Over the course of the campaign, all five members of the BDTC executive committee wrote letters endorsing 55th Assembly District candidate Tiffany Thiele. Most were published in either the Journal Inquirer or RiverEast newspaper. All are collected here.

First Selectman Sandra Pierog:

On November 6th, Tiffany Thiele, the Democratic candidate for District 55, will have my vote. Tiffany stands for the values that are important to me and what I think are the core Connecticut values:

• fiscal responsibility;
• fair distribution of municipal aid;
• equal pay for women;
• earned family leave;
• common-sense gun safety legislation;
• a strong education system with well-paid teachers, safe schools, universal pre-K, and no more unfunded mandates; and
• a fair and timely state budget to allow municipalities to plan appropriately.

As a gun owner and shooting advocate, I understand the importance of keeping guns out of the wrong hands with strong control and legislation. We need to continue to support equal education of the younger generation, which is critical for our state’s growth and stability. And we can’t go backward with women and family rights. As a municipal official, I understand the detrimental effect that unfunded state mandates have on our local property taxes. Tiffany shares my views and will work hard in the legislature to seek equitable solutions to these issues.

Tiffany is a resident of Hebron and has been working hard since her nomination, knocking on doors, visiting voters in the four towns she hopes to serve, attending meetings, and listening to her future constituents. She is approachable and accessible. I’m proud to support Tiffany and vote for the values I believe make Connecticut strong. Please join me on November 6 in voting Thiele for the 55th!

BDTC chairman and BOE and P&Z member Christopher Davey:

On October 10, Bolton held a public forum on school safety. Tiffany Thiele showed up. Robin Green, the current 55th District representative (who sits on the House Education Committee) did not. The contrast speaks volumes.

This election, up and down the ballot, we face a clear choice: Democratic candidates who will fight to move Connecticut forward in a way that benefits all citizens; who will protect women’s rights, workers’ rights, healthcare, and the environment; who will take the threats of gun violence, climate change, and the increasing unaffordability of higher education seriously. Or Republican candidates who would enact the Trump agenda here in Connecticut: more handouts to millionaires and billionaires; fewer protections for children, workers, and the elderly; and a refusal to take seriously the threats of gun violence, inadequate healthcare, and climate change.

Through her votes, Robin Green has shown where her allegiance lies: far to the right of even her own party. (Bump stocks. Universal pre-K. Essential health benefits for women and children. Protecting seniors from predatory reverse mortgage practices. Preparing the state for the effects of climate change. On each of these issues and more, Ms. Green has voted against bipartisan legislation supported by large majorities of both Democrats and Republicans.)

In contrast, Tiffany Thiele is committed to working with legislators and local town leaders, regardless of party, to make the hard but necessary decisions needed to move Connecticut forward while ensuring that our local schools and town programs don’t suffer as a consequence.

Tiffany has shown up for Bolton, attending numerous public meetings, getting to know the local issues, talking with liberals, moderates, and conservatives alike. On November 6, I plan to show up for Tiffany and help Flip the 55th!

P&Z chairman and BDTC vice chairman Adam Teller:

I am supporting Tiffany Thiele to represent our 55th District in the State House. We need a representative in Hartford who cares about our concerns, and will fight for what is right. I haven’t seen any evidence that our current Representative, Robin Green, knows or cares about what’s important to us.

In 2017, Ms. Green voted “NO” on Senate Bill 954, which would have advanced a plan for universal preschool. She’s the owner of three for-profit preschool centers—was she voting her interest or ours?

This year, Ms. Green voted “NO” on a bill to protect essential health benefits; apparently she doesn’t value access to maternity and newborn healthcare, emergency services, and mental health/substance abuse treatment.

Most incredibly of all, Ms. Green voted NO on banning bump stocks—dangerous devices that have no real purpose but to allow a single weapon to kill more people, more quickly.

Of course, she also said “NO” to Tiffany Thiele’s invitation to debate, explain and defend her positions—because she can’t.

Tiffany Thiele would have voted “YES” on all of those issues. She supports quality education and services, but she also stands for fiscal responsibility, reducing inefficiencies, and reining in the unfunded mandates that burden town budgets inequitably.

I’m proud to be voting for Tiffany and the values that really make Connecticut great, and I’m asking the voters of the 55th District to join me.

BOE member Anne Decker:

On November 6, I’ll be supporting Tiffany Thiele, the Democratic candidate for the 55th District. One of the main reasons for my support is her stance on education issues.

Unlike our current representative, who voted for a budget that cut nearly $1.2 million in state aid to Andover, Bolton, Hebron, and Marlborough, Tiffany has pledged not to support a state budget that doesn’t provide our towns with their fair share of state education funding.

Tiffany believes we need to honor our commitments to teachers by preserving and fully funding their retirement fund, and she supports using state lottery revenue to do so. Tiffany also supports common-sense gun legislation that will keep our communities and schools safe. Our current representative, despite being a member of the Education Committee, refused earlier this year to join the vast majority of her colleagues in voting to ban bump stocks.

Tiffany is engaged and committed to our communities. She’s attended Board of Education meetings in Bolton, and both she and Senator Steve Cassano attended a recent school safety forum organized by the town and school system. Tellingly, neither our current representative nor Senator Cassano’s opponent bothered to attend.

The towns in the 55th District deserve better. Please join me on November 6 in voting for Tiffany Thiele.

BDTC secretary Mary Terhune:

As a 12-year union member of CSEA, I’m excited to support Tiffany Thiele in the race for 55th District representative. Tiffany’s endorsements by SEIU, Council 4 AFSCME, Connecticut AFL-CIO, UAW Region 9A, American Federation of Teachers and the CT State Building Trades demonstrates that she is aware of the concerns of the working class.

She is a proud CT resident who knows the importance of a skilled labor pool in our state. As our representative, Tiffany will be constituent-focused and will prioritize protecting jobs, supporting equal pay laws, and fighting for workers’ rights.

The 55th District needs a problem solver with a fresh perspective, and I am confidant Tiffany Thiele is the right person for the job. Please join me in supporting Tiffany with your VOTE on November 6!

In addition, the Journal Inquirer published letters by Bolton resident Magdalena Reyna and BDTC chair emeritus John Toomey (the latter in support of both Tiffany and Senator Steve Cassano).

Finally, check out this thoughtful piece from an unaffiliated voter on the anything-goes “Bolton Thunderdome” Facebook page.