To the editor:
It was disappointing to see Tom St. Louis resort to mischaracterizing recent events and conversations about the approach our Democratic Town Committee (DTC) is taking to connect voters with our candidates in advance of the upcoming election. His letter seemed intent on instilling drama and creating controversy where there is none.
That’s not how we operate. The Lyme DTC is going to continue our efforts to meet with voters individually and in small groups to present our team of Democratic and Unaffiliated candidates to them, and facilitate productive conversations between our candidates and constituents that give us the opportunity to both listen and learn. Lyme is a small enough town where we can make those kinds of connections happen.
In the world we live in now, we have all repeatedly witnessed that debates and forums too often result in generating public conflict between candidates and political parties, rather than forging personal conversations between candidates and voters. These are not “unfounded” concerns, as characterized in Tom’s letter.
We believe voters should have an opportunity to speak personally with our candidates and express their ideas and concerns, and that our candidates have an obligation to listen and act on those concerns once in office.
Our experience in the last municipal election demonstrated that we can connect powerfully with constituents when we meet with them for candid, one-on-one conversations about our town’s future … listening, answering questions, asking questions, understanding their concerns, and discussing what they want from town government. This approach results in rich, personal conversations that give us the opportunity to listen to and understand the issues that are important to voters as individuals and families.
After engaging personally with constituents like this in the 2023 election, Lyme voters turned out in force at the polls. We believe this type of personalized voter engagement is the foundation of our democratic electoral process.
Our goal is to knock on as many doors and meet with as many residents as possible between now and November 4. The goal of his letter, however, appears to be to instill a spirit of divisiveness into the campaign, which is something we have all seen take place with increasing frequency in other communities across the country. We think Lyme deserves more than that. We think Lyme deserves better than that.
It’s unfortunate that Tom and his wife Mary, who are running for First Selectman and Selectman respectively, have chosen to pull our community in that direction and it’s a decision we hope they will reconsider. We’ve had voters from both parties tell us they are uncomfortable with the idea of community divisiveness in Lyme and with the possibility of a husband-and-wife team making decisions for the entire town.
We’re not interested in fostering divisiveness. We’re interested in fostering community.
We’re not interested in confrontations between candidates. We’re interested in conversations with voters.
Lyme has always been a place where people of all political affiliations can work together on our boards and commissions in the best interests of our town. That’s certainly been true for the eight years I’ve served on the Board of Selectmen – and it’s a tradition that goes back much farther than that. It’s a tradition I hope we can continue.
To the voters of Lyme, our candidate team – which includes Christy Zelek, Kristina White, myself and others – look forward to seeing you in person for an open and insightful dialogue, and to seeing you again at the polls.
Early voting starts October 20; Election Day is November 4.
Sincerely,
John Kiker
Editor’s Note: i) The author is the chairman of the Lyme Democratic Town Committee and a candidate for selectman.
ii) Here is a reminder of our Policy on Letters to the Editor and our Policy on Comments.