Himes Endorsed by Wilton DTC
Wilton Bulletin, Wednesday, May 05, 2010
If Wilton’s Democratic Town Committee has its way, in November Jim Himes and Richard Blumenthal will be sent to Washington and Peggy Reeves will be sent back to Hartford.
Earlier this month, the DTC endorsed Mr. Blumenthal, the state’s attorney general, for U.S. senator, Mr. Himes to represent Connecticut’s 4th Congressional District for a second term, and Ms. Reeves to represent the state’s 143rd District in Hartford, also for a second term.
John Kalamarides, head of the DTC, recently told The Bulletin why the committee prefers these three candidates.
Mr. Himes, who ousted 11-term Republican Christopher Shays in 2008, i a “wonderful congressman,” Mr. Kalamarides said.
“We think Jim Himes is proving himself to be very much what we elected him for. He’s working very hard for us all,” Mr. Kalamarides said. “He’s in touch with all of his 4th Congressional District constituents.”
Mr. Kalamarides said Mr. Himes holds many town meetings, gauging his constituents’ stances on various issues.
“He listens to people. It doesn’t matter if you’re a Republican, a Democrat or an independent,”he said.
Mr. Himes, Mr. Kalamarides said, hasn’t let his role in Washington change who he is.
“Nothing’s affected him. He’s not affected by his role in Washington,” he said. “He’s the same Jim that we knew when he was running for office. Nothing’s gone to his head. He’s still cordial, and we’re in touch all the time.”
Mr. Kalamarides said Ms. Reeves, who defeated Susan Bruschi in November 2008, has developed a lot during her first term.
“Peggy’s really grown in position as state representative for the 143rd District,” he said. “What excites us is that she really has moved into working closely with the leadership of the state House. She has their ear. She tells them what to do. She tells them how she feels. She’s working with the top 30 legislators — powerful positions. Her position is going up in the minds of other legislators.”
“But at the same time, Peggy is really in touch with all the individuals in Wilton and Norwalk whom she serves,” he said. “She’s on the phone with people all the time. She is probably working 60 to 70 hours a week, making that commute to Hartford. She jokingly told us with a big laugh that she earns 39 cents an hour. But it doesn’t make a difference. She said, ‘John, I really love this job.’ We’re pleased about that.”
Mr. Kalamarides said Ms. Reeves was like Mr. Himes in the way she listens to her constituents.
“She really considers every issue that she’s going to deal with, considers her constituents and makes the choice,” he said. “If there is extra money in Hartford for something we shouldn’t be paying for, she’s going to make sure it gets out of the budget,” he said.
Mr. Kalamarides said Ms. Reeves introduced a “number of bills” including a bill on Lyme disease and a bill that helped raise the threshold of the estate tax from $2 million to $3.5 million.
“She worked very hard to make sure that estate tax cliff disappeared,” he said. “I think that’s something that a lot of people don’t understand about Peggy. She’s very concerned that all of us don’t get taxed to death here.”
Mr. Blumenthal is running to fill Senator Christopher Dodd’s seat.
“What Dick has is years of experience,” Mr. Kalamarides said. “He again knows his constituents individually. He’s done marvelous things for the voters of Connecticut.”
Mr.Kalamarides said Mr. Blumenthal, who might not be the best public speaker, is still the right man for the job.
“With all those years of experience as attorney general, to move up to the U.S. Senate — we know he’s going to go to Washington and just work very hard for the voters in Connecticut,” he said. “He’s talked about doing a lot of things that we need in Connecticut — more money for transportation, more money for education. He’s not too far to the right, not too far to the left. He’s a very, very good listener and takes a very measured approach to what he does.”
Mr. Kalamarides said he was optimistic about these candidates’ chances in November.
“I am very confident in all three of them,” he said. “There’s a lot of time between now and November. These candidates are going to continue to speak out and campaign.”
