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Westbrook Democrats September Newsletter What’s in this Newsletter?
      Connecticut Assembly District 35: Christine Goupil Goupil is running for re-election in Connecticut’s 35th District. Her policy priorities: universal healthcare, access to programs and resources throughout Connecticut for seniors no matter where they live, voting access, women’s rights, including reproductive rights and the rights of victims of domestic violence at the state level, and universal Pre-K education. Goupil has deep experience in project management and in winning and managing grant money for her area. Christine Goupil | State Representative | Clinton Connecticut Assembly District 23: Colin Heffernan Heffernan is a centrist Democrat who advocates a state-level response to inflation in gas and food prices by preparing during boom times for future price squeezes. He has plans for better schools, access to healthcare, a clean environment, and affordable housing. Heffernan is running against Devin Carney, a Republican incumbent who portrays himself as moderate but has a radical-right voting record. Most recently, Carney voted against the reproductive rights bill. In 2019, he voted against fixing loopholes in Connecticut’s red flag gun laws. He voted against a budget that cut taxes, provided for better funding for mental health and provided for fiscal oversight for government. He voted against adult use cannabis. He voted against the Connecticut Clean Air Act. Heffernan is a general-practice attorney who has lived in Old Saybrook for most of his life. Home | Colin Heffernan for State Representative (heffernan2022.com)  Senator Our longtime Senator Dick Blumenthal is up for re-election. Dick has been a champion of workers’ rights, family strength, healthcare, and veterans’ rights. He co-sponsored the Women’s Health Protection Act and introduced a College Sexual Assault Bill of Rights, voted for paid sick and family leave for all Americans, and introduced the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act, now the law of the land. Blumenthal for Connecticut (richardblumenthal.com) Congress Rep. Joe Courtney of District 2 is facing a tough re-election race. Courtney has worked across the aisle to secure new federal infrastructure funds to finally fix our region's aging bridges, including the Gold Star in Old Saybrook and the East Haddam bridge; improve transport hubs including a new train station in Enfield; and other crucial projects such as a new CT National Guard facility in Putnam. Joe also secured critical pandemic recovery funds which invested in our schools, helped small businesses, and kept our communities safe. He lowered the cost of healthcare by helping to pass bills eliminating surprise medical bills, capping out of pocket insulin costs, enhancing access to opioid and mental health treatment, as well as securing federal appropriations for our region’s hospitals and clinical services. Help re-elect Joe! Joe Courtney Secretary of the State candidate Stephanie Thomas  Stephanie Thomas won the Democratic nomination for secretary of the state. Thomas supports wider access to the vote via no-excuse absentee ballots, She is a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives, representing District 143. She earned her bachelor's degree from New York University in 1991 and a master's degree from the New School University in 1996. Westbrook Democrats summer Newsletter What’s in this Newsletter?
The runway Republican Party has ended the Constitutional right to abortion. The recent decision was a case called Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, overruling the 1973 Roe v Wade decision, which ruled that the Constitution protected women’s right to decide whether to be pregnant. More infringements on our liberty are coming. Justice Thomas has said that the Supreme Court should “revisit” Griswold v Connecticut a 1965 decision that affirmed the right to birth control. One Woman’s Story In Westbrook, our own Bill Neale recalls his mother’s involvement in the Griswold case. Estelle Griswold, as executive director of the Planned Parenthood League of Connecticut, initially helped Connecticut women go to other states to obtain birth control. Then she opened a New Haven clinic and dispensed birth control directly to patients, thus challenging the Connecticut law. Griswold was arrested and fined. Her challenge went all the way to the Supreme Court. “My mother, Susan W. Neale, was hired by Estelle Griswold to open the first Planned Parenthood clinic after Connecticut’s law prohibiting birth control was overturned by the Supreme Court in 1965. From her and my father, I learned early on the importance of women’s equality. "Having completed a nursing degree as part of the Nurse Cadet Corps during World War II, she started working in 1964 on a master’s degree in social work. For a research paper, she interviewed Estelle Griswold. At the time of the Supreme Court Decision, Mrs. Griswold told her she wanted mom to be the first clinic director in New Haven. “The early years were tough. There was a lot of social push-back against my mom’s work. My father and his parents were supportive, while a neighbor had unkind words about it, and some children were not allowed to play with me. “My mother felt that abortion should be prevented, but she was adamant that if women did not have autonomy over their bodies, they were not equal. She felt that the best way to reduce abortion was to provide reproductive education, proximate and affordable health care, and birth control. “It is clear that the Republican Party intends to undo the work my mother did. Devin Carney voted against protecting women from prosecution when they come to Connecticut for abortions. He clearly does not believe in the equality of women and should no longer represent the 23rd House District in Connecticut. "Mr. Carney agrees with the government of Texas that the way to reduce abortion is to imprison women and providers. He should no longer represent the 23rd District.” Just getting started The end of Roe in the United States also means the end of protections for couples seeking birth control and for the privacy of gay couples. Justice Thomas has said that the runaway Supreme Court should “revisit” the right to birth control and to same-sex relationships. Conservative justices on the Court hope to overturn Griswold v Connecticut. Thomas’ opposition, which he shares with Alito and the other conservative justices, extends to “all of this Court’s substantive due process precedents, including Griswold, Lawrence, and Obergefell.” In the 1986 Lawrence v Texas case, the Supreme Court overturned the Texas "Homosexual Conduct" law, which criminalized sexual intimacy by same-sex couples. The 2015 Obergefel case required states to permit same-sex marriage. In the face of a corrupt Supreme Court, Connecticut Senators Blumenthal – up for re-election in November – and Murphy have pledged to protect women’s health rights by:
Connecticut joined three other states in adding affirmative protections for women seeking abortions shortly after the opinion overturning the Court’s 1973 decision was leaked to the press. Connecticut will remain one of 16 states plus the District of Columbia where abortion is legal. Currently, 19 states effectively ban abortion. Several more are expected to join this group. This article in the New Yorker describes the anguish and expense undertaken by of a 13-year-old girl in Texas who traveled to Oklahoma to obtain an abortion. Polls indicate that roughly 70% of the American people support abortion rights. The candidates Connecticut Assembly District 23: Colin Heffernan Supporting the right to choose means electing Collin Heffernan to represent Connecticut’s 23rd District. The incumbent, Devin Carney, voted against abortion rights. Specifically, Carney supports prosecuting women who travel to Connecticut from out of state to obtain an abortion. As an example, Carney would have encouraged prosecution of the 10-year-old girl who became pregnant after being raped and recently traveled with her parents from Ohio to Indiana to obtain an abortion, because her pregnancy was two days advanced beyond Ohio’s six-week ban. The Republican attorney general of Indiana, after claiming that the rape was fabricated, is now trying to prosecute the doctor who treated the 10-year-old. Carney on the far right Carney has also consistently voted against gun control, in spite of Connecticut’s tragic record of mass shootings. Note that Carney’s GOP approves of teenage boys like Kyle Rittenhouse carrying assault weapons across state lines to murder BLM protesters. But allowing a 10-year-old girl to cross state lines so that she will not have to bear her rapist’s baby—that’s too much. Carney recently claimed the First Congregational Church of Old Lyme “hates Jews” because they initially invited Heffernan to speak at a vigil for victims of gun violence and did not invite him. The church hastily disinvited Heffernan and said the vigil was open to all, but Carney doubled down, posting “was my Jewishness too much?” and then saying “I have every right to push back against a church that is blaming me for death — shame on you First Congregational Church of Old Lyme.” Carney voted against police accountability and then put forth a bill to reverse existing accountability. Heffernan is a general-practice attorney who has lived in Old Saybrook for most of his life. Connecticut Assembly District 35: Christine Goupil Christine has brought great professionalism and management experience to her first term in the Connecticut Assembly. She supports:
State Treasurer three-way race to be decided in the primary August 9! Democratic candidates: Erick Russell, Dita Bhargava, and Karen Dubois-Walton The treasurer manages $45 billion in pensions. He or she manages debt, protects state employees, and vets investments. Erick Russell‘s goal as treasurer would be to:
Dubois-Walton serves as New Haven’s public housing authority leader and chairwoman of the state board of education. For 15 years, she has headed the city’s housing authority and managed its annual operating budget of $140 million. A former chief of staff to New Haven Mayor John DeStefano, Dubois-Walton graduated from Yale and earned her master’s degree and Ph.D. in psychology from Boston University Dita Bhargava has worked at Citigroup, Credit Suisse, and Citadel, the hedge fund. Her campaign focuses on changing corporate behavior for investing and disinvesting in company stocks. State-wide Governor Governor Lamont is up for re-election in November. Organizers encourage Democrats to sign up with Mobilize to support the campaign. Note that Governor Lamont has already cut state taxes by $600 million – unlike his Republican opponent, whose “tax-cut” plan would actually mean a sharp increase in property taxes. Senator Our longtime senator Dick Blumenthal is up for re-election. Dick has been a champion of workers’ rights, family strength, healthcare, and veterans’ rights. He co-sponsored the Women’s Health Protection Act and introduced a College Sexual Assault Bill of Rights, voted for paid sick and family leave for all Americans, and introduced the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act, now the law of the land. Congress Rep. Joe Courtney of District 2 is facing a tough re-election race. Courtney has worked across the aisle to secure new federal infrastructure funds to finally fix our region's aging bridges, including the Gold Star in Old Saybrook and the East Haddam bridge; improve transport hubs including a new train station in Enfield; and other crucial projects such as a new CT National Guard facility in Putnam. Joe also secured critical pandemic recovery funds which invested in our schools, helped small businesses, and kept our communities safe. He lowered the cost of healthcare by helping to pass bills eliminating surprise medical bills, capping out of pocket insulin costs, enhancing access to opioid and mental health treatment, as well as securing federal appropriations for our region’s hospitals and clinical services. Help re-elect Joe! Secretary of the State The Democratic race is between Stephanie Thomas and Maritza Bond. Stephanie Thomas is a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives, representing District 143. She earned her bachelor's degree from New York University in 1991 and a master's degree from the New School University in 1996. Maritza Bond earned her bachelor's degree from Southern Connecticut State University in 2000 and a graduate degree from the University of Connecticut in 2012. Local issues and events Town center septic system: The Town Center Revitalization Committee and Economic Development Commission, along with town staff and representatives of the WPCA, will be meeting in September with town center business and property owners to discuss both the need and the benefits in order to better define a proposal. Westbrook’s town planner has been working diligently on the groundwork for this. Eileen Daily Community Awards Dinner: The dinner will be held Saturday September 17th at The Clinton Country Club State Attorney General William Tong will be the keynote speaker. Also attending will be U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney and former Lieutenant Governor Nancy Wyman. Tickets are $75. Seating is limited! Book here. The Westbrook Muster: Saturday August 27th Come join the Westbrook Drum Corps for a parade and the annual muster. Westbrook Democrats will be there, so come ask about our candidates. Connecticut and the Nation Guns Connecticut’s Senator Chris Murphy, with support from Senator Richard Blumenthal, after the Uvalde massacre took a new approach to getting something done on guns. On June 13, Murphy laid out a bipartisan framework to change gun laws and got public endorsement from 10 Republican senators, enough to stop any Republican filibuster. The framework will enable Murphy to push legislation through the Senate before the July 4 recess, Murphy told CNN. The framework sets forth principles on gun legislation and would:
January 6 commission Since June 9, the House of Representatives has been holding public hearings in the January 6, 2020 attack on the Capitol. Close advisors to and allies of former President Trump have testified at length. Some of the revelations:
Don’t believe the polls! In 2022, Republicans are called upon to defend the Big Lie, to defend GOP opposition to any gun legislation, to defend the overturning of highly popular abortion rights, defend the mountain of evidence for culpability on January 6, and their manipulation of the Supreme Court. Democrats can sweep legislative offices this year. So come out and help us knock doors! Priorities for campaigning
If you feel strongly about a State or local issues, let us know, we can only foster change if we work together! We are here to help Democrats get elected to State and local offices and we need volunteers to make calls, knock on doors and raise money. 2022 is a State and Federal election year and the Westbrook Democratic Town Committee will be actively campaigning with our representatives to get them elected. Please consider volunteering, donating or running for public office, we have a tough fight ahead of us and we need all the help we can get. If you are interested, you can reply to this email. Westbrook Democrats June Newsletter What’s in this Newsletter?
  All these candidates will protect women’s health care and the right to vote in our state.The Democratic platform stressed equitable taxation, access to health care and education, fighting climate change, and keeping our democracy safe. Key points:
Westbrook DTC Nominations to the Retirement and Pension BoardAt the April 19th Retirement and Pension Board meeting Joseph Brucella (R Chairman) and Joel Maynard (R) announced that they intend to resign from the Board on June 30, 2022. The Westbrook Democratic Town Committee has nominated Tom Burns and Anne Stevenson-Yang to fill these vacancies. Tom Burns holds both a Bachelor's and Master's degrees, was a school counselor for 33 years, and is a former Adjunct Professor at SCSU. Anne Stevenson-Yang is the co-founder of J Capital Research. She writes research reports on publicly traded companies, has a regular column in Forbes magazine and was a guest lecturer in economics at the National Autonomous University of Mexico. They would both make tremendous additions to the Retirement and Pension Board. There has been an "unwritten rule" that board and commission members are replaced with people of the same party. I understand that many people in the U.S. vote for their party above all else and we obviously live in a very hyper-partisan world, but this "unwritten rule" only deepens the divide between parties and encourages hyper-partisan behavior. I strongly believe the Board of Selectmen should appoint the best qualified volunteers to our boards and commissions, regardless of party, and we hope First Selectman Hall and Selectmen Campbell agree. Vince Gentile WDTC Chair Your Town Government Read the minutes of the May 10 Board of Selectmen meeting here.  Dog Park The Planning Commission on May 9 approved a project to build a dog park at the intersection of McVeagh Road and Holbrooke Drive. Next, the Zoning Board must approve the plan. The plan envisions an enclosed area for small dogs and one for large dogs, as well as a parking lot. Public Works estimates the project will cost $12,000-$14,000 for the fences. There will be trash receptacles and signage but no water source. The Board of Selectmen approved up to $19,500 for the park and forwarded the proposal to the Board of Finance. Supporting Ukraine The Fire Department has provided used air packs to Ukraine. The Fire Department recently replaced out-of-date packs, but Chief Cusson said that they are still usable and proposed donating them to Ukraine. The Fire Department has identified someone who will ship the equipment, and the proposal was approved.  Better Boating The town is hoping that a previously approved project to dredge offshore will begin in June, if the ship is available. The project is being paid for with federal funds under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, a bipartisan $1 trillion act that President Biden signed into law last November. Dredging is designed to increase the depth of navigation channels and berthing areas to ensure the safe passage of boats and ships. The Long Island Sound has silted up considerably over the years. Thanks to IIJA funding Westbrook received $760,000 for the dredging of Westbrook’s Patchogue River. If you feel strongly about a State or local issues, let us know, we can only foster change if we work together! We are here to help Democrats get elected to State and local offices and we need volunteers to make calls, knock on doors and raise money. 2022 is a State and Federal election year and the Westbrook Democratic Town Committee will be actively campaigning with our representatives to get them elected. Please consider volunteering, donating or running for public office, we have a tough fight ahead of us and we need all the help we can get. If you are interested, you can reply to this email. Westbrook Democratic Town Committee
P.O. BOX 417 WESTBROOK, CT 06498 Text or Call Us @ (860) 245-2342 Email Us @ WDTC@WestbrookDemocrats.org Visit our Website: WestbrookDems.org Follow Us on Facebook: Westbrook CT Democratic Town Committee Follow Us on Twitter https://twitter.com/WCtdtc Donate to the WDTC: Click here to donate.
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