Letter to the Editor: Attendance Records for Old Lyme Board of Finance Candidates Thompson, Kelsey Differ Sharply

To the Editor:

We live in a representative democracy and this November you are being charged with electing fellow Old Lyme residents to be your representatives on local boards and commissions. One of the most basic things you should expect from your representatives is that they show up, at least most of the time, so that they can understand the issues and represent your interests. We do have alternates for many of our boards who step in when a regular member is ill or has some other unavoidable conflict. However, there are issues that carry over multiple meetings and repeated absences can lead to representatives making decisions without having all important information.

This is extremely relevant in this year’s Board of Finance race. Kimberly Thompson, the Democratic candidate, has served on this board since November 2021. Since being sworn in to her seat, Kim has only missed one meeting. Since January 2024, one of her opponents, J. David Kelsey, has missed 12 meetings, constituting about 35% of the total.  Five of these missed meetings have been in 2025 and, as of this writing, David has not been seen at the Board of Finance since June. To earn your vote, members should show up for Old Lyme. Please join me in voting for Kimberly Thompson on November 4 for a full Board of Finance seat.

Sincerely,

Leanne Viola,
Old Lyme.