There have been many great letters in this paper over recent weeks regarding Sean Scanlon's candidacy as state representative for our district. I want to take a moment to make a more personal message and provide my insight.

I met Sean in 2011 while helping to lead the public relations effort to pass a referendum for a sorely needed new Guilford High School facility. Sean was one of a few individuals who volunteered hours of time to spread the word about why this facility was needed. He then helped lead the communication efforts to encourage Guilford residents to vote at referendum. The new high school, which will be open this time next year for our high school students, may not have been a reality if not for Sean.

Over the past three years, I have become a huge fan of Sean's leadership ability and capacity to resolve challenging issues. His style is very similar to that of our retiring State Representative Pat Widlitz-unselfish, bipartisan, ethical, and collaborative. Regardless of the initiative-from supporting our youngest school-aged citizens (full-day kindergarten) to our senior citizens (whom he surveyed this summer)-every Guilford resident will benefit from Sean's aptitude to consider the public input he receives and make decisions based on what his constituents believe are in their best interest.

Sean is a home-grown Guilford resident and a graduate of our school system. He understands our unique issues. In addition, he has numerous years of experience with the legislative process and has built strong relationships to navigate through the red tape and partisanship in Hartford. Both of these aspects encourage me to encourage voters to elect Sean Scanlon as our 98th District state representative. He has worked thousands of hours to earn our trust and admiration and will serve us passionately.

Michael Ayles

Guilford