Editor’s note: following is an opinion submitted by Westporter Danielle Teplica. Though Teplica is a member of TEAM Westport, this is her personal opinion and not TEAM Westport’s.

I would like to express my enthusiastic support for Lee Goldstein for State Representative in District 136.

I have known Lee for over a decade and have long appreciated her work style, values, and ethics. She builds strong relationships and negotiates in good faith, bringing respect, empathy, and a problem-solving mentality to her work. She is inclusive, fair, and highly principled; and she makes working together efficient and pleasant.

If you’ve attended a Westport Board of Education meeting or worked with Lee on a committee, you have seen firsthand how effectively and thoughtfully she works on behalf of our community. As Board Chair, she has delivered for students and Westport, securing unanimous budget approvals and guiding the board through complex issues, including AI readiness, a K–12 cell phone ban, and the rebuilding of multiple schools.

Lee is unafraid to tackle the sticky issues that would have most of us running in the other direction. She recognizes that these issues are often complex and nuanced, and she comes informed and prepared to work creatively toward pragmatic solutions. She faces hard work and messy problems undaunted.

An attentive listener, she takes others’ perspectives seriously and lets them inform her decisions and approach to solving problems. This combination of preparedness, openness, and determination will serve us well as she represents our priorities in Hartford.

Westporters are fortunate to have the opportunity to send someone to Hartford with Lee’s solid track record of representing us, working across the boards of our town government to deliver results, and making critical decisions on our behalf.

Please join me in voting for Lee Goldstein for State Representative during early voting beginning October 19 or on Election Day, November 3!

Sincerely,

Danielle Teplica
Westport