To the Editor:

When I told Paul Lundquist, who is running for another term representing the first district on the legislative council, that I was getting out of town and moving abroad, he asked: “Why on earth would you do that?” He meant it sincerely. Paul, whom I’ve had the pleasure to know as a friend and a colleague in the pursuit of Newtown’s interests for 15-plus years, seriously loves this town.

I have seen Paul in action in the service of his community. Paul and I were cofounders and served as directors of Sandy Hook Promise. On the board, Paul played a critical role in ensuring the various perspectives within town were heard as the organization moved forward with its noble ambition to reduce gun violence nationally.

Additionally, I relied on Paul as a source of informal advice when serving on the Newtown Community Center Commission. As a member of that body, I gained invaluable insight into the challenges elected officials like Paul must be willing to face in their efforts to improve the lives of all residents — even the ones who for some insane reason didn’t vote for him.

On top of it all, Paul has been an amazing friend. His sense of humor regularly surprises me. He’s a righteous husband and a loving, dependable father. True, when he was first running for the legislative council, I joked that he’d have my vote if he offered free beer to the townsfolk. He never fulfilled that promise, which is good because it probably would have been a campaign finance violation. But it’s just another insight into Paul’s exemplary conduct.

Vote for Paul.

Rob Cox

136 Castle Hill Road, Newtown October 22, 2019