Canidates Worth Supporting

(This letter was submitted to the Waterbury Republican American and run on September 9, 2006. This is the original letter.)

Now that the calendar has turned to September the citizens of Waterbury prepare for another round of elections to the Connecticut General Assembly. This election year holds special opportunity for the citizens of Waterbury as we have an open Senate seat and two strong challenges in the House of Representatives. Sam Caligiuri's run for the sixteenth district state senate is well documented and well supported. As a long time Waterbury resident, former Alderman and past acting Mayor Sam will serve the district with honor and integrity.

Equally important, but less publicized, are the campaigns of Rodney Parker for the seventy-second district and Lisa Velez for the seventy-fifth representative district. What makes these campaigns so important to the city of Waterbury is that they not only provide the citizens with the opportunity to send new faces and new ideas to Hartford, but also shows the regrowth of the Waterbury Republican party. Over the past five years the Republican Party in Waterbury has been rebuilding and recovering from mistakes of the past. Mr. Parker and Ms. Velez are prime examples of the new direction that the party has taken.

Mr. Parker is a long time resident of the city of Waterbury, and has served the state for nearly twenty years while working in the department of corrections. He is a member of the Lion's club and the Masons, a past two term Commissioner of the Waterbury Board of Education and he has also been a fixture of support at Wilby High School girl's basketball games. His record of involvement with the city is one of the reasons I feel he will serve the seventy-second district well in the legislature.

Another worthy candidate to the State Legislature is Ms. Lisa Velez, for the seventy-fifth district. Ms. Velez has been faithfully representing the citizens of Brooklyn for years as president of the Neighborhood Association. Through her dedication to her neighbors she has shown that she will be a vocal and visible supporter of the city of Waterbury, unlike the current representative. Her experience in helping her constituents, as well as her ability to speak the language of the legislature make her a very worthy candidate.

These three candidates have come to represent the change and rebirth of the Waterbury Republican Party. The addition of these fine citizens to the team working with Rep. Anthony D'Amelio and Rep. Selim Noujaim would serve Waterbury well. Representing the full range of Waterbury's extensive cultural tradition they all share the same dedication, integrity, and determination to serve the citizen's of Waterbury in Hartford. Mr. Caligiuri, Mr. Parker and Ms. Velez are all well respected, knowledgeable individuals that are prepared to join the leaders of Connecticut and the legislature for all the citizens of Waterbury. That is why I feel all three new candidates and our two incumbent state representatives deserve our support and our votes on November 07, 2006.