Dear fellow Fairfielders
I am writing today to give my endorsement to my friend, Alexis Harrison, for State Representative in the 132nd district which encompasses parts of Fairfield & Southport. I am a past member and chair of the Fairfield Affordable Housing Committee and also for many years, I served as a member of the City Council in Norwalk where I resided before moving to Fairfield.
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Alexis has poured her heart and soul in serving our community, and she has always shown her dedicated and collaborative spirit that truly sets her apart.
One issue that I have been particularly passionate about is zoning laws and 8-30g. In recent years, we have seen an explosion of 8-30g applications which allows developers to bypass local zoning laws (laws governing height, setbacks, etc.) as long as they deed restrict 30 percent of the units as affordable for 40 years. As a person who grew up in public housing, I know that having access to affordable housing is important but the laws we have simply do not work. After 34 years, there are only 5,632 deed restricted units and less than half of those units are in towns subject to 8-30g. The law has produced minimal results and maximum litigation and anger from neighbors. Why would we not fix it?
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Worse - Hartford politicians have been trying to pass more legislation on top of 8-30g that chips away at local control. Many of the initiatives proposed to empower an unelected State official to make planning and zoning decisions on local transit-oriented developments within a town or city -- and would disallow public hearings on developments proposed near the transit areas. My own State Representative Jennifer Leeper voted for that bill (HB 5390) despite the fact that Fairfield has already built transit oriented development on its own. While she lauds herself as someone who is in favor of local control, her actions speak louder than words. It's time to elect a fresh voice and someone who will advocate for our community. Alexis on the other hand, has been advocating for common-sense reforms to 8-30g and founded a statewide grassroots group to fight against bad zoning policies. Alexis is a fighter and she is who we need to advocate for us now.
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Let's stand together and support a representative who will advocate for every single one of us. Please join me in voting for Alexis Harrison on Nov. 5!
