorsement process. At this dangerous time in America, they chose to stand with the party of Trump. Wang displayed real political contortions to go from Democrat to Unaffiliated and now Republican in just a few days. Then there’s John Lyons, a longtime active Democrat and outspoken critic of West Hartford Republicans, but now a newly minted Trump Republican. I do not fault John’s ambition, only his opportunism. It says a lot about the candidate and the person that his written promise during the endorsement process not to run if not nominated as a Democrat meant nothing. For someone seeking the public’s trust, integrity and honesty ought to count for more than that. I predict the Republicans will soon regret his raw opportunism.
Fortunately, voters have a clear choice: Trump Republicans or the responsive and responsible leadership of Mayor Shari Cantor and her Democratic Town Council team. West Hartford continues to be wonderfully welcoming, one of the top-rated places to live in America and a beacon of good government. Our tax base continues to grow, providing great schools and services.
Especially now, our Democratic leaders stand up for the values of our community at a time when those values are under assault. Make no mistake, the election this year is more than local. It’s about choosing between Republicans who stand with Trump and Democrats who are fighting back to protect town government as our first and last line of defense.
Kevin Sullivan
West Hartford
Please tell me which values in West Hartford are currently under assault?
I can give you one and probably the biggest one Free Speech. The BOE instead of promoting free speech they tried to make it harder to speak at the BOE meetings until they were called out on it.
Classic Kevin Sullivan and the West Hartford Democrats to gloss over the local issues facing West Hartford. National Politics is not a local matter. This West Hartford GOP slate will focus on the future of WEST HARTFORD – The lack of West Hartford Democrats planning for our growth, lack of community security and fiscal responsibility. The town should be applaud the diverse slate that is now availability that will work towards the issues facing West Hartford.
Thank you Kevin Sullivan for telling it like it is. When you can’t make it as a Democrat, and switch to the Trump
party hoping to score one of three “political participation trophy” seats normally awarded to Republicans in W.H., you’ve put political opportunism ahead of real integrity and principles.
Then again, that is the sign of most Republicans these days.
Do West Hartford Democrats really represent responsible leadership. Look at our town.
Our finances are a mess and slated to get worse. We cannot afford the retirement benefits we’ve promised workers and we cannot tax our way out of the situation.
The physical infrastructure of our schools is deplorable and an embarrassment. Our teachers, too their credit, still manage to produce fantastic results but it’s an uphill battle.
We’re adding countless new housing units without a plan on how accommodate all the new people and all the new traffic. Bicycles? Really? Grocery shopping for a family of four with a bike. And what will happen in the winter when snow removal in the winter including secondary streets. For all those who want their kids to move back to West Hartford, will it really still be “West Hartford” if we grow the population by thousands of people with thousands of cars.
Finally, the town council lacks representation from the single largest block of voters – the unaffiliated. West Hartford, like the rest of the state, ignores those of us disaffected with both Democrats and Republicans.
I am struggling to understand how Republicans in West Hartford, who opposed nearly every policy initiative that placed our town at the top of a list of best places to live, has any grasp of what makes West Hartford a good place to live. When last Republicans held the town council one of their big pushes was to “redefine” what a family was to limit people joining Cornerstone pool. A page right out of present day Republican playbooks across the country. So if you think the West Hartford Republicans will now be turning their back on the policies of the National Republican Party and Trump I would view that with skepticism. The glaring lack of integrity of some of the present Republican candidates aside, it should be apparent that Democratic control of the council and board has led to success after success-and Republicans in West Hartford balked all the way. What do they have to offer us now other than culture wars that are divisive, and platitudes about affordability? Every town faces such problems but in West Hartford we have a legislative delegation that keeps state money coming to our town allowing us to build on our successes year after year. Don’t be fooled that Republican candidates are different than their national counterparts. Shari Cantor and the dedicated council members have done a superb job and their leadership should be continued.
Wow, Kevin the Bomb Thrower Sullivan of the Democrat party comes out against this diverse slate of the Republican Party of West Hartford for both BOE and Town Council. What took him so long. You would expect this from him. This is what he does if you read his writings on Facebook. He is the attack dog of the Democrats. This is what someone bereft of ideas does instead of having common sense ideas they attack and try to bring you down because they have nothing. I feel sorry for someone like The Bomb Thrower who has nothing else but just throw bombs. I thought the Democrat Party is the party of openness and free speech and Democracy. They play themselves as the good guys, but in all honesty The Dems are just all about stifling free speech and conformity like they did on the BOE until they were called out on it.
You will see from this slate fresh new ideas on how to make West Hartford better for the future and I hope instead of listening to people like the Bomb Thrower with his insults you will give this slate a chance.
Thank you