To the Editor:

When your Newtown state delegation is serving our community in Hartford, you should know that we often work as a team for maximum effectiveness. In the 2015-2016 sessions, we collectively won grants, recovered special education dollars, and restored municipal aid and school funding using a force of four that included Senator Tony Hwang, Representatives J.P. Sredzinski, Dan Carter, and me. As you know, Dan Carter is running this year for a US Senate seat, leaving our delegation one short for 2017.

We are fortunate to have a new Republican candidate ready to join the Newtown delegation, who brings with him a lot of qualifying experience. Please join me in welcoming and supporting Will Duff for the office of state representative for the Second District, which encompasses the extreme southwest corner of Newtown. Some of you may not know yet him because most of the second District is in Bethel, where he and his family have been active and well known for decades. I believe he will serve our residents in the Second State Assembly District with honor, upholding the conservative values that are prevalent in the southwest corner of town.

Will Duff has been involved in local government in a number of different roles. His experience sets him far apart and makes him the common sense choice on November 8 to make positive change in Connecticut. In Bethel, Will served as a selectman, a member of the Board of Tax Review and, just recently, as a member of the Board of Education. As selectman, he co-authored and enacted the town's first ethics code and worked across the aisle to achieve the town's only tax freeze. Will shares my belief that we need to work with both political parties to get Connecticut back on track.

A Bethel small businessman and longtime resident, he has successfully run the family business, giving him an understanding of what its like to pay bills, earn a profit, pay his fair share of taxes, make a payroll, and manage insurance. He understands all too well how hard it is to run a business here in Connecticut.

Will's record of leadership in Bethel makes him the best choice for the Second District and, on November 8, those of you who see him on the ballot should feel confident in casting your vote for Will Duff.

Please join me and vote for Will Duff on November 8.

State Representative Mitch Bolinsky, 106th District

3 Wiley Lane, Newtown         October 31, 2016