To The Editor:

I am writing in response to a letter recently submitted to the Newtown Bee by Rich Hungaski in which he incorrectly stated that it is “unprecedented” that the campaign should reimburse candidate Amybeth Laroche for the many thousands of miles she has driven to attend events and to meet with constituents in Bethel, Easton, Fairfield and Newtown this campaign season.

As her campaign treasurer, I can assure you that AmyBeth was not “paying herself” as he erroneously stated. She was being reimbursed at the IRS’s standard mileage rate which is clearly allowed by the CT State Elections Enforcement Commission in their 2026 CEP Guidebook. Sadly, the writer did not take even a few minutes to look through the Guidebook or he would have quickly realized his error. The Guidebook can be found online at https://seec.ct.gov/Portal/data/Publications/Guidebooks/2026CEPGuidebook.pdf

As far as documentation, I have reviewed AmyBeth’s mileage requests which properly provide date, destinations, purpose and mileage. There were no instances of mixed personal and campaign mileage, and should the Laroche4CT campaign be chosen for random audit, all this documentation will be provided to the SEEC as part of their review.

Since she started her campaign early this year, Amybeth has traveled to over 100 venues, debates and events around her district. She’s traveling around the district to ensure that she listens to voters' concerns and is prepared to represent them in the CT Senate.

I certainly hope that Mr. Hungaski offers Amybeth an apology for this attempt to smear her campaign with an unfounded, and yes, politically motivated accusation.

Loretta Chory, Treasurer

Laroche4CT

Newtown