To The Editor:

I am speaking to Democrats, Republicans and unaffiliated voters willing to look beyond party labels and consider who will work to improve their lives.

If Connecticut’s cost of living has become increasingly difficult to navigate, consider that Democrats have controlled the governorship and both chambers of the legislature since 2011. For years, Connecticut residents also paid substantial Public Benefits charges on their electric bills to fund state-mandated programs, adding to already high electricity costs.

State government has also increasingly inserted itself into decisions traditionally made by families and municipalities. Connecticut eliminated the religious exemption for newly enrolling students subject to school vaccination requirements, while HB 8002 imposed statewide housing requirements that limit local zoning authority over certain development on commercial and mixed-use properties.

Amybeth Laroche offers a different approach. She supports lowering energy and healthcare costs, preserving meaningful local control over housing and zoning, expanding parental choice in education, and protecting the ability of parents and doctors to make medical decisions for children.

Her opponent, Rob Blanchard, has spent years working in state government, including serving as Governor Lamont’s communications director, and left the administration this year to work on Lamont’s reelection campaign. Voters should consider whether that background represents the change they want in Hartford or a continuation of its current direction.

This race should not be about Trump or Washington. It should be about Connecticut, affordability, local control and the decisions made in Hartford that directly affect our families and communities.

That is why I support Amybeth Laroche for State Senate.

John Zachos

Newtown