LETTER: Fazio is No Moderate

Submitted by Michelle Abt, CT 149 Truth Brigade

Dear Editor:

It is critical that voters in CT Senate District 36 turn out in force for Democratic candidate Alexis Gevanter, who is running in a Special Election on Tuesday, August 17th for the seat vacated by Alex Kasser. Her opponent is Ryan Fazio, a GOP candidate who claims to be a moderate, but whose actions and positions show him to be as right- wing and extreme as the rest of the CT Republican Party.

A closer look at Fazio’s owns actions and statements are all it takes to show where he really stands on the issues most important to our community:

• Bad for Education: Fazio claims to support our schools. But as a member of the RTM Fazio voted to cut $3 million from the Greenwich public-school budget during the pandemic.

• Against Women’s Reproductive Rights: Fazio has stated that women shouldn’t worry about losing their reproductive rights, even though GOP legislatures across the country are stripping women of their right to
choose. He is ignoring the actions of his own party. Even worse, Fazio wrote an editorial denouncing the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade and Marriage Equality decisions, calling them “offensive to the rule of law.”

(Now That The Supreme Court Isn’t Their Puppet, Liberals Want To Destroy It) by Ryan Fazio in The Federalist, Dec 12, 2018)

• Anti-Voting Rights: Fazio does not support expanded voting access through early voting and vote by mail – options that are highly popular with voters of both parties — claiming unfounded security concerns.
Meanwhile his campaign is encouraging Republicans to vote absentee by mailing them ballot applications.

• Anti-Science: In an op-ed Fazio came out against pandemic lock downs, claiming they don’t save lives. In fact, lock downs were the only responsible and proven option to stop the spread of Covid-19 during the
initial surge and prevent the collapse of our healthcare system.


• Against Coverage for Preexisting Conditions: Fazio wrote that Donald Trump should eviscerate the Affordable Care Act, denying coverage for pre-existing conditions including COVID.

• Against Climate Action: Fazio opposes the Transportation and Climate Initiative, a multi-state plan to reduce transportation sector greenhouse gases and invest in cleaner infrastructure.

Those of us who live in House District 149 (which is nestled inside Senate 36) have been here before.

Just as Ryan Fazio is doing now, GOP candidate Kimberly Fiorello ran as a moderate. Once elected she turned out to represent the worst of the new Republican Party — extremist, conspiratorial, racist, anti-science, anti-truth, and deeply cruel.

The voters of the 149th got conned once. We can’t let it happen again in District 36. That is why we need to elect Alexis Gevanter.

Michelle Abt, CT 149 Truth Brigade

NOTE:

Timeline for submitting letters to the editor for Aug 17 special election:

• Accept letter to the editor submissions for consideration beginning July 22.
• Deadline to submit is Aug 10 (one week before election) by 5:00pm.

UPDATED: GFP Letter to the Editor Policy