Granby Drummer (https://granbydrummer.com/category/voice/letter-to-the-editor/page/20/)
As a Granby and Connecticut taxpayer, I am writing to show my support for the re-election of Bill Simanski as our State Representative. He has worked hard for us for many years, first on Granby’s Board of Selectmen, including eight years as our First Selectman, and most recently as our representative in the Connecticut House of Representatives.
As a former life-long Democrat, I’m endorsing Bill Simanski for Representative of the 62nd District. This decision is based on many factors: Mr. Simanski’s in-depth working knowledge of the political system, proven diplomacy, his honesty and transparency.
I am writing in support of Amanda Webster’s campaign as our new representative of the 62nd District to the Connecticut House of Representatives. As a 40-something lawyer, I was initially hesitant to support Amanda in her campaign, and I confess I judged her purely on age.
After reading Kim Becker’s October letter to the editor, I must make a number of comments in support of the Granby Public School System. In her letter, she states that “Granby schools are not stagnant; they are in full decline.” Ms. Becker bases this opinion statement solely on the recent standardized test scores, namely, the SBAC and the SAT.
My husband, two young children and I moved to West Granby just over four years ago. Through school activities, sports and community events, we’ve gotten to know the people of Granby to be diverse, hard-working, caring—and particularly, people who want to be heard—people who want to matter when it comes to the complex issues we’re facing today.
In this spirit, it is apparent Granby is overdue for representation on the state level by someone who truly reflects our values and who will stand up and work for the issues important to our community.
Last month, Eric Lukingbeal wrote an important op/ed piece describing how, as it currently stands, the legislature can sell, swap or give away public lands such as state parks, forests and even state-owned farmlands without public knowledge or input.
Protocol calls for a public hearing, but at the end of a legislative session, the rules can be ignored, and that is when many of these transactions take place.
The only way to make sure there is a public hearing before any of our land is taken away is to amend the State Constitution to require the public hearing. The amendment also contains the clause that any proposed legislation must pass by at least two-thirds of the House and the Senate.
During last Tuesday night’s debate (Sept. 25) between Amanda Webster and Bill Simanski, organized and presented by GMHS Honors Civics Class, it was apparent that Bill is running on his record of helping the state accumulate 4.6 billon dollars of debt.
The Friends of the Granby Public Library completed its 36th Annual Used Book Sale in September on a beautiful weekend that included other major events both in Granby and Simsbury. I am pleased to note that we had the best book sale ever, raising $10,600.
We started with a record number of donations, a large and enthusiastic sorting staff that operated during June and July, and a board that worked side by side with all throughout not only the sorting time, but the sale itself.
As a member of Granby’s older generation, I can’t overstate how enthusiastic I am about Amanda Webster’s candidacy to be the 62nd District’s next State Representative.
As I’ve grown older over the last few years, I have noticed that the elders of our town are more and more forgotten by our state and local representatives. There are significant issues on the horizon for us, from health care to transportation to rising taxes and the end of our work life.
Our family is very excited about the proposed Kearns Community Center. We have spent some time with the members of the steering committee and the ideas they’ve generated are fantastic.