To the Editor:

As a Republican, I will split my vote this fall. One of the Republicans I will not vote for is Tony Hwang. If you want to cut government waste, do not vote for Hwang.

I was angered to receive a three-page foldout flier from Hwang, with six photo-ops of him posing with smiling school children, and the main centerfold with nothing more than a photo of a sign which reads "School Safety." The only purpose of this flier was to state that Hwang supported making it a felony to phone in a threat to schools. A good bill to be passed, but did it really need a three-page foldout flier? That was the one and only issue in the mailing. When you received this mailing, you might have thought that it was a paid for by Hwang's reelection committee, but it wasn't. State senators and other elected officials are entitled to "free" mailings, and this was one of them. Only they aren't "free." There is money spent on the printing of these fliers and postage. They are paid for by taxpayers.

Hwang speaks about "precious taxpayer money," yet he spends it frivolously. This one-issue, six-sided, three-page brochure could have been a postcard. Better yet, just issue a press release to local media and for PTAs to post in their newsletters. Hwang took advantage of the system by using taxpayer money to promote himself before the upcoming election. Most of the people who phone in threats don't even live in his district to receive the mailing.

If you want to send a message to Hartford about not wasting our tax dollars, vote for Phil Dwyer, Hwang's opponent.

Another disappointment with Hwang is that I could not get him to say whether or not he's endorsing Dan Carter for senator. Hwang refused to answer with a simple yes or no, even when pressured. Elected officials need to be forthright about how they feel on the issues. His repeated answer of "being friends with Carter" just skirted the issue and is a textbook example of what is wrong with politicians in America.

Carter was the only representative from Newtown who did not vote for the commons sense gun laws Governor Malloy and former Police Chief Michael Kehoe wanted passed. Carter has been vocal about even those on the no-fly list should being able to get guns without further investigation, citing due process. Carter is another Republican who will not be getting my vote. I looked for Carter during his last run, and only saw Hwang and Bolinsky at campaign stops. I wanted to question Carter about his vote, but was told he was not campaigning in Newtown. That doesn't sound like someone who is proud of his voting record, especially when he was elected to represent Newtown, of all places. What a slap in the face his No vote was to the families who lost loved ones. Please vote for Richard Blumenthal for senator.

Lois Barber

33 Zoar Road, Sandy Hook         October 17, 2016