Since declaring my candidacy for State Representative in December, I have been meeting with hundreds of voters to learn directly about the topics that are important to them. I strongly believe that being an effective representative requires a comprehensive understanding of all perspectives and that can only come from active listening. In addition, I have been meeting with key individuals like the Superintendent of Schools, leadership of the Police Department and Clergy to learn more about the topics that affect our voters. Through this I have developed a set of “Key Issues” to build this campaign around. These can now be read in a flip book by clicking here.
I have documented those key issues through a series of Position Papers and Letters to the Editor. They are summarized below with links to each one
Position Papers:
| Title | Date Published | Link to Position Paper |
| The Future of the Southbury Training School #3 – Personnel Village and Development Authority | September 3, 2024 | The Future of the Southbury Training School #3 |
| The Future of the Southbury Training School #2 – The Southbury Training School Campus | August 27, 2024 | The Future of the Southbury Training School #2 |
| The Future of the Southbury Training School #1 – Southbury Farmlands | August 20, 2024 | The Future of the Southbury Training School #1 |
| Public Safety and Emergency Response | August 9, 2024 | Public Safety and Emergency Response |
| What Fiscal Responsibility Really Means | July 15, 2024 | What Fiscal Responsibility Really Means |
| Civic Engagement: Championing Southbury’s 1937 Story – Part 2 | June 13, 2024 | Championing Southbury’s 1937 Story – Part 2 |
| Civic Engagement: Championing Southbury’s 1937 Story – Part 1 | June 11, 2024 | Championing Southbury’s 1937 Story – Part 1 |
| Political Integrity: Representative Arthur O’Neill | May 26, 2024 | Profile in Courage: Representative Arthur O’Neill |
| Campaigns and Political Violence | April 18,2024 | Campaigns and Political Violence |
Letters to the Editor:
| Revitalizing the Southbury Training School land | August 14, 2024 | Committed to Improving Towns in 69th District |
| Addressing increased congestion on Interstate 84 | August 7, 2024 | Interstate 84 a High Priority |
| Addressing “eyesores” at Southbury Farmlands | July 14, 2024 | Thank You to All Who Took Part |
My core values that I bring to all these topics remains to act in a way that is 1) Transparent and Accountable, 2) Proactive and 3) Collaborative.
Transparent and Accountable: For Democracy to function, elected leaders must be transparent and accountable for their decisions and actions. Apart from some vexing personnel issues, I believe my record in Public Service shows that I am committed to doing this. My office always had an “open door” policy.
Proactive: Government works best when elected leaders are looking to the future to adapt to change and improve outcomes. I take to heart the Preamble of the Constitution: “We the people.., in order to form a more perfect union..” The Preamble contains a strong commitment to progress.
Collaborative: Our governments (National, State, Local) are designed to have people work together. No one person can “fix it”. To be an effective elected official requires working collaboratively with others and with an understanding that compromise is essential in any negotiation.
For those who might be interested, below are compilations of the campaign position papers I prepared on the issues in 2011 and 2013:
2011 Campaign: https://www.edelson4ct.com/2011-campaign-position-papers/
2013 Campaign: https://www.edelson4ct.com/2013-campaign-position-papers/