Dear Editor –
As a longtime Fairfield resident, I would like to first state that I fully support Tony Hwang’s run for State Senate. He has proven to not only be an affable, warm individual, but truly someone who cares about his constituents and our town. Personally I have seen him advocate for residents and provide constant communication during Hurricane Sandy, when many Lake Hills residents were receiving no updates from town government or UI. He took the time to not only email residents and check in to see how they were doing, but call UI and demand action. He walked our streets to see if everyone was OK.
I am not a registered Republican – and I was very impressed to see a government official actually working toward an immediate solution to a serious issue. Last year, he coordinated a very informative update on the Affordable Healthcare Act. Again, thinking it might be one sided toward the Republican viewpoint, I attended and listened cautiously. What I found refreshing was that ALL viewpoints were espoused – the pros and cons of the new AHA. There were Democrats and Republicans there – and the forum had incredible information that was meaningful to Tony’s constituents.
Now, I want to address why I am writing this letter…because we can all write letters supporting candidates. I am writing, because not only do I think Tony means what he says and shows up at events because he genuinely cares, but because I hate bullies. Never in my recent memory, I have I witnessed such despicable behavior in politics in this town. The people bullying Tony seem to be deriving some pleasure out of it. We don’t tolerate bullies at schools and social media, why would we allow and tolerate bullies in politics? Several of the candidates running on the Fairfield Democratic Town Committee ticket along with its executive board leadership, seem to think this is the way to promote a candidate. It is not.
Tony is human and a quality and sincerely caring person. I dare the DTC to take a hard look at itself, and the way it is handling this election season. It is a huge turnoff and disappointing. I urge you to vote for Tony Hwang on Election Day for State Senate. Tony is running a positive campaign based on accomplishments and vision, he truly cares about his constituents and making their lives better in Fairfield, and like me, opposes bullies and its devastating impact. Tony is real and we need him to be our state senator. Vote against negative bullying campaign tactics and join me in voting for integrity and character – vote for Tony Hwang.
My wife and I moved to Newtown in 1993. We started a family here and through our kids have become immersed in all that is great about our town. In the 20-plus years I’ve lived here, I have never been moved to write a letter to the editor. Until now. In less than a month we will have a choice in deciding who will lead our community in the seat of the 28th Senate District.
Through my employment I have gotten to know one of the candidates, Tony Hwang. The first time I met Tony we just happened to be parked in the same area after an event and struck up conversation. In passing I mentioned the agency I worked for. For the next 20 minutes Tony asked me about our programs, our needs and concerns and the current health of my organization. He took the time and listened to what I had to say about a social service agency that was not even in his district. He could have just as easily brushed me off and went about his business.
In the years since, Tony has called and checked in on our agency and even visited and taken a tour. Fast forwarding to today, the biggest issue facing our town and our state is the economy. His history as the State Representative of the 134th District has shown he is for fiscal constraint while supporting job creation and business growth. Mr. Hwang’s record shows he has been able to garner bi-partisian support, he has shown that he is a caring leader who takes the time to listen to the issues of the community and then move to action. That’s a rare quality today and all of Newtown would benefit from his leadership.
This November 4th please join me in voting for Tony Hwang as our State Senator of the 28th District.
Timothy Bartlett
