Kindness, Intelligence, and Real. That’s Hau - Emily Hau!

I’ve lived in the 132nd District for 24 years and teach in Fairfield. I’m voting for Emily Hau for State Representative, and trust is a major reason.

Think about a regular Tuesday. You drop the kids off, run to the grocery store, get to work, and swing by practice on the way home. A camera can now record each of those trips, and a single mistake can cost you a ticket. Most of us didn’t realize we’d agreed to that.

These cameras exist because of state law, and the legislators who write those laws can change them. Our RTM can end the program here if it chooses; so far, it hasn’t. The state legislature can do the same by repealing the law or fixing what’s broken. That’s the job Emily is running for, and she has the facts and work ethic to do it.

Emily did the homework. She dug into the fine print of the vendor contract, including the burdensome fee structure, the poor street signage, and what these systems can already capture beyond a license plate. Few of us ever get that far. She did, and she knows what needs fixing.

She also showed up where the neighbors already were. Emily collaborated with and supported the bipartisan DeFlock Facebook group, the residents organizing against these cameras, without turning it into a party project. That is how she works. She is focused on serving the people, regardless of politics.

That is also why I trust her on what comes next. Technology use is exploding, including in my classroom, where we already encourage AI for efficiency and for expanding how students think. The person writing the rules should understand the tools, not be afraid of them. Emily does. That is a strength, not a knock.

Affordability is the other reason. In the five years I’ve been watching my own bills, Fairfield has only gotten more expensive. Groceries, electricity, housing, heating oil. Hartford keeps telling us the budgets are working. We do not feel it.

Emily didn’t wait for a committee to study it. When heating oil spiked, she organized the Nutmegger Oil Group. It is free to join. Neighbors pool their buying power, she rebids the contract, and hundreds of families have kept real money in their own pockets over these winters instead of handing it to a spot price. That is the same question she asks about every bill: who pays, and who gets stuck with the mess.

She’s a working mom, so that question is not theoretical. She’ll sit down with people who disagree with her, and if a neighbor makes a better case, she’ll say so. I’m tired of politicians who tell us what we want to hear. I’m looking for the refreshing change Emily will bring as a state representative who will level with us.

Emily opposes these cameras and wants them removed. I agree. A camera sold as a safety measure becomes a record of ordinary trips. A program sold as safety shouldn’t leave a town dependent on the revenue. Safety matters, and so does the Fourth Amendment.

Emily says this plainly. Her opponent has not.

I need to trust the person voting for us in Hartford. As for me, I trust Emily.

Lisa Merturi

Teacher, Fairfield Public Schools