Letter: Candidate Steven Wilson Makes the Case for Moderation and Change in Old Lyme

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I know this is very last minute but after speaking to so many Old Lyme residents who are still “undecided,” I felt compelled to speak.

I was asked to run for the Lyme-Old Lyme Board of Education over the summer. As a 15-year weekend/summer resident and a new full-time resident, I eagerly accepted the opportunity to serve the community that has served my family and me for so long. With two children enrolled in the Lyme-Old Lyme High School, I have a vested interest in participating in the decisions that affect us all.

That said, I am still a relatively unknown quantity in town since this is the first time ever that I have run for public office and for that reason, my expectations of being elected are hopeful, but realistic. But for as long as I have an opinion residents wish to hear, I’ll share it.

I have years of experience on boards, serving my community, and serving the schools, students, teachers, and parents with which I have been associated. I have had a long career that is based on a foundation of listening to the needs of others and providing thoughtful, effective, and economically reasonable solutions to issues that frustrate them every day. You can learn more about my perspective by watching the video of the Board of Education Candidates Questions and Answers event that is readily available online.

There is no doubt in my mind that I am a well-suited candidate for the Board of Education, but I also want to take a moment to speak about the other candidates running for office in “Row B”. We are running with the endorsement of the Republican party, but the bigger truth is that the majority of us are moderate and more Independent in mindset than Republican and I think it’s important to be aware of this fact.

We are running because we believe that we not only listen to the opinions of the residents and have established roots here but also because we feel it’s our duty to serve a community that would benefit from our leadership. For too long, our town has been economically exhausted by town servants who put their own goals and ambitions above those of the town and its residents. 

Tim Griswold is running for 1st Selectman not because of a thirst for power, but from a sense of duty to a place he has called home his entire life and his family has called home since the 1600’s. The Griswold family, as we all know, originally came to Old Lyme to be free from the restrictive government and bureaucracy of the era and found the area to be so spectacularly beautiful that here was where they have stayed ever since. I share that commitment to freedom and liberty and care more about the well-being of Old Lyme than I do about any political aspirations for myself.

Chris Kerr is of the same mindset. I met Chris years before I knew he had been serving the community politically. He was immediately helpful to me with a complicated issue at my home with an impossible deadline and helped resolve it calmly, pleasantly and effectively. It’s in his nature to help those in need and that sort of character cannot be taught.

I could continue about the entire Republican “slate” but I suspect I’ve written too much already. Suffice it to say that when you take precious time to cast your precious vote on Tuesday, November 5th, I highly recommend you vote for Row B and elect candidates whose goal it is to do their best for Old Lyme without any regard at all for personal benefit. We all deserve elected officials who serve us, our children, and our town for a change.

Steven Wilson
Old Lyme