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Giving All Due Respect

I was saddened to read a recent letter from a reader, who is a citizen of Old Saybrook, urging dissolution of the Old Saybrook Police Commission [Oct. 10 letter “Disband the Police Commission” by Eleanor Susan Laplace]. It is because of my own concerns, and those I have heard voiced by other citizens, that I decided to run for a position on the commission.

The Connecticut statutes are set up so that the citizenry of each town has a role in overseeing its police department via the police commission. While it is true that the opportunity can be lost if not exercised properly, it should never be surrendered.

As a Connecticut municipal labor relations and employment attorney with more than 30 years of experience, I hope my expertise will be useful to the commission in exercising its proper and legal role while giving all due respect to the citizen views it represents.

Loraine Cortese-Costa

Old Saybrook

Democrat Loraine Cortese-Costa is seeking a seat on the Police Commission.