Like many of you I’ve found myself increasingly disillusioned and disappointed by the candidates asking for my vote to represent me, my family, and our community in recent years. Whether it’s accusations of corruption, or sexual harassment, or outright dishonesty with the American people our candidates are routinely coming up short. Ethics, morality, principles, and an understanding of the issues are not difficult thresholds to reach, yet our choices running for office seem to be unable attain even the lowest bar we can set. In Washington, it seems that no matter who sits in the Oval Office for the next four years we are in for more of the same.
The one bright spot in all of this for me is the opportunity to vote for someone I personally know who has a real passion for our community, a deep understanding of the key issues plaguing our state, and most importantly the character and integrity to make difficult decisions. I’ve known Nicole Klarides-Ditria both as a friend and a colleague, having served with her on the Board of Selectmen in Seymour for the past three years. I’ve witnessed firsthand her ability to lead and to make the right decisions for our community, even when they’re unpopular.
Representing 24,000 people is not an easy job. As a legislator you are tasked with understanding issues that you might never have heard of, then making decisions on these issues that can potentially impact each and every person in the state. You need to have the ability to stand up for what is right, not what is politically expedient or convenient for your own purposes. Integrity, character, and strength are paramount traits needed to effectively serve your constituents. I’ve watched our current representative consistently support policies that have damaged our state both in the short-term and the long-term. In particular our state is suffering from years of overspending and borrowing more than we can afford due to these policies that our current representative has actively supported.
I believe that Nicole Klarides-Ditria will make the right decisions as our representative in Hartford. She has the strength to truly stand up for us and not lay down when Governor Malloy applies pressure. She’ll be a breath of fresh air in the House of Representatives, and I’m proud to stand with her in this race. I hope you’ll join me in supporting her on Tuesday.
The writer is a former state representative and current Seymour Selectman.
