Letter to the Editor: “Although I’ll miss him up at the Capitol, I’ll be voting for Jonathan Steinberg”

Letter to the Editor

To the Editor,

A few years ago, I found myself at an event with Jonathan Steinberg where the majority of the audience members disagreed with us. We were participants on a panel, and most of us jumped up to leave when the program ended. I can’t speak for the others, but I was tired, hungry, and thought I had said all that I could say to convince those who disagreed with me. But as I headed for the door, I noticed Jonathan hadn’t budged. One-by-one, he was listening to the skeptics in the crowd. When they finished speaking, he was handing out business cards and collecting reading material. He was working overtime, trying to find some common ground with a group that hurled insults his way.

Having worked alongside Jonathan in Hartford, I can tell you that there are plenty of reasons I look up to him. He digs into the details of public policy, never kowtows to party politics and works constantly on building a clearer, healthier, and more prosperous community. He’s been a mentor to me since I decided to run for office, and he’s been my closest friend in the legislature.

But what I admire most is Jonathan’s determination to find common ground. We need that now more than ever. That event where he took the time to meet with the folks who had heckled us? It was a discussion about the safety and efficacy of vaccines. Long before we knew what COVID-19 was or how it would grind our lives to a halt, Jonathan was doing the hard work of engaging skeptical constituents, sharing the scientific data and perhaps convincing a few of them to vaccinate themselves or their family. Today, it’s hard to imagine a more important task for our elected officials. We need local leaders with Jonathan’s honesty, compassion and work-ethic. We need politicians who walk toward a challenge, not away from it. Although I’ll miss him up at the Capitol, I’ll be voting for Jonathan Steinberg as our next First Selectman on November 2nd. I hope you’ll join me.

Will Haskell

State Senator, 26th District

Letter to the Editor: “I'm so proud to live in Westport.”

Letter to the Editor

To the Editor,

I'd like to encourage all Westporters to vote for Jonathan Steinberg and Candice Savin for Selectmen on November 2. These two Democrats have demonstrated throughout their careers how hard they will work to benefit our community.

I'm so proud to live in Westport. Our quality of life is remarkable and our school system is second to none. While we have significant advantages due to location and geography, much of what we get to appreciate in our town is built on years of smart choices by our leaders in the Selectman's office.

We are seeing rapid change in many aspects of our lives, especially in the environment. We need to implement plans that will enhance our resilience against storms and other natural disasters. We should be focused on a prioritized review of all town facilities to discover our key vulnerabilities and then we need to enact plans to fix them. What is the right plan for resilience? What systems are under-funded and one bad storm away from a disaster?

We need curious and experienced leaders like Jonathan Steinberg and Candice Savin leading the town. These dedicated Democrats will anticipate issues and make confident choices for the benefit of Westport and our region.

I hope you'll join me in voting for Jonathan Steinberg and Candice Savin for Westport Selectmen.

Sincerely,

Peter Propp

Letter to the Editor: “they create perfect synergy to lead Westport into the future”

Letters to the Editor

To the Editor,

I have been a Westport resident for over 8 years and have had the privilege to personally know Jen Tooker and Andrea Moore since my family’s arrival.  I met Jen and Andrea separately, through volunteering in our kids’ schools, and I was drawn to each of them for their community awareness, intelligence, humor and most of all, kindness.  As I got to know each of them better over the next several years, I have greatly appreciated their deep dedication to Westport through volunteering, sitting on local non-profit boards and serving in locally elected offices. Jen and Andrea are great listeners and our concerns are theirs.  While the state has taken away funding from Westport and dis-incentivized business here, Jen and Andrea have fought for our town all while keeping taxes flat.  They have proven their ability to be fiscally responsible while still keeping the best interests of families, students, teachers, seniors, business owners and taxpayers in mind.  Jen and Andrea have been working for Westport for YEARS and it is a great place to live in no small part because of what they’ve already accomplished.

Each of these women separately make fantastic candidates but together they create perfect synergy to lead Westport into the future.  It’s time that we take a non-partisan look at the facts and their collective histories, and elect Jen and Andrea to take their leadership to the next level, to the benefit of all of Westport.  

Karen Speller

Letter to the Editor: “They are consensus builders and enthusiastic stewards“

Letters to the Editor

To the Editor,

I am writing in support of the candidacy of Jonathan Steinberg and Candice Savin for Westport First Selectmen.

For the past fifteen years, I have personally witnessed how selflessly and tirelessly both Jonathan and Candi have worked to promote a healthy, safe, and vibrant Westport. They’ve worked successfully on issues ranging from education to the environment, from consideration of the needs of our seniors to taking care of our many public services and resources. They have served for years as public servants and always put the needs of their constituents first. Jonathan and Candi are hard-working and clear-headed. They are consensus builders and enthusiastic stewards of all that we value about our town.

They have my vote on Election Day and I hope they have yours.

Nina Sankovitch