Following are recent letters submitted to the Westport Journal in support of candidates running in the Nov. 8 elections.

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I urge you to vote for Jonathan Steinberg on Nov. 8 because he’s the experienced legislator our state needs right now.

I’ve known Jonathan for many years, starting with the time we served together on the RTM. He was an ally in efficiencies in the education budget as we worked to assure  our schools remained of top quality while spending taxpayer dollars wisely. I knew I could count on Jonathan to do his homework, champion positive change and work with everyone to fashion real solutions.

It was not surprising to see Jonathan pursue a similar, pragmatic approach in the state legislature, taking over leadership of the House Dems’ Moderates Caucus and challenging budget assumptions. As chair of the Pension Sustainability Commission, he shone a spotlight on the critical importance of increasing the funded ratio on pension debt — the largest single factor in continuing budget deficits. In 2017, Jonathan led the rebellion against the bad Halloween Budget, which eventually resulted in a bipartisan budget deal and the strong fiscal controls which have provided stability, a full Rainy Day Fund for the coming recession and over $450 million in annual savings by paying down the pension debt.

Jonathan’s been chair of the Public Health Committee for six years, working with the administration to combat COVID, which we did better than virtually any other state. He protected our kids from vaping, assured women’s access to reproductive healthcare and spearheaded critical support for addressing the children’s mental health crisis. He has demonstrated what it takes to be a real leader in challenging times.

Elections are about choices, and this one is clear: Jonathan Steinberg is the candidate who represents Westport’s values and is prepared to do the hard work to keep our state on the right path. Vote Steinberg on Nov. 8.

Michael Rea

Westport

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Connecticut’s public transportation system, despite being relied on by so many to move both within the state and out of it, is notoriously awful. The Metro-North runs slowly, rarely, and has next to no services for passengers compared to the omnipresent public transport across the rest of the developed world. We’ve lagged behind for too long. Thankfully, in cooperation with state officials and elected legislators, Congressman Jim Himes has secured $5.38 billion for Connecticut transportation over the next five years, a $1.63 billion increase over the 2015 transportation bill.

$3B for expanding roads and road-sharing initiatives, $1B for public transit, $561M for bridges, $90M for weather resistance, $52.2M for electric vehicle charging stations, and $445M over five years for clean water infrastructure. 

In addition to all this, Connecticut is eligible for more than $200 billion in nationally competitive grants, and $30 billion regionally competitive ones. The national grants cover everything from planes, trains and automobiles to clean water and old pollution, as well as the electric grid and cybersecurity against interference with or attacks against our digital infrastructure. Thanks to Congressman Himes, our state can flourish, with its infrastructure of all kinds modernized and expanded. Driving, biking and walking will be more convenient. Buses and trains will be more common and modern. Our crumbling bridges will be restored, storms won’t wreak as much havoc, and owning an electric vehicle won’t be so difficult. And that’s just the guaranteed funding.

I’m voting to re-elect Jim Himes to Congress on Nov. 8 to keep this record going and help our state even more. You should too.

Ross Burkhardt

Westport

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I’m writing today to urge my fellow Westport residents to support Toni Boucher for Connecticut state senator on Tuesday, Nov. 8.

Toni is deeply committed to our community. Throughout her public service, she has been dedicated to supporting our students and families; strengthening our schools; protecting the interests of seniors by addressing affordability and quality of life issues; and is a proponent of common sense government, lower taxes and local control of zoning. Toni is an advocate for women, is pro-choice and supports our local law enforcement in protecting the community and keeping us all safe.

Toni works tirelessly on behalf of her constituents and will continue to do so in the state Senate. Nov. 8 is a critical date for Westport’s and Connecticut’s future. I wholeheartedly endorse Toni Boucher for state Senate. I hope you will join me in voting for Toni on Election Day.

Karen Hess

Westport

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Firearms were the leading cause of death for children and teens in 2020.

I can’t live with that statistic. What can you do about it in Connecticut?  I’m writing to urge you to vote on Nov. 8 for the candidates who will work to protect our state, our communities, and our children from gun violence:  Jonathan Steinberg, Ceci Maher, Dominique Johnson, William Tong and Ned Lamont. We must also send Richard Blumenthal and Jim Himes back to Washington, too.

I have worked in gun violence prevention in Connecticut and nationally for over 20 years. I have fought for Connecticut laws to ban assault weapons, require safe storage of firearms and reporting of guns that are lost or stolen, and ban ghost guns and bump stocks.  We have strengthened our laws protecting our citizens from domestic violence during the acutely dangerous period of a temporary restraining order, and our “Red Flag” or Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO) law that allow us to speak up if we know someone is an imminent threat to themselves or others, was the first in the country in 1999.   And, in the midst of mourning with our friends in Newtown, we passed the most comprehensive gun safety bill ever, expanding our assault weapons ban and including the ban on large capacity magazines, among other landmark protections. 

Jonathan Steinberg has been there — championing, supporting, and voting for all of these gun safety laws every step of the way. And as chair of the Public Health Committee, he is leading the charge to identify and implement programs which will effectively curb community gun violence.

Indeed, electing Jonathan and the other candidates is more important than ever. I am extremely alarmed that two elected Republican state Reps. Craig Fishbein of Wallingford and Doug Dubitsky of Chaplin, are the attorneys for a group suing our state to overturn our long-standing assault weapons ban!  It is their goal to make sure that anyone and everyone can be armed with a military style semi-automatic rifle in CT. This is not a hypothetical. This is dangerous.  We must keep a democratic majority in our state legislature and state Senate to stop this from happening. 

Through hard work and the dedication of Jonathan Steinberg and his colleagues, Connecticut is on the forefront of gun violence prevention.   Now we need to ensure we stay that way. VOTE on Nov. 8 for Jonathan and our other gun safety candidates, Ceci Maher, Dominique Johnson, William Tong, Gov. Lamont, Rep. Himes and Sen, Blumenthal. They WILL hold strong against those who want to roll back our gun laws. And they WILL continue to protect Connecticut and build on the progress we have made so far. 

Amy Pines

Westport