I’ve had doors slammed at me, have been accused of destroying democracy and have been baited by internet trolls. I’ve even had colleagues of mine be threatened over their association with me. I imagine my opponent deals with similar issues. Despite all of that, I am encouraged by the great conversations and interactions I’ve had from the trail, from both sides. I think almost everybody running for political office would say that the positive outweighs the negative or else why would they do it? Is it even worth it? That question is a question that I’ve been pondering a lot the past few weeks.
I’ve had my ups and downs and have wavered after having bad days, but I always come out of it stronger. If you believe in a cause, it’s always worth it. The infusion of new ideas and new energy into the political world is absolutely necessary. At my age, 37, it’s even more important.
As early voting starts and we approach our official election day, remember this: Whoever you vote for, just know that each person on the ballot is a person who has gone out of their way to represent you. They have family and friends and are part of our community one way or the other. We should celebrate diversity of thought and encourage capable people. Sign stealing, negative comments and all the other petty political infighting hurts democracy, but it hurts our community most of all.
Guy Tuccero, Haddam
