LETTER: Farmington Politics in the Age of Trump

“To sin by silence when they should protest makes cowards of men.” - Abraham Lincoln

I appreciate that United Farmington, an independent political action committee, has added to the political conversation in Farmington. Someone is finally revealing the four Responsible Farmington Town Council Candidates for what they are: Irresponsible.

We are witnessing in real time a microcosm of national politics here in our community… where politicians break the rules, cry foul, deflect from the real issues that affect people’s lives, and add murk to the “swamp”.

These four candidates were not endorsed by the Republican Town Committee. Two of them, Paul Cianci and Jeff Apuzzo, were not even vetted by their own party. Justin Bernier and Jon Landry did not pass the Republican Town Committee vetting process.

One of their largest donors is currently being investigated by the state for allegedly placing $10,000 worth of illegal radio advertisements in support of their slate. When asked to comment, Bernier responded the ads were placed as a “false flag” by his opponents. There is absolutely no need for absurd conspiracy theories in local politics. Facts do indeed matter here in Farmington.

Recently, a well-attended Town Council Candidate Forum was held at the meeting house of the Congregational Church here in town, echoing the way New Englanders long received their local information. This forum was moderated by Daniela Altimari of the Courant. The Democratic candidates attended the event, but the non-endorsed Republican candidates irresponsibly did not.

They cried foul and felt the event was too partisan to attend. This event was not “fake” or a “false flag” and the citizens of Farmington beyond their loyal base deserve to hear from them in an open forum. By not attending, it would seem these candidates only respond to, and care about, those that support them. Sound familiar?

Finally, and perhaps most concerning, these non-endorsed candidates call for a permanent building commission to solve our capital improvement issues, including addressing the needs of the high school. I question this idea for two reasons. One, Mr. Cianci’s only major qualifications for Town Council seem to be that he is an engineer in his family-owned engineering firm in West Hartford and has a love of sports. His family firm is involved in many major structural engineering projects….like building high schools. I would prefer his qualifications draw from prior community based experience, not projects his company could potentially profit from.

Finally, to establish this standing building commission, the town charter must be opened and revised. I believe it is the height of irresponsibility to allow these four non-endorsed individuals the opportunity to rewrite the charter of a classic New England town that operates with town meetings and respects the voices of all its citizens.

Naming themselves “Responsible Farmington” implies that citizens in Farmington who do not have their names attached to certain glossy political signs, mailers, and local political puff pieces are somehow Irresponsible. From the start, this group has insulted our community and the intelligence of its voters. I encourage the citizens of Farmington to be responsible, protect our town charter, and exercise our right to vote on November 7th.

Michael Baldwin
Farmington

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