Naugatuck GOP Town Committee Chair Urges People to Vote

Editor's Note: The following letter to the editor was submitted by Dorothy Hoff, chair of the Republican Town Committee in Naugatuck. Letters can be submitted to paul.singley@patch.com. To blog on Patch, email Jaimie Cura at jaimie@patch.com. 

Let us never forget that government is ourselves and not an alien power over us. The ultimate rulers of our democracy are not a President and senators and congressmen and government officials, but the voters of this country. - Franklin D. Roosevelt

Naugatuck – Get out your smart phones, laptops, and/or your old fashioned pens and calendars.  Mark the date – Nov. 5 – VOTE! 

For the first time in history, Naugatuck will be electing our local leaders in November, like most of the State of Connecticut and the U.S.A.  No more May elections for us!  Very soon, in addition to our beautiful autumn leaves, we will start to see a variety of colorful candidate signs. 

The last time that Naugatuck voters went to ballot was for the budget referendum, which sadly, did not draw enough voters to make the vote binding. 

Now is the time to let our elected officials know how you feel about their performance and vision for our community.  Is the tax rate manageable?  Are our streets, roads and municipal buildings maintained well?  Do our students walk into a school where they are safe and educated for the world ahead of them?  Everyone has their own priorities and questions.  Now is the time to find your answers.  Which candidate represents your concerns best?

How can you find out more about our leaders?  One way is to volunteer to serve along side of them.  There are openings on various Borough boards and commissions.  Whether it is the Planning or Zoning, Fire, Police, Golf or Arts Commission, you will be working to make life better for our community and you will be getting to know more about how our government works and about our leaders.  If you are interested in serving on any Borough board or commission, feel free to contact the Naugatuck Republican Town Committee for more information or certainly the Mayor’s office will be able to give you information on where there are openings and how you could best serve. 

Another way to find out more about our leaders and candidates is to attend the debates and meet the candidates events, which are starting to be organized. 

One event all ready to put on your calendar is the Naugatuck Republican Town Committee’s Meet the Candidates event on Wednesday, Sept. 25 at 7 p.m. at the Phoenix Stage Company, 686 Rubber Ave.  As a fundraising event to support our slate, a contribution of $20.13 per person will be accepted.  There you will be able to meet many of our incumbent candidates for Burgess and Board of Education, as well as new candidates such as Mayoral candidate Jim O’Sullivan and Burgess candidates Ed Fennell and Alex Olbrys. 

Please mark your calendars for Nov. 5 - Election Day and find out as much as you can about our candidates NOW!  For more information, email us at NaugatuckRTC@gmail.com.         

Dorothy Hoff

Naugatuck Republican Town Committee Chair