The Drummer letters and opinion policy has been updated effective with the October 2024 issue.
Support for Anderson
I have been a registered independent voter in Granby for over 20 years and I am supporting Mark Anderson in the upcoming November elections.
I would characterize myself as a college educated, business oriented, fiscally conservative person who is moderate in terms of social values. Not extreme in either direction, but also tired of being bombarded from the extreme left and extreme right opinions.
I dislike the overall direction that Connecticut is heading in with a Super Majority of Democratic government, but I do like living here. Given that, I honestly believe that Mark Anderson has worked tirelessly with people like me in mind.
As an Independent/Unaffiliated voter, I have only two real choices on Election Day—Democrat or Republican.
In my opinion, we do not need more of the same Democratic Party policies from Kim Becker.
We need to retain Mark Anderson as our voice for alternate ideas about state tax cuts, public safety and economic expansion that would improve our state for the better.
Please join me in voting for Mark this year.
Beth Carroll
As a Republican serving in a Democratic legislature (97 to 54), Mark Anderson demonstrated knowledge, skills and character that he consistently maintained in serving all his constituents. Examples include introducing bills to eliminate an emission tax for some vehicles, ensuring ECS dollars for education, and elimination of a highway use tax. Additionally, he co-introduced acts concerning water resources of the Upper Farmington River Valley and justice for victims of sexual assault. Through Mark’s continued dedication, he worked to pass bear safety laws, supported use of gas-powered vehicles, and put the mandate for electric vehicles on hold. During this year and with Mark’s assistance, the town of Granby received a $2 million public safety award.
There is much more that our representative must accomplish. Making changes in a Democratically controlled legislature is no simple feat as their committees place restrictions on what legislators can petition. Despite strong resistance, Mark proposed bills promoting fairness and safety in girls’ sports, and maintaining the rights of parents and guardians. Representative Anderson supports our concerns regarding fairness in utility rates, managing taxes and controlling additional fees while supporting awards for property tax relief. Finally, he acknowledges the need to honor and respect local control regarding education and housing development.
Granby needs an experienced leader who is well trained, possesses a working knowledge and background regarding legislation at all levels. His demonstrated skillset is well established: approachable, responsive and concerned for Granby. Afford him the opportunity to get the job done!
John and Maureen Eberly
As an independent voter, I prefer candidates based on their leadership skills, demonstrated proven track record and not party affiliation. For the position of Connecticut House Representative for the 62th district I believe that the reelection of Mark Anderson, a Granby resident, is our best choice.
Connecticut, in my opinion, in the upcoming years, will continue to face challenges on many matters of concern to us all. Recognizing that major parties often take positions that can be diametrically opposed, we need a legislature that is balanced not only in numbers but maintains the ability to compromise. Laws produced by consensus in negotiations will serve our state and its citizens positively. I believe Mark Anderson is the candidate that can manage that objective. He has demonstrated in his past term to be a representative to support our needs in a constructive and positive manner. Mark spent decades of his life in service to our country and will continue to do so with dedication to his home district and Connecticut.
Vote for Mark and watch him provide us will excellent representation in the state legislature in the coming years.
R W Maier
Support for Becker
I am writing to state my strong support for Kim Becker as by far the best candidate for our representative from the 62nd General Assembly District.
Kim and her family are long time Granby residents. Anyone who is involved in volunteer service in Granby knows Kim, and know she gives 110 percent to all she does for our community.
Kim is involved in our community in so many ways, and has worked tirelessly for us. She is the Chair of the Granby Education Foundation, working to provide more opportunities for Granby’s young people. She is a member of the Granby Ambulance Association’s Board of Directors, helping to ensure the safety of our residents in emergency situations. Whenever there is a need in our community for someone to step up and get to work on a problem or an issue, Kim is always first in line. Her commitment to public service is complete and unconditional.
Kim will bring this same commitment to public service and willingness to work for all of the towns in our district, including Granby. She will work collaboratively with her colleagues on both sides of the aisle in Hartford, and help secure our district’s fair share of state aid to towns. She will work just as hard for us as the Representative of the 62nd District as she has always done for our town!
Please vote for Kim Becker for the 62nd District Representative in the Tuesday, Nov. 5 election.
Christine Chinni
I am writing today to lend my support to Kim Becker for the 62nd State House seat. I have known Kim for a number of years and I can assure you her qualifications and compassion make her the only choice in November.
Kim and I have had multiple conversations around health care. As a local healthcare provider, I see the battle day after day with poor coverage and increasing expense of our privatized health care system. Kim has assured me she will be up to the challenge of fighting the special interests that continue to increase costs, corporatize and monetize our healthcare system. Managing the high cost of healthcare is both pro-business and pro-people. Kim is committed to making sure that all individuals will have access to affordable, quality healthcare. Kim will also stand strong to support women, in a post-Roe world, with access to comprehensive reproductive care.
I am confident that Kim will be a strong voice for the small towns that make up the 62nd District that includes Granby. She will keep an eye on ALL the residents’ needs in our communities. Please join me in supporting Kim Becker for the 62nd on November 5th.
Dr. Frederick Moffa
Support for Becker
The 62nd district of Connecticut deserves a representative who will listen and be interested in understanding the concerns of all constituents and fight hard to support the issues important to them. We need a representative who has a strong commitment to making our rural district the best it can be and believes in partnering with other such district representatives to ensure we have a collective seat at the table in Hartford. I believe Kim Becker is the best choice for our district and I enthusiastically endorse her in the race for State Representative.
I met Kim as a result of my interest and active support of local politics. During her years of increasing responsibility in various campaigns, I got to know her and understand what she stood for and, more importantly, the person she is. Because of that, my wife and I have actively canvassed for her. I’ve had the good fortune of going house-to-house with Kim on several occasions. During those visits I witnessed Kim actively listening and engaging with voters on the issues that were important to them regardless of where those voters stood politically.
Kim’s active and diverse community involvement is impressive. Her particular focus on the needs of rural towns, small and agricultural business, healthcare including mental health, education, seniors and affordable housing really stand out to me.
I urge you to join me in voting for Kim Becker as State Representative on Nov. 5. She will be a voice that represents all of us.
Mike Smoolca
Support for Becker
I was First Selectman in Barkhamsted for 16 years and very strongly support Kim Becker for our State Representative. She has a strong history of working on behalf of people and will serve our towns and residents regardless of their political leaning.
Her credentials are impeccable: masters in social work; chair, Granby Education Foundation, vice president Stony Hill Village, Granby Commission on Aging, Granby Ambulance Association.
Becker’s priorities and focus areas are clearly needed:
Reform the tax structure to make it less regressive. Reduce reliance on property tax and work at the state level to use state reserves to help towns reduce local taxes.
Fully fund public education—restore Educational Cost Sharing and the funding for special needs students to its full value.
Becker is a strong believer in and supporter of women’s rights to assure they can make their own decisions about their body and reproductive healthcare.
Emergency management services, both medical and firefighters, are terribly underfunded and need help. They are facing a shortage of fire and ambulance volunteers, which increases the need for paid staff. The cost of large equipment has gone out of sight.
Her commitment to small business is unwavering. She will make it easier for business owners to succeed by providing better access to health care, eliminating red tape and by making sure state and federal resources are better known.
Please join me and vote for Kim Becker.
Donald S. Stein
Barkhamsted
I am writing in support of Kim Becker for State Representative. I met Kim over a decade ago when our children attended Valley Pre-School where Kim served on the board. Her dedication to our community has been clear from the start.
As a fertility medicine physician, I have spent the last 20 years helping families grow. With the overturning of Roe v. Wade, women’s health across America is under attack. In many states, limited access to reproductive healthcare has already resulted in preventable complications and deaths. The attacks extend to fertility treatments, with the Senate blocking the Right to IVF Act and some states trying to ban IVF (in vitro fertilization) entirely.
These policies are now straining Connecticut’s healthcare system, as pregnant people from out of state come here seeking care they cannot get at home. Our hospitals, already busy serving residents, are facing additional pressure. Veterans, too, are struggling to access IVF, a service they deserve but are being denied due to political barriers.
Kim Becker strongly supports access to reproductive healthcare and believes medical decisions should stay between doctors and their patients. She will fight to keep Connecticut a state where everyone—especially women and veterans—can get the care they need.
I urge readers to vote for Kim Becker. A vote for Kim is a vote to protect reproductive healthcare in Connecticut and support the health of all residents.
Kelly Lynch, MD
I have known Kim for at least 10 years and have been so impressed with her community involvement. It seems that at every event in town, there is Kim!
I am very aware of her compassion for our senior citizens and education system. Kim serves on the Granby Commission on Aging and the Board of Stony Hill Village in Granby Center and too often these organizations are overlooked. Kim’s involvement in the Granby Public Schools is very evident with her leadership in the Granby Education Foundation, which provides our students with cultural and educational opportunities that are not funded by the Board of Education.
Kim is also a big supporter of our first responders and funding the necessary equipment needed to keep us all safe.
Kim seems to find the time to really get involved in ALL aspects of Granby life and for that reason I am supporting her election to the 62nd District on Nov. 5.
William Ross
People who know Kim Becker agree: she’s a super hard worker; she has a positive, down-to-earth approach; and her views are right in line with those of the residents of the 62nd District.
State Representative Mark Anderson is a mystery. In person and in his public materials he’s a nice guy who holds moderate views. But if you look at the votes he casts on our behalf—he’s very different.
As a member of the Environment Committee, Anderson voted against reducing the use of toxic pesticides, “neonics.” He voted against making plastic straws in restaurants optional, to reduce plastic waste. He voted against protecting marine mammals in Long Island Sound from going deaf due to seismic mapping and drilling. He voted against taking action on the climate crisis.
It’s very rare for a legislator to cast the only “No” vote. Mark Anderson was the only member of the Veterans Committee to vote against exempting veterans from bus fares, the only member of the Commerce Committee to vote against funding for tourism, arts and culture groups. Out of 151 members of the House of Representatives, he was the only vote against allowing same-sex couples full parental rights.
Legislators should represent the views of their constituents. It’s their job. The Mark Anderson who represents us in Hartford is very different from the image he cultivates at home. He’s out of touch with the people of the 62nd District. It’s time for a change.
David Desiderato
We moved to Granby 16 years ago so our kids could grow up with their grandparents. I became a room parent and a Girl Scout leader, and I began seeing the challenges at the grassroots level.
As the former chair of the Valley Preschool board, I saw how small businesses stretch to adhere to state regulations that don’t care about them. I became its first compliance officer.
As the chair of the Granby Education Foundation, I feel the impact when state funding formulas underfund rural communities. When the state fails us, communities rally to invest in sustainable programs that enrich students’ experiences.
As a board member of the Granby Ambulance Association, I recognize the emerging funding gaps that risk our community’s access to first responders. The state must protect not hinder emergency care.
As a board member of both Stony Hill Village and the Granby Commission on Aging, I understand the challenges seniors face to remain in their community. We are confronting deferred maintenance and building local, state, and federal relationships, public and private, to secure support.
These gaps testify to ineffective representation in the State Assembly over many years. Addressing them requires a small-town ethic, engagement with colleagues, and respect for the people your policy affects. Let’s tackle sky-high energy bills, fairly fund education and protect the freedom to love, choose and speak out.
We need a strong, unifying voice in the State Assembly with a track record of local engagement.
I humbly ask for your vote on Nov. 5.
Kim Becker
Support for Kissel
Senator John Kissel is a person who listens, cares and acts. I am a member of a dysfunctional labor union whose leadership has consistently proposed legislation without its purpose and content being disclosed to members until after the bills had passed. The union leaders have testified that members and workers supported the bills, even though 95 percent of the workers had no knowledge of the pending bills.
This lack of transparency occurred again during the last legislative session, when yet another bill was presented by the union, its contents a mystery to 95 percent of the members and workers. Thankfully, Senator Kissel listened to our concerns and was instrumental in preventing passage of a bill that would have benefited the leadership of our organization and been detrimental to the rest of us.
It’s not easy to oppose a union and its lobbyist. Those of us who did oppose it were successful in large part because Senator Kissel is one who listened, cared and acted.
Please vote for Senator Kissel.
Barbara Coffey
Old Saybrook