Election Reform And Representation

To the Editor:

As usual, your recent editorials have given clear ideas concerning the recent uncontested elections and the campaign finance reform law. There is an interesting relationship between the two editorials that is lacking. That is, the way our two representatives in the legislature actually voted on the campaign finance reform bill. Although Republican Senator John McKinney has been in challenging election contests that would require significant financing and although he had some questions concerning the bill, as a man of conscience he voted to support reforming campaign financing in Connecticut. In contrast, Newtown’s Republican representative, Julia Wasserman, who ran uncontested and thereby required only one vote to retain her seat in the House, voted to defeat the campaign finance reform bill. To be informed as to how our representatives vote on various issues provides motivation for determining whether or not the seat they hold should be contested.

This issue brings to mind the matter of the Fairfield Hills Hospital property. Although Newtown has had several acres of land given to it by the state, the town was not successful in preventing a high security prison from being built on the property. Additionally, Newtown has paid $3.9 million, plus the ongoing cost of cleaning up toxic materials on the land, for 189 acres. In contrast, because the state also closed Norwich Hospital in eastern Connecticut, the state is offering the town of Preston, in which much of the hospital was located, 400 acres of land adjacent to the Foxwoods Casino and with valuable waterfront property on the Thames River for one dollar. Additionally, the town of Norwich is being offered another 30 or so acres for one dollar. Both towns are presently negotiating with the state about responsibility for cleaning up toxic materials. If the citizens of Newtown had been made aware, especially by their local paper, of such information, might they have decided differently about allowing the seats of their elected officials to go uncontested?

James A. Bergeron

Brushy Hill Road, Newtown                                 December 12, 2005