The Question Of Commitment

To the Editor:

I gather from Legislative Council Chairman and State Representative candidate Will Rodgers’ letter to The Bee last week [“Correcting The Record”] that his opponent Chris Lyddy at the very least created the impression with a voter that he, Lyddy, was critical of Rodgers’ commitment to the Legislative Council, based on the fact that Rodgers had missed one meeting of four over the past summer.

Misplaced and unfounded criticism of Rodgers aside, Mr Lyddy has real problems of his own with commitment to his office. This past spring, when he announced his desire to run for the state representative seat being relinquished by the retiring Julia Wasserman, he indicated to the paper that he was already considering running for the state legislature when he ran for his first elective office last November, the seat on the Legislative Council that he now holds. Intended or not, running for a position for the first time, only to serve less than six months of that initial term before jumping to higher office, demonstrates a lack of commitment far greater than missing a meeting for business purposes does.

Beyond the lack of commitment to his office, and to his constituents, that his desire to leave after less than a term demonstrates, it also leaves him unprepared for that higher office. How can one accurately represent the town’s needs on a state level before even demonstrating an understanding of the workings of local government, much less the relationship between the two?

Both Mr Rodgers and Mr Lyddy have youth and enthusiasm. But Mr Lyddy should also bring dedication, loyalty, patience, and knowledge to the table as well before he seeks to represent Newtown in Hartford.

Respectfully,

Carol Mattegat

12 Budd Drive, Newtown                                              October 8, 2008