
Growing up, Leslie Navarrete lived on Ansonia’s North End which taught her that hard work, dedication, and discipline were the keys to success in life.
She moved on to college with a sense of direction, but no purpose … yet. She discovered her calling at Eckerd during a service trip in Immokalee, FL where she uncovered the forced domestic enslavement of migrant workers and the homeless.
Once her passion was ignited, nothing could blow it out.
Soon after her service trip, she went on her first missions, fighting for adequate pay for migrant workers, putting an end to domestic slavery in Florida, and guaranteeing adequate services for people with AIDS/HIV.
Her desire for change has led her to do many more things, especially in CT.
She’s helped pass bills on minority teacher recruitment and taser gun accountability alongside the Black and Latino caucus.
Important political bodies like the CT Democratic Hispanic Caucus have endorsed her. Local state representatives, like New Haven’s Juan Candeleria, have worked with her to establish new programs, like the Driver Only program. Big-name social justice champions such as the CT branches of the ACLU and USCCR and Senator Winfield have all worked tirelessly with her to pass prosecutorial transparency laws in our state. Not a day has passed where she has not been fighting for change.
Although she may have moved back to our tiny Ansonia, that doesn’t mean that her fire’s gone out.
The reason she moved back (with her family in tow) was to bring that sense of community from her childhood back. For a community to prosper, all of its aspects need to be in harmony. To rebuild Ansonia, in her own words, “We’ll first rebuild the spirit of the community for all and then forge a community and government partnership.” Leslie came to Ansonia with the dream of her daughter growing up in a community that valued service and a sense of togetherness. She wanted her to learn the same lessons she had growing up.
While trying to juggle state politics, Leslie has been active in our local politics.
The most well-known example of that would have to be the school fiasco from last year. As an Education Committee clerk for the General Assembly, she knew what was happening was illegal and tried to stop the city from taking money from the schools.
She also worked on successfully bringing back funding to the Boys and Girls Club and the library. Aside from budget matters, she made it a point to hold the current administration accountable for actions like violating the charter at the start of the budgetary process and rushing everything. She has worked to draw attention to the general lack of transparency, as evidenced by unnecessary delays in announcements or their limited visibility.
I’ve been working with Leslie for the past few weeks and would gladly vote for her. Compared to all the other candidates, she’s shown the most humility. From planning a fundraiser together to spending nights talking about our town’s future, I’ve been able to bond with her and see just how much she truly cares for our town.
When most of us imagine politicians, we don’t imagine short ladies who love to cuddle dogs, but we should. Leslie is just what Ansonia needs.
The writer lives in Ansonia.
Click here for the rules on letters to the editors.
The deadline to submit election letters expired Oct. 31.