Letters to the Editor - The Lakeville Journal - 10-29-20

Why it is necessary to elect Brian Ohler  

For next week’s election, we need to focus our attention on our local needs and resources, right here in Northwest Connecticut. Why? Because I don’t think that Washington, or even Hartford, cares.

For example:

1: Our desperate need for affordable housing; 2: the need to keep  our resident state trooper; 3: to lower our state income taxes, rather than increase them, (to give a raise to state employees ......voted for by Maria Horn while others in the state are losing their jobs due to COVID-19 ).

Brian Ohler’s Democratic opponent, Maria Horn, was co-chair of the appropriations committee, which wrote the $2 billion tax bill that passed in 2019.

During his first term as state representative, Brian achieved a rare l00% voting attendance record in Hartford, notwithstanding working on a job and studying for two masters degrees. He also joined the National Guard. His experience in emergency management was vital when Sharon was without power for five days this past summer, I believe. He reached out to contacts at Eversource  and within two days Eversource was in Sharon with 200 trucks and vehicles, cleaning roads and restoring power.

In Hartford, Brian established his position for fiscal responsibility, holding college tuition costs at an affordable level and providing proper mental health treatment and systematic care for all veterans.

While Brian was on the battlefield in the Middle East he experienced the ultimate in personal grief and depression; he saw bodies blown apart. It is the sight of these images which made him become determined to care for his fellow men. And that is what he is doing for us in the 64th District in Connecticut.

In the meantime, he wants to be as qualified as much as he needs to in order to care properly for his constituency. He is not doing these studies for himself, he is doing this for us, to keep us safe and healthy. He is now working for a degree in emergency management, homeland security and criminal justice. Next year he will have added a masters degree in public administration.

It is OK to be concerned with the national liberal agenda, but when it comes to the Northwest Corner, we are better served by Brian Ohler, a local representative who is concerned about our local interests and local issues.

Mieke Armstrong

Salisbury

Notes from Overground

If Our Dear Leader thinks he is going to win over suburban women voters by calling Kamala Harris a Monster, I suspect he is wrong. Perhaps he wants to seize them Underground and believes they will just, a la Hollywood Access tape, let him do it.  (Please, Like me, pathetically PLEASE, he pleaded at a recent rally.) 

Why he continues to make these self-destructing statements is a puzzle to me. Perhaps I shouldn’t even try to understand this.  Except his self-destruction is going a long way to destroying us all. What is even more puzzling is that his “base,” at 35% to 40%, doesn’t seem to care that he disdains them and finds them “disgusting,” maskless though they all are.  

Some of these same folks, judging from yard signs I see, are my neighbors and friends. We trade with each other and there is trust between us. Now I hesitate to engage them in colloquy, lest there be a permanent rupture between us. Perhaps I shall not be so timid and let the devil, that is The Orange Monster, take the hindmost.  The real Monster, the Monster in Chief, must not intimidate. Peace and Blessings on us all.

Lonnie Carter

Falls Village

A full-time rep needed the 64th

As voters, we appreciate The Lakeville Journal’s generous offer to co-sponsor candidates’ debates during this election season. But so far only one candidate, incumbent Rep. Maria Horn, has agreed to a debate in the race for the House District 64 seat.

I wrote to her challenger, Brian Ohler, to ask if he intended to participate in a debate this year. I said that with less than two weeks to go before the election, voters in the district have many questions about Mr. Ohler’s candidacy and they would like to hear his answers in a public forum.

He has not replied, but I am not surprised. During his tenure in the State House I wrote to him several times asking about his position on local and statewide issues. He never replied then either.

We deserve a full-time representative in Hartford who responds to the concerns of the voters, not one who dodges debates and ignores constituents’ concerns.  

Maria Horn deserves to be re-elected.  

Frank Fitzmaurice

Sharon

Housing should be smaller

The proposed Holley block 13-unit, 21-bedroom, multi-family building (over 16,000 sf)  is too large for the 1/3 acre site in Lakeville. The proposed building’s facade is 6 to 7 times larger than any of  its neighbors to the west and 4 times larger than the insurance building to the east.   

The architect has not provided a conceptual view from Ethan Allen Street, which leads to the heavily visited Town Grove. The south side of the proposed structure is over 45-feet high, dwarfing the one-story Lakeville Interiors building. (Note that the building is not the 33’ given in the SAHC documents. The front is 34’ 3”, given in the 10/8 SAHC presentation, and the back 45’ 2”, an average of 39’ 3”. The roof is flat, the gables are add-ons.)     

We and most of the neighbors would support a smaller two-story structure with eight affordable units, styled appropriately for the neighborhood. We ask the Salisbury Affordable Housing Committee to kindly redesign Holley Place to the scale of the neighborhood and avoid unnecessary conflict.   

Our neighbors would be better served if we worked together to support smaller projects. We understand that the Salisbury Housing Trust builds and renovates single-family housing and could expand their mandate to rental assistance.  We should support their efforts with funding. Let’s get out our checkbooks for housing, not litigation.       

The argument that the state only funds excessively large projects should be rejected. We ask our candidates for state office to present how they would work to change the state’s housing programs to permit rationally sized community housing. Thank you for listening to your neighbors.

Pamela Wilson and George Mason

Lakeville

Vote for Horn

I am urging you to join me to re-elect Maria Horn as our state representative for the 64th District in Hartford. Her never-ending commitment and dedication to meet the needs of everyone in the Northwest Corner is truly amazing! 

She will continue to work for us full time with honesty, integrity and transparency. She has earned and deserves our vote! Thank you.

Judi Armstrong

Goshen

Effective leader who cares about people

Devastating and lethal, COVID-19 hit Connecticut like a sledgehammer last spring. It stalks us to this day. The virus has claimed more than 4,500 souls in our state and wreaked havoc on countless other lives.  We don’t know when or how the pandemic will end. We don’t know what our lives will look like on the other side. Will we have effective vaccines or therapeutics any time soon? How long will we need to wear masks in public?  What will school and the workplace look like in the months and years to come? 

I certainly don’t have answers to these questions. I don’t think anyone really does. What matters now is how we navigate this awful situation. I look at other states and see that some, like Florida, have tragically surrendered to the virus. I don’t want that to happen in Connecticut. We can fight this, but we need real leadership to help us forge an effective defense.  Thankfully, we have a proven leader who cares about us and fights for us.            

State Representative Maria Horn (D-64) is fighting for us. Completing her first term in the state Legislature, Maria has achieved more than anyone could have reasonably expected. Among her accomplishments, she sits as Vice Chair of the powerful Appropriations Committee, giving the Northwest Corner a strong voice in how monies are spent and distributed. Maria’s efforts there helped fill the state’s Rainy Day Fund to a record high level and protected it so that it can be used to help the state recover from the pandemic.      

Maria vowed to bring affordable healthcare to Connecticut from the very beginning. She has fought for a public option and has supported legislation that protects people with pre-existing conditions, expands Medicaid, and requires insurance companies to cover mental health and telehealth. She backed legislation to rein in the cost of prescription drugs and has committed to support health-care workers at all levels, both financially and through provision of personal protective equipment. Maria also keeps us informed. She emails newsletter updates on the virus and other matters of legislative importance on a near weekly basis.      

Maria Horn cares about people. We need Maria’s leadership to help shepherd us through these unprecedented times.  

Please join me in casting your ballot for Maria Horn.

Lianna Gantt 

Kent

Ohler has earned our votes

As a life-long resident of Sharon, and a veteran, who has traveled the state roads (routes 4, 7, 41, 44, 63 and 112, 343) I am appalled by the condition of the roads in the Northwest Corner. They are full of potholes that no doubt have ruined the front-end alignments of many vehicles, including mine.

When I brought this to the attention of state Rep. Maria Horn (D-64), I was advised by one of her legislative assistants that I should identify the exact location of the pothole and she would address the issue. My suggestion was that her office supply me with a case florescent spray paint to identify, circle, AND number each POTHOLE. To say the least, they were not in agreement. How many zeros should we stop at? I was always taught that “An ounce of prevention saves thousands in the cost of the cure.” I’ve always said, “It’s better to be part of the solution rather than be part of the problem.”

In the past two years I have heard the same song from Rep. Horn’s legislative aide; however the state roads still don’t get repaired despite the fact that Connecticut has the highest Gas Tax in the United States. The key is to maintain the roads so that we will not have to spend millions to have them resurfaced.

So what can we do now? We need to restore a responsive local representative who has a track record of getting things done and working with our localities to resolve issues. Brian Ohler has a track record that deserves our vote. As a veteran, I applaud the commitment of Mr. Ohler to his community and veterans who have served our country.

I believe that Brian Ohler has earned our trust and deserves our votes.

Bill Kelsey

Sharon

What I look for in a candidate

The qualities I seek in a candidate and a representative are exactly the same characteristics that I look for in friends.

Do they have heart? Are they genuine and generous of spirit? Are they empathetic? Do they sincerely care about the well-being of others — of their constituents?

Are they moral and impeccably honest — even when the truth is tough-to-hear or inconvenient? Are they transparent, without a whiff of corruption or conflict of interest?

Do they have a strong work ethic?  Are they willing to roll up their sleeves, and work tirelessly and collaboratively to achieve a mission and for a common goal?

Are they smart — meaning intellectually curious, well-read, well-prepared and forward-thinking? Can they solve problems with an open mind and a strategic approach?

I met Maria Horn a few years ago. We worked together on various projects. I have spent time with her at both work-related and social events. I have talked with her about a broad range of topics. We’ve shared views, experiences, ideas, and worries.

For the last two years, I have observed Maria’s work as our state representative in the 64th District. I have seen how hard and thoughtfully she works for the people of the Northwest Corner. I have witnessed her fearlessness in standing up for people and principles despite political consequences.

Through the years and many shared experiences, I have learned that Maria Horn possesses every single one of the qualities I look for in a candidate, a representative, and even a friend. For those fine qualities, she has earned my trust and my vote.

Patricia Oris

South Kent

Do you want more information, or less?

Folks, which is it going to be: “What you don’t know won’t hurt you,” or, “The truth shall set you free”?  

Is it better that someone put a swastika on a piece of Democratic campaign literature they found in the post office so we know what’s out there? Is it better that people broke into Congresswoman Jahana Hayes’ (D-5) online campaign rally to drown her out with the “N” word, so we know what’s out there? Is it better that Maria Horn’s opponent won’t debate her for reasons we can only guess?  And in this era of intentional mass miscommunication, do we even know what truth means anymore?

I’m still voting for more information, the “Let in the sunlight” approach. So yes, it matters that Maria Horn’s opponent won’t come to the debate table. We want to hear from the people laying a claim to representing us, to have them explain their positions and discuss their record.  It is an obligation of public office to tell your constituents where you stand on issues so they know what they are getting if they vote for you. Maria is ready to debate, so if you have a question for Maria, email her and she will tell you where she stands. Why isn’t her opponent up for a debate to explain where he stands? Because,  when it comes to voting, we DO want to hear what our candidates stand for.

Betty Krasne

Kent

P&Z should respect their obligations

To those of you in Falls Village who are following the River Road Incentive Housing Zone controversy, the regular P&Z meeting was held on Oct. 21 and the commission voted to approve on very narrow grounds a plan for 16 units. Which is to say, they only approved the site plan or design, not the design’s location as compliant with zoning regulations.

I do not understand the purpose of this sleight of hand myself, approving a design without addressing its violation of the zone. In the meeting last Wednesday, when I challenged the lack of an authorized zone specifically on the one point that the zoning change application in 2013 did not include the required notice to neighbors, the zoning enforcement officer replied that “proper notice was given.” But on clarification after the meeting, he explained that what he had meant was that the notice was given for the hearing that night, not 2013 when the zoning change was under public review. Another sleight of hand, I assume.

Onward, I am sure we can eventually get to the heart of why Falls Village Planning and Zoning Commission fails to respect their obligations to the residents as well as to their own rules. This will be straightened out one way or another and we all can go back to what our First Selectman Henry Todd likes to refer to as the comity (comity: courtesy and considerate behavior toward others) we all so appreciate.

Daly Reville

Falls Village

Opportunities to lower everyone’s energy bills

 With colder weather coming along with its companions, high heating and electric bills, residents of the Northwest Corner need to know about some great no-cost opportunities to help homeowners assess and improve their homes’ energy efficiency.

The state-sponsored Home Energy Audit is available until the end of 2020 at no cost to homeowners who have not had audits in the past three years. The audit includes several free conservation upgrades included in the visit. A Sharon resident who took advantage of the program a few years ago said, “The services that were provided then included a ‘blower test’ to identify heating leaks, weatherstripping of doors, and caulking any obvious leaks. The service I received far exceeded the $100 cost I paid and qualified me for other additional energy saving programs.”

This revised program is designed to make up for the time lost this year because of the pandemic and includes new safety procedures to cope with COVID-19. One of them is a virtual pre-audit by phone. You can apply and get further information at www.energizect.com or by calling 1-877-WISE-USE (1-877-947-3873). This offer is time-sensitive, so people need to sign-up soon. 

In addition, there are new, more generous rebates for efficiency improvements, with no-cost efficiency work for those who are income eligible. Large incentive payments are available for energy efficient windows, air or ground source heat pumps, and insulation. Again, get more information at www.energizect.com.

Another no-cost opportunity is available via a joint project of the Hotchkiss Library of Sharon and the Sharon Energy and Environment Commission. The Commission has provided several energy assessment devices to the library. These three gizmos, a Kill-A-Watt, a home Radon detector and a heat-loss detector, are all available to be checked out from the Hotchkiss Library.

The Kill-A-Watt can help a user learn which appliances are using the most electricity. The Fluke Heat Gun allows a homeowner to identify the areas of the house where heat is leaking out and cold air is coming in. The radon detector does what it says. If you haven’t checked your basement for radon in the past three or four years, you should check out this device.

 Jan Dudek, Katy Kinsolving, Roger Liddell,
Oscar Martinez, Lyn Mattoon, Doug Rick

Sharon Energy and Environment Commission

Sharon

The last rant before the vote

Make sure its Biden not the goat

We all want our country back

From the idiot who brains does lack

I remember when America was great

It wasn’t filled with hate

It was a sensible time

Filled with grace, not slime

Today is voting day

Cast yours in a way

That votes him out

 So we can shout

Hooray, Hooray

And dance again in the streets

And watch all repubs lose their seats!

Michael Kahler

Lakeville

David Sullivan believes in keeping our communities safe

In these times of turmoil, of violent protests and peaceful protests hijacked by those bent on destruction and chaos, we need a common sense, no nonsense approach to law enforcement. David X. Sullivan, the Republican candidate for the 5th Congressional District, offers just that.

Mr. Sullivan has spent his entire 30-year career in law enforcement. As an Assistant United States Attorney in Hartford, David prosecuted cases across the entire spectrum of federal criminal law, from drug trafficking to money laundering to tax evasion to mail and wire fraud.  He has worked extensively with all the major federal law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, DEA, IRS, ATF, Secret Service, ICE and the U.S. Marshall’s Service. He has also worked with law enforcement agents at the state and local level. Since leaving the U.S. Attorney’s office, he has called on Attorney-General Barr to vigorously prosecute the perpetrators of assaults on the Jewish community in New York and New Jersey.  

While David supports bi-partisan, targeted police reforms, he opposes the fashionable call for defunding the police and other state and local law enforcement agencies responsible for keeping us safe. He has characterized the push for dismantling and defunding the police as “a dangerous idea.” As befits a lifetime devoted to law enforcement, David feels strongly that we are a nation of laws and that we must be ruled by the law, not the mob. He believes that we cannot allow turmoil to threaten public safety or destroy small businesses and neighborhoods — virtually all of which destruction has taken place in disadvantaged neighborhoods.

Vote for David Sullivan for Congress. He will bring experience, common sense and even-handedness to law enforcement and public safety.

Tom Morrison

Chair of the Salisbury Republican Town Committee

Salisbury

Overcoming a COVID challenge with help from 21st Century Fund

One of the greatest obstacles for teachers this year has been the challenge of recreating hands-on classroom experiences for at-home learners. Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) learning benefits greatly from the application of abstract concepts to concrete situations, but how can we ask students to perform even the simplest of labs without the necessary implements?

Enter the 21st Century Fund for HVRHS. This week, thanks to their generosity, we took delivery of over 150 “3D Flex” kits that contain all of the basic equipment for students to safely perform basic lab experiments at home. This purchase would not have been possible without the fund’s involvement, and it caused me to once again reflect upon the overwhelming support of both the fund and its contributors over the years. 

Whether outfitting the Mahoney-Hewat Science and Technology Center or supporting exploratory trips and programs, the fund has been our school’s unsung hero, stepping in to bridge the financial gap between the school budget and the dreams of students and teachers that would otherwise go unrealized.

On behalf of our school, I thank everyone who has contributed to the fund and to those dedicated volunteers who serve on the board for it. We are truly grateful and fortunate to have you working to further the education of our students.

Ian Strever

Principal, HVRHS

Falls Village

A failure of town leadership on housing proposal

Lumber prices have doubled since COVID-19 arrived. Lack of workers, a weakened supply chain, do-it-yourself-ers staying home and feathering their nests along with tariffs imposed by the current administration against Canadian wood products have been the culprits. The proposed 29-bedroom, 16-unit development in the little Lime Rock Station section of southern Falls Village had a previous “guesstimate” of $3.5 million to build, paid for with your tax dollars. $100,000 per bedroom. That was before the escalation of lumber costs. As lumber is approximately 60% of the cost of construction, that raises the cost to build this proposed development to over five and a half million dollars, a whopping $190,000 per bedroom. “Affordable” housing?

The Auditors of Public Accounts for the State of Connecticut just released its report on the CT Department of Housing (DOH) on September 24th. The DOH has a budget of approximately 80 million dollars per year, additionally overseeing a “special revenue” fund that ranges from $176 Million (2015) to $268 Million (2017). It found: 1) Deficiencies in internal controls 2) Apparent noncompliance with policies and procedures or legal provisions 3) The need for improvement in management practices and procedures deemed to be reportable. 

Granted, the new administration of Ned Lamont took over from Dannel Malloy in January, 2019, and is doing their darnedest to tidy things up, all the while trying to deal with COVID emergencies. Tough duty. However, this audit echoes what people have been saying about the Falls Village Planning and Zoning Commission’s (FVP+Z) lack of compliance with State statutes regarding their “midnight session” Special Hearing of December 2013 to establish a 66 acre Incentive Housing Zone in the tiny Lime Rock Station section of Falls Village. 

The state has never even visited the property to see that it is nowhere near a “Transit Hub” or “Area of Concentrated Development.” The state has failed to enforce their mandate that Incentive Housing Zones be re-applied for yearly. Now, the State may potentially proceed to fund this overpriced misplaced development. The overseer and administrator would be the Falls Village Housing Trust (FVHT); an organisation that has no track record as a builder/manager whatsoever. A developer will be hired, get paid (by the State and federal government), then walk away, handing the “keys” to the FVHT. From there, we know not what happens. 

The Falls Village P+Z has insisted its only job is to ensure that the architectural drawings and engineering reports are in order. No one in town government has been willing to weigh in on the fiscal ramifications on our town or if the development is even desired or appropriate. We’ve asked repeatedly. So, we filed a petition on Sept. 22 (signed by 72 citizens) for a Referendum for the whole Town to vote yay to nay on this application. Haven’t heard anything back, so far. 

We think this is a failure of town leadership to insist on total accountability. Wash YOUR hands? At OUR collective Risk! 

Colter Rule

Falls Village

Lucky to have Horn

 Maria Horn, our state representative for the 64th District, agreed to debate her opponent in an event co-hosted by The Lakeville Journal. But Brian Ohler didn’t respond to the invitation.

 We know Maria Horn’s positions on prescription drug prices, on voting rights, on gun safety legislation, on preserving women’s access to reproductive health care, and a host of other items, thanks to the town hall-style Zoom conferences that she has held with each town in her district. We’ve been able to see her commitment and her grasp of the issues.

 The best predictor of what Brian Ohler might do is what he did in the past. He wants to restrict voting rights. During his term in office, he voted against a constitutional amendment to allow early voting, which makes it easier for people to cast their ballots. And he voted for a Texas-style voter ID law that would require photo IDs to vote, a policy that has been shown to disenfranchise many lower income voters.

 Brian Ohler wants to keep open an avenue for dark money in Connecticut politics. In 2017 and 2018, he voted against campaign finance reform bills, designed to restrict the flow of dark money into Connecticut elections. Maria Horn uses public financing for her campaign.

 Brian Ohler wants to reduce government accountability and transparency. He voted no in the Appropriations Committee in 2017 on a bill that would have provided protection to whistleblowers.

 What Brian Ohler’s voting record suggests is that he marches in lockstep with the Republican block in Hartford. And though his campaign literature pays lip service to bipartisanship, his actions tell a different story.

 We are incredibly lucky to have Maria Horn going to bat for us in Hartford. Let’s make sure she gets a second term.

Willard Wood

Norfolk