It was with deep humility and great excitement that I announced last spring my candidacy for the Connecticut General Assembly. I have served as a member of the Madison Board of Selectmen for nine years and as a community activist for more than two decades. It is my belief that effective democracy depends on people who are committed to doing what is best for their communities. I am eager to meet this next new challenge as State Representative for the 101st District.

In my professional life, I have been fortunate to find a role where my sense of community service was able to reach outside of Madison into Guilford. As Executive Director of the Shoreline Foundation, a grassroots not-for-profit organization, I helped to meet the ever-growing recreational, enrichment, and wellness needs of both towns. One of our projects, the AquaDome, serves more than 1,000 residents weekly.

My husband, Dan, and I moved to Madison in 1978 with our two young sons. We quickly became involved with our town and all it had to offer. As PTO President, I fought for better schools for our children. As a member of Concerned Taxpayers for Education (CTE), I worked to get education budgets passed. For nearly 10 years I served as Chairman of the Beach and Recreation Commission. Over the past 25 years I have had the opportunity to be an advocate for Madison residents while working for Scranton Library, Madison ABC, Town Campus and Memorial Town Hall Building Committee, our new high school, the Rockland Preserve acquisition, and many other projects and committees.

The shoreline has been a wonderful place to live and raise a family. Now as a grandmother, I have the joy of watching the next generation grow and flourish here.

When asked why I want to run for another office, my answer is always the same: Because one person can make a difference. Everyday as a selectman, I see what over-dependency on property taxes is doing to our citizens and our town services. Everyday I see how the high costs of energy are impacting our residents and our local government. Everyday I speak with small business owners about their frustration with a state that fails to help them succeed. And everyday I hear from our senior citizens about their struggle to stay in their homes or to be able to afford to stay in Connecticut. And everyday I know that I need to do more to make that difference.

I am running for State Representative because after decades of involving myself in all aspects of our community, it is important that I bring this knowledge and experience to Hartford in order to serve Madison and North Guilford.