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To the Editor:
I’m writing to provide context to Avon Republican candidate for CT district 17 Heather Maguire’s statements in your September 29th article, Maguire Highlights Affordability, Access to Healthcare, Local Control in Run to Unseat Kavros DeGraw.
In response to your question, “How do you think the state has done in balancing its green energy goals with the cost of electricity and gas,” Maguire noted that Avon “has a clean energy commission.” She went on to make broad statements about her “support of green energy,” but also made it clear she believes “we need to be looking at every possible source of energy. Everything should be an option.”
This kind of open-ended statement is a red flag to those of us in the environmentalist sphere.
As the Chair of Avon’s Clean Energy Commission, I feel compelled to share that Ms. Maguire has never, in the ten months since I assumed this position, attended any of our ACEC meetings or special events. Unlike her fellow Avon Town Council colleagues, she has never once reached out to discuss matters of clean energy or energy conservation, or to brainstorm creative ways to bring clean energy to our community while saving residents money. She has shown no interest whatsoever with regard to clean energy, affordable energy, or the work of our commission. Frankly, I don’t know why she mentioned our work in her statement at all.
Conversely, Maguire’s opponent, State Rep. Eleni Kavros DeGraw has attended ALL of our special events, even volunteering for a local festival we hosted. She has communicated with me regularly about her work on the Energy and Technology Committee and has demonstrated a deep commitment to researching, synthesizing, and sharing information on Connecticut’s path to fiscally-responsible energy independence. She is in constant communication with environmental leaders in Avon and Canton.
Kavros DeGraw’s outstanding environmental record has earned her a 100% score from the CT League of Conservation Voters. She is a true environmental champion with a solid grasp of how energy systems work and what needs to be done to mitigate irreversible climate impact.
Clean energy and environmental protection will be on the front lines of local, state, and federal policy as we begin to get a clearer view of how these issues are rooted in virtually all other issues confronting us today. Avon and Canton need a representative who understands the complexities of this tightly-woven interrelationship and knows how to craft and communicate meaningful, equitable legislation.
This is not the time for vague platitudes and absentee leadership.
Carrie Firestone
Avon, CT