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The Priority We Needed

Following the huge storm that howled through this month, more than half of Branford was without electricity. Just as we passed 48 hours in a five story building with no elevator, I learned that elderly housing nearby had its power restored. It occurred to me that the 49 households in my building were not being recognized for being similar in average age profile as those labeled as living in “elder housing”.

Where I live, there is no age requirement to buy a condo unit, and there are no accommodations for being older than Branford’s average age. Most of our older residents moved here in the ’90s when the building was new and they were in spry middle age. I’m sure all of them were quite surprised more recently to wake up one day and find themselves older and more frail.

I contacted several elected officials, including State Representative Robin Comey (D-102), seeking help for our building and it’s residents. Representative Comey responded promptly, and she quickly understood that we had many residents who had vital medical equipment idled by the power outage. The lack of elevator service also had a serious impact on the way residents were living.

She was able to change our building’s status and get us the priority we needed to quickly resolve our power outage. With one repair, 49 households were helped, bringing relief to a relatively frail population. I attribute this to Representative Comey’s advocacy on our behalf. Without her expedient assistance, our fragile residents might still be without necessary life saving medical equipment. They might still be unable to navigate the stairs due to an idled elevator, adding to the already difficult task for some of simply getting fresh air.

I thank State Representative Comey. Here’s to her well-deserved reelection in November.

Bill St. Paul

Branford