Day made mistake skipping great debate
The Sept. 18 debate featuring contenders for the 39th and 40th (Groton and New London) Connecticut state House seats at the New London Library was a refreshing change from the political stalemate and name-calling we are subjected to daily in the ongoing presidential campaign. Kudos to Lori Hopkins-Cavanagh and WJJF 94.9 FM for sponsoring this event.
The Day publicized the event beforehand, however, there was no follow-up reporting. The slate of candidates represented a diverse cross-section of races, age groups and backgrounds making for some interesting back-and-forth as the candidates talked about their own experiences, problems facing southeastern Connecticut and the state and how they would attempt to solve them.
State Rep. Aundre Bumgardner, Andrew Lockwood, Ronna Stuller, along with Joe de la Cruz and Chris Soto, did a great job of introducing themselves and answering questions from the audience. This was grassroots democracy. The Day missed a great opportunity to showcase this local talent by not covering this event. Given the dire financial constraints our state is currently in and the unusual possibility of a Republican upset for control of the state Senate, there is plenty at stake in the coming election particuliarly at the state level — in spite of the dismal choice at the top of the ticket.
These campaigns deserve our attention.
Clifford Marlow
New London
Comment threads are monitored for 48 hours after publication and then closed.