To the Editor:

I love Newtown. Many of my high school friends sadly moved away to major cities like Boston or DC after they graduated. I chose Newtown. Like many here, I commute more than an hour to work, but it's worth it.

That's why my campaign for state representative has always been about the values we share as a community. Schools that serve everyone and keeping our town affordable; our residents can age in their own homes. You will know your neighbor and run into friends at the supermarket and our kids don't get lost in the shuffle.

With the election a few days away, we have to take action at the polls to ensure that Connecticut and America will keep moving in the right direction. That starts with the Newtowns of our nation; too many politicians in Connecticut and DC aren't focused on what middle-class families need.

I won't be your average state representative. I have relationships with many in the legislature as an advocate for 13 years. While serving Sandy Hook, I was able to increase the political discourse in Newtown and form key relationships with community members. I stood with parents and teachers to prevent a costly shut down of Hawley School. I organized a statewide Connecticut Women's Caucus, and enrolled Newtown families for the first time with health insurance; I also worked tirelessly on an ad hoc roads committee. I will bring that passion to Hartford, and get results for my community. I will focus on attracting more small businesses, enticing more young couples to move here, and ensuring older couples can stay here.

We also have at the state level a looming deficit that we need a prudent and pragmatic approach to fix. We need to be creative in reforming our tax system. We need to tighten our fiscal belts. This means leadership, someone that can fight for real results. And we do have choices. We can make cost-effective decisions by regionalizing our services. We can make sure that everyday people aren't burdened with higher taxes or unaffordable costs. I pledge to take a stand for the little guy - the mom and pop shops that are crushed by competition from large corporations, and by a tax system that favors those large corporations.

Most importantly, we shouldn't have to suffer cuts to our schools, our senior center, or our roads, either.

I've been talking to a lot of voters, and many told me how frustrated they are with politics. But I would urge everybody, whatever your party affiliation, to go vote. In Hartford, I won't toe the party line. Instead I will follow the voices of Newtowners. Next Tuesday, November 8, please vote for me and show Hartford that Newtown is ready to fight for a fair economy.

Give me your vote, and I'll give you my voice.

Eva Zimmerman

State Representative candidate, 106th District

22 Bankside Trail, Sandy Hook         November 2, 2016