Congressman Jim Himes

We will face an important choice this fall. We can either continue the progress that helped save us from the brink of another great Depression or return to the failed policies that drained retirement accounts, resulted in record foreclosures, and let organizations like BP run wild with no oversight.

It is absolutely essential that voters understand this choice. To that end, my campaign will begin airing our first television ad soon.

Click here to view the ad titled “Independent.” And while you’re at it, I hope you become a fan on Facebook.

Thank you,

Jim

Peggy represents the 143^rd 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.”

U.S. Senate

Richard Blumenthal

In his 20 years as Attorney General of Connecticut, Richard Blumenthal helped lead the fight against Big Tobacco, forced health insurance reforms, and drove reductions in pharmaceutical drug prices. He served 4 terms in the Connecticut House of Representatives and clerked for the U.S. Supreme Court. Blumenthal is a graduate of Harvard College and Yale Law School.more…

U.S. Congress – 4^th District

Jim Himes

Congressman Jim Himes was elected to his first term in 2008. He serves on the House Committees on Financial Services and Homeland Security. He attended Harvard and earned a Rhodes Scholarship. Himes began his career in the financial industry, where he focused on Latin America and telecommunications. Prior to serving in Congress, he ran a nonprofit focused on housing and urban poverty.more…

State Senate – 26^th District

John Hartwell

Westport resident John Hartwell is challenging Toni Boucher for the 26th district Senate seat, spanning Wilton, Westport, Weston, Ridgefield, Redding, New Canaan and Bethel. Hartwell worked at Chase Manhattan Bank and holds an MBA from Yale. He serves on the Metro-North Rail Commuter Council, chairs the Westport Water Quality Initiative and is on the board of Earthplace.more…

State Assembly – 143^rd District (Wilton / Norwalk)

Peggy Reeves

Representative Peggy Reeves is running for a 2nd term. She is a member of the legislature’s Government Administration and Elections, Judiciary, and Transportation Committees. From 1994–2008 she was Wilton’s Registrar of Voters. Reeves is Chairman of the Salvation Army’s Wilton Unit and past-president of the Wilton League of Woman Voters. She holds a J.D. Degree from Pace.more…

Registrar of Voters – Wilton

Carole Young-Kleinfeld

Carole Young-Kleinfeld is running for re-election as Wilton’s Registrar of Voters (D), having served as Deputy Registrar from 2004-2008. She has led training state-wide on election auditing procedures and electronic voting and testified for the legislature as an expert on fair elections processes. She sits on the Area Nine Cable Council and is a member of the Wilton League of Woman Voters.more…

Governor

Dan Malloy

Serving for 14 years at its mayor, Dan Malloy led the transformation of Stamford. During his tenure, the city was named one of the 10 best places to live in the nation. He hopes to bring the same resolve and creatity to Hartford to tackle Connecticut’s biggest problems: economic and job growth, clean energy and transportation, and education. Malloy holds a J.D. from Boston College. more….

Lieutenant Governor

Nancy Wyman

Since 1994, Nancy Wyman has served as Connecticut’s State Comptroller. She was the first woman elected to that role, and has signficantly streamlined operations to enhance efficiency, accountability, and public service. In addition to paying the state’s bills and keeping its books, Wyman has a strong record advocating for health issues while working to keep costs down.more….

Attorney General

George Jepsen

For more than 26 years George Jepsen has been a hands-on lawyer for the people of Connecticut. He was staff counsel for the carpenters’ union, then entered private practice where he represented an array of small businesses. He served for 16 years in the Connecticut General Assembly – the last 6 as the Senate’s Majority Leader. He is a graduate of Harvard Law School and holds a masters in public policy. more….

Secretary of State

Denise Merrill

In her seventeen years in the House Majority Leader Denise Merrill has held a number of leadership roles including Chairman of the Appropriations Committee. She is an attorney with a background in training, focused on civic education. She serves on the board of the National Conference of State Legislatures and co-chaired its Blue Ribbon Commission on Higher Education.more….

State Treasurer

Denise Nappier

First elected in 1998, Denise Nappier serves as Connecticut’s chief financial officer, overseeing $50 billion in state funds – including the $26 billion Connecticut Retirement Plan (one of the nation’s top performing state pension funds). Her innovative leadership has saved the state hundreds of millions of dollars; the asset recovery and loss prevention program she created recouped over $1 billion.more….

State Comptroller

Kevin Lembo

Under Kevin’s Leadership as State Healthcare Advocate, Connecticut residents saved $20 million. Prior to being named to lead the office of Healthcare Advocate, Lembo worked for 6 years with Connecticut State Comptroller Nancy Wyman on issues including GAAP accounting standards, the Rainy Day Fund, and state health insurance. Kevin holds a Masters in Public Administration.more….

Rep. Peggy Reeves, WDTC Chair John Kalamarides, and Majority Leader Denise Merrill

At the March 3^rd meeting of the Wilton Democratic Town Committee, State Representative Peggy Reeves of the 143^rd Assembly District introduced Denise Merrill, currently the majority leader of the CT House of Representatives, who is running for the office of CT Secretary of State.

Denise Merrill has been State Representative for Mansfield and Chaplin for 17 years, and is currently House Majority Leader; she previously chaired the Appropriations Committee. Before entering public service, she was an attorney and teacher specializing in developing curricula on constitutional issues.

Merrill sees the position of Secretary of State as having the two-fold obligation of promoting involvement in civic life by ensuring fair and accurate elections and helping to create jobs by streamlining the corporate registration process for companies doing business in the state. Her focus, if elected, would be on modernizing the corporate registration process, which currently has no online mechanism.

Merrill strongly supports the Citizen’s Election program, noting that it engendered the biggest change in Hartford in decades, by ushering in a wave of representatives like Peggy Reeves, who can focus solely on serving their constituents, rather than raising money from special interests.

Learn more about the Democrats who have formed exploratory committees for 2010 state-wide elected office:

Connecticut State Offices

United States Offices