Representative Peggy Reeves Nominated for 143rd
A full house of supporters from Norwalk and Wilton gathered at the Cranbury Chapel on May 25th to nominate State Representative Peggy Reeves for a second term in the Connecticut legislature.
Peggy represents the 143rd state house district which includes most of Wilton and part of Norwalk.
Nomination Noted Community Roots & Legislative Successes
Paul Burnham of Wilton and Amanda Brown of Norwalk nominated Peggy for re-election. Mr. Burnham emphasized Peggy’s deep roots in Wilton, as a 30-year resident, and her husband Bob’s roots in Norwalk where he grew up in the West Rocks neighborhood.
Mr. Burnham praised Peggy’ success in working with the Democratic majority, citing estate tax reform as a good example of the way in which Peggy was able to provide an important perspective to leaders in the state legislature.
Peggy was instrumental…in making the estate tax less punitive.–Paul BurnhamMr. Burnham noted, “Peggy was instrumental in the efforts to turn Connecticut’s estate tax from being one of the most punitive in the nation to being one of the least. This, in a legislature where many Democratic representatives have almost no constituents who can expect their estates to be subject to any tax–and yet Peggy was somehow able to get these representatives to understand how important this issue was to us, her constituents, and to the State in general.”
Norwalk Delegate Applauds Commitment to Constituent Services
Amanda Brown of Norwalk seconded the nomination. Ms. Brown admired Peggy’s compassion for people and her effective constituent services. Representative Reeves is known for her kindness and her focus on understanding the concerns of the residents in her district. In her acceptance speech, Peggy echoed this theme by confirming that her first priority is listening to her constituents. She takes pride in answering each and every email or phone call personally.
Rep. Reeves Pledges to Keep Fighting for Area Residents
Peggy believes that, despite the economic crisis, the cost of delivering services can be reduced without compromising the quality of our life. Government “exists not to meet the bottom line or make a profit, but to provide for those who can’t help themselves, while encouraging those who can compete to flourish in the marketplace.”
Turning to transportation and energy, Peggy pledged to continue the fight for a transportation system that works, including mass transit. “Unfortunately, we have recently seen all too clearly what happens when we are dependent on drilling for fossil fuels for our energy needs. We must not only conserve but we must develop renewable energy sources, including wind, solar and hydropower.” Peggy pledged to work to override Governor Jodi Rell’s veto of the Energy Bill, which Peggy co-sponsored.
She also vowed to continue to fight for transparent elections and truth in political advertising. “If corporations and unions are no longer prohibited from using their general treasury funds to make election-related independent expenditures, then the citizens deserve to know who is buying the influence. We can demand stockholder approval of any independent expenditure, and also demand that the CEO of any company stand behind any ad promoting the success or defeat of a candidate. That is why I introduced H.B. 5471-An Act Concerning Independent Expenditures.”
We need to develop our own research triangle to attract businesses to our state.–Peggy ReevesAdditionally, Peggy wants to focus on innovative steps toward job creation in Connecticut. “I continue to believe that we are blessed in this state with so many natural resources: the beauty of our parks and forests and coastline; the vibrancy of our cities and the warmth of our small towns and neighborhoods.&rdquo
“More importantly, we are blessed with the resourcefulness of our residents. Using that Yankee ingenuity, and the great colleges and universities we have in this state with their research facilities and their highly-educated workforce, we need to develop our own research triangle to attract businesses to our state.”
