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To the Editor:
West Hartford is my home, and I’m running for Town Council to make it a better place for every resident. As I talk to neighbors in our community, I’m dismayed by how identity politics are poisoning our local elections. National debates including racial divides, culture wars, and partisan bickering are drowning out the real issues we face right here. Municipal challenges like soaring property taxes, public safety, and economic growth have nothing to do with Washington’s drama, yet Democrats keep dragging them into our race.
For decades, Democrats have controlled West Hartford’s Town Council, spending with no regard for affordability while our taxes climb higher than neighbors like Farmington or Avon. Their bloated budgets burden families struggling to afford homes and small businesses choked by red tape. Property crime is creeping up, making our neighborhoods feel less safe. Instead of addressing these local problems, Democrats hurl insults, tying Republicans to national campaign noise, as if we’re fighting some grand ideological battle. I’m above those petty squabbles. At 27, I’m an outsider in this race with no political career, no baggage, just a fresh mind with new ideas and the right core values: hard work, responsibility, and community. The status quo clearly isn’t working; it’s time to change the narrative and focus on West Hartford’s future.
How could you not support the Republican Party in this election? We are advocating for responsible spending, lower taxes, and safer neighborhoods; priorities that unite us all. As a business executive with conservative roots, I’ll fight for zero-based budgeting to scrutinize every dollar, lowering taxes to keep families and businesses thriving. I’ll fight for streamlined regulations to let entrepreneurs grow and for stronger police funding to ensure our streets are safe. These are local solutions, not national talking points.
I’m not here to trade barbs or play political games. My only goal is to make West Hartford a place where every neighbor can afford to live, start a business, and feel secure. I look forward to meeting every member of the community that I can, and I am always available to have a conversation. Let’s leave identity politics behind and build a stronger, more affordable town together. Vote for me, Ben Lewis, on Nov. 4, 2025, and let’s write a new chapter for West Hartford.
Ben Lewis
Candidate for Town Council, West Hartford
Ben Lewis. Courtesy photo