To the Editor:

My name is Aaryan Chitnis, a junior at Fairfield Warde High School, and this summer I had the fantastic opportunity to intern with Senator Tony Hwang.

With deep, intrinsic knowledge regarding state and local policy, Senator Hwang demonstrates true expertise — the expertise Fairfield needs. While on the campaign trail, Tony discussed the intricacies of health care, housing, education, justice, and safety policies in Connecticut. Tony shared his insights on how national politics had no bearing on state and local issues.

Tony emphasized the importance of addressing state and local level issues that directly affect our community, such as hunger, education, health care disparities, unfunded mandates from the state, youth mental health crises, and 8-30g conflicts.

Above all, Tony demonstrated passion for serving his local community; while canvassing with Tony, I had the ability to develop relationships with constituents and really understand the issues people in my community face.

While national issues are important, when electing a state Senator we must consider who can best represent us on issues pertaining to the state. It’s imperative that local politics do not fall prey to the toxicity of national politics. With his invaluable knowledge of local issues and years of experience working with legislators on both sides of the aisle, I believe Senator Tony Hwang best represents my community, my town, and the district as a whole and would be a great voice in Hartford.

We need a champion who knows and understands the intricacies of 8-30g, health care, energy policy, education, the budget, and state politics. We need a fighter who will speak out against encroaching state mandates, especially unfunded ones.

We need a business-friendly candidate who will promote economic growth and affordability to keep students like me from searching for out-of-state jobs. And most importantly, we need an advocate for our seniors, workers, and students like me.

As someone whose parents run a small business in Fairfield, it’s extremely important to my family and I that local politicians like Tony represent us. Connecticut is my home, and I want to return here when I am done with school. A candidate that encourages investment in education, local businesses, and public safety is the candidate the 28th district needs, and that candidate is Tony Hwang.

While I may be too young to vote, I want to make my voice heard. Tony is my choice, and I hope you can join me in supporting him in this election on November 8.

Aaryan Chitnis

Fairfield