The views stated here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the editors of this newspaper. We welcome supporting or opposing views on any published item. Received November 7, 2022.
Election Day is just a day away. I know the candidates are exhausted, as are many people in Haddam. The signs, campaigning, robocalls and texts all feel overwhelming. I’m writing today to support the re-election of our Democratic candidates.
Connecticut handled the pandemic much better than most other states. We were early in re-opening our schools and businesses, we got our vaccines, and generally kept our levels of COVID manageable compared to many states. This was a victory for us under Democratic leadership.
During this time, our state went from a deficit to surplus under Democratic leadership. Our taxes were cut $660 million in the last year! We eliminated our taxes on pensions and 401K plans for seniors, increased our property tax credit and increased our child tax rebate.
We’ve had seven consecutive months of job growth in Connecticut this year alone, and in fact there’s a shortage of workers, businesses are hiring so much! New business registrations grew by an unprecedented 20% in 2021. Our unemployment rate is under 4%, surely a low number by any standard.
On crime, the Republicans claim that violent crime is up. But it’s not true. Overall, violent crime is DOWN in Connecticut. In September, the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection released a report showing a drop in violent and property crimes in Connecticut in 2021, despite a nationwide increase. https://www.cspnews.org/post/governor-lamont-commissioner-rovella-release-ct-crime-stats-for-2021
These have been trying times, for sure. The pandemic and inflation–which is partly fueled by post-pandemic economic growth and partly by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine—have brought hardships to our country, our state, and to Haddam. But a lot of good things are happening in Haddam, too. New apartments and businesses in Tylerville, the refurbishment of Scovil Hoe and Higganum Cove, and some great opportunities for investment in our town, which have been supported in part by $750,000 in state bonds secured for us by Christine Palm and Norm Needleman. Compared to much of the country, our state and town are moving forward.
Democrats have shown strong leadership in Connecticut. They deserve to return to office to continue their good work. Vote for Christine Palm, Norm Needleman, Ned Lamont, Joe Courtney, Richard Blumenthal and the other Democratic candidates on November 8th.
You can find your voting place here. Polls are open 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 8, 2022. https://portaldir.ct.gov/sots/LookUp.aspx
Peter Baird, Higganum
