Democratic primary voters in the 39th District, located wholly inside New London, dumped a six-term incumbent, Rep. Ernest Hewett, to give Chris Soto the nod as their candidate. Now Soto enters the Nov. 8 general election as the overwhelming favorite.

Soto, 35, has an impressive record of accomplishment. A graduate of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, he served five years in the Coast Guard and later returned to work as its assistant director of diversity. Soto has a Masters in Public Administration degree from Brown University. He is the founder and director of Higher Edge, an organization that guides low-income and first-generation college-bound students as they pursue higher education.

A member of the state's Latino and Puerto Rican Affairs Commission, he is aware of the challenges facing the Latino community, a large and growing part of New London.

Soto characterizes himself as a problem solver who is willing to explore new approaches, work across party lines, and assist urban youth in entering the workforce.

There is some disappointment, however, in seeing Soto play it safe since his primary win. He has opted against taking strong stands on important, but potentially controversial issues. These include waffling on the proposed waterfront location of the planned National Coast Guard Museum, avoiding a hardline on the controversial plan to relocate public housing to the former Edgerton School site, and providing few details on how he would return fiscal stability to Connecticut.

Perhaps this is just a case of a big favorite being careful to avoid a misstep.

The petitioning candidate, Andrew R. Lockwood Sr., endorsed by the Republican Town Committee, takes a clear stand. The 56-year-old, who has twice run unsuccessfully for the seat, wants to severely slash state spending even if that means cuts in aid to towns. However, this strong fiscal conservative would be an odd person to represent a city which, because of limited taxable land and a high number of tax-exempt nonprofits and government agencies, is highly dependent on state funding.

Green Party candidate Ronna Stuller brings some interesting ideas to the campaign, including new approaches to property taxation based on land, not buildings, and exploring universal health care. In Hartford, however, this Green member would find no ready political alliances.

The Day endorses Chris Soto in the 39th District, recognizing his potential to become an effective legislator and urging him not to let a timorous approach to policy get in his way.