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A Sensible, Voluntary Solution

I raise my voice in strong support for the re-election of State Senator Ted Kennedy, Jr. (D-12) and State Representative Lonnie Reed (D-102). One example of how they helped our Short Beach neighborhood occurred early last July, when a clamming company began using its siphon dredge daily to harvest clams, turning Short Beach waters brown and interfering with the Yale sailing school. Ted and Lonnie met with the neighborhood and brought in the state agency regulators and the clammer. A sensible, voluntary solution was reached. This summer, Short Beachers enjoyed clearer waters and free boating in the summer; the clamming company is working its beds in the spring and fall.

What you may not know is the work they accomplish up at our General Assembly. As co-chair of the Environment Committee, Ted led the charge in 2015 to pass a state ban on plastic microbeads in facial creams and cosmetics, realizing that there were organic-based alternatives that would not fill up our rivers and the Sound with tiny, toxic-laden plastic beads that can be ingested by fish and wildlife. This state ban became the model that U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D) introduced and was passed in the U.S. Congress. Connecticut’s successful statewide law has now become the law of the land and our Sound and the entire ocean system is thankful for it.

Last year, as co-chair of the Energy Committee, Lonnie worked with environmentalists and the solar industry to be sure a community solar bill passed and cleared the way for neighbors in pilot communities to install and share the benefits of shared electric solar installations to save both them money and the planet.

Much more remains to be done. I encourage your readers to get out and cast their votes for Ted and Lonnie on Nov. 8.

Curt Johnson

Branford