To the Editor:
Old Lyme First Selectwoman Bonnie Reemsnyder was informed of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) plan to run high-speed rail from Old Saybrook to Kenyon, R.I. shortly before a public hearing in Hartford in January 2016. Bonnie attended the hearing, submitted testimony and a written statement, and initiated a process to stop the plan–one that would ravage Old Lyme and degrade the entire Southeastern CT region.
That August a public meeting in Old Lyme, chaired by Bonnie, brought together the FRA, government officials and more than 500 concerned shoreline citizens.
That meeting conveyed, through thoroughly civil discourse, universal public opposition to the plan.
Ultimately the democratic process won and the FRA abandoned the bypass plan. Bonnie deserves enormous credit for this result. Throughout, Bonnie’s ability to reach across party lines, to think regionally, to work with state and federal officials and to mobilize the public, enabled her to mount an effective campaign benefitting the entire shoreline.
State-level budget problems indicate that local officials will increasingly have to work regionally to address emerging infrastructure, conservation and education issues. Bonnie’s leadership in stopping the ill-conceived FRA plan clearly demonstrated that she has the skills needed for Old Lyme in the coming years. I urge her re-election on November 7.
Sincerely,
Peter Cable,
Old Lyme.