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