As a teacher, I find Rep. Cheeseman’s comments in her recent op-ed infuriating. (“Fighting for ‘a safer, more affordable, more prosperous Connecticut,” Oct. 29)

Speaking of her opponent, classroom teacher Nick Menapace, Rep. Cheeseman suggested that his professional duties as an educator should disqualify him from seeking office. Are teachers somehow not fit for service in government? Is she trying to say that because we have so much on our plate, teachers cannot possibly have time to be part of the decision-making process?

Rep. Cheeseman should understand that, if we want to have a representative government, we need the voices of hard-working, intelligent people like Nick in Hartford. We need the wisdom of blue-collar journeymen. We need the hard-fought experience of frontline workers. I am glad that Rep. Cheeseman’s affluence and abundant free time afford her the leisure to pursue her interests as a politician, but I question whether or not she truly understands the lived experience of working families struggling with affordability.

Educators work with children, families, and communities at the ground level every day and experience the real lives of real people. Nick’s work in the classroom will allow him to speak authentically about the issues facing our community.

Jason Deeble

East Lyme