Hitting The Pavement

The first thing you must do as a candidate is to let people know who you are and what you stand for. Sure, you can rely on newspaper advertising and candidate profiles in Rocky Hill Life and the Rocky Hill Patch, but how does that allow them to ask you questions about the issues and find out what kind of person you really are?

That's where old fashioned hit the streets campaigning comes into play. It allows residents the opportunity to put a name to the face and ask questions about the candidate's stance on the schools, taxes, or any other concern they would like addressed.



A few weeks ago I started going door to door. As someone who's never held public office, this was new to me. I started off in my own neighborhood one Saturday afternoon and met Ed and Steve who voiced their concerns regarding the old landfill and what's going on there. Later in the day, I spoke to a very nice mother of two children on Old Main Street who is concerned with the quality of education in town. The same concerns were raised by another mother on Parsonage Street who's raising three young boys. Tonight I heard similar school concerns and the disappointment of our current elected officials to get them back on track.

Tonight I met a resident who basically sums up the overall feeling of what the voters in Rocky Hill are feeling. He was outside when I walked up his driveway. I introduced myself and was greeted warmly. Once we started talking I realized we had similar interests. Like me, he's sick and tired of politics as usual in Rocky Hill.

We talked for what seemed like minutes, but in reality was much longer. We spent time discussing the school referendum, taxes, and other issues that concerned him. I came away from our discussion with the same conclusion and feeling I've felt form others.

Rocky Hill needs change.

Unfortunately, the feeling that I and many of the other voters have is that the current majority on the town council is not listening to them. What we need is some people who've hit the streets, talked to people and will make the necessary changes to move Rocky Hill forward in the direction the residents want it to go. We cannot afford any more "vote party line-politics as usual" thinking. It is not fair to our children and the future of our town.

We've had three failed referendums, a big tax increase in 2009, and a development plan that has neglected the historic east end of town. On November 8th, you have a voice to vote for "business as usual" or people like me, Jeff Murray, who's not afraid to speak his mind, represent the will of the voters, and do what is right for the town of Rocky Hill.

Please remember to vote November 8th.