Waterford RTM Member Seeks District 38 State Rep Seat

From the Desk of Baird Welch-Collins: On Wednesday, February 21, 2018, Baird Welch-Collins officially filed as a candidate in the District 38 State Representative race and declared he will seek the Democratic nomination for that seat. District 38 spans the entirety of Waterford and a portion of neighboring town Montville, an area with which Baird has an abundance of political experience. Baird has dedicated himself to serving in municipal government in Waterford over the past five years, having now been the treasurer of the Flood and Erosion Control Board and more recently a legislator on the Representative Town Meeting.

Baird was elected in 2017 to the Town Meeting, and he was one of the only RTM candidates to publish a comprehensive platform during his campaign. He has quickly made strides towards enacting several new policies around town, such as proposing a common-sense municipal ban on the use of carcinogenic fracking waste on our roadways, and he has plans to introduce more legislative and administrative changes in the immediate future. His platform also focused on local economics, environmentalism, education, and government transparency, and he expects many of these issues to be large points of discussion throughout his campaign for State Representative in District 38.

When asked about his campaign, Welch-Collins noted that “Waterford and Montville deserve an experienced candidate who is prepared to be a proactive force for Southeastern CT and face the state’s economic crisis head-on.” He went on to describe several campaign priorities: appropriately addressing Connecticut’s economic crisis, rebuilding the state’s failing infrastructure, advocating for our public education system, and expanding the state’s conservation efforts in the district. His past campaigns have focused entirely on public outreach and acting upon the concerns of voters, and, if elected, he hopes to bring this dedication to the State House as the District 38 Representative.

Baird has been a lifelong resident of Waterford, graduating from Waterford High School in 2013 and attending Connecticut College for his Bachelors in government and education and his Connecticut teaching certification. More about Baird and his official candidate committee, Baird for 38, can be found on his website, bairdwelchcollins.com, and updates on his campaign and legislative proposals can be located on his Facebook page, facebook.com/bairdwc.

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