To the Editor:

So many of our elected officials seem to be cut from the same tired cloth. And so it’s particularly exciting to find Michelle McCabe wanting to serve our community as our State Senator. Full of enthusiasm and ideas, Michelle has an endless supply of kindness and compassion and a natural ability to listen and learn. The depth of her knowledge of the issues facing Newtown and the state is a product of someone heavily invested in our community. She will represent us well in Hartford.

It’s not just Michelle’s personal attributes that make her such a phenomenal candidate. I believe her policy priorities are in alignment with what we need in Newtown.

Michelle fully supports [school resource officers] SROs in our schools and does not agree with any suggestion of defunding them. While Newtown does not receive federal funding for our SROs, the principle behind defunding them matters. This is a serious issue to me and I know it is to many Newtowners.

Michelle will focus on education, and will address the lost instructional opportunities caused by the pandemic and ensure that the tools and resources are in place should there be any further disruptions. She will also work to ensure that voting is easy and accessible for everyone, and will pursue a constitutional amendment to allow no-excuse absentee voting.

Michelle will address the affordability of Newtown and of Connecticut. Knowing Newtown is heavily reliant on property taxes, she will prioritize easing that burden on both residents and on the town. She will also address exorbitant electricity rates, and help people struggling with debt.

Please join me in voting for Michelle McCabe for State Senate. She will do a great job for Newtown. While I am a member of Newtown’s Police Commission, these opinions are my own.

Joan Plouffe

9 Sturges Road, Newtown October 21, 2020