Pavalock-D’Amato apologizes after dispute
Rep.’s vulgar parking note leads to social media ruckus
BRISTOL — A parking dispute during a Republican fundraiser in Bristol Saturday evening has led local Democratic leaders to condemn state Rep. Cara Pavalock-D’Amato for leaving a vulgar and insulting note in a neighbor’s mailbox.
Pavalock-D’Amato, a three-term Republican legislator representing the 77th District, on Tuesday afternoon issued a brief apology, but didn’t specifically address the language in the note.
“Dear foreclosed loser, listen close (expletive). The next time you come at me, you better know who the (expletive) you are dealing with,” the note reads.
The dispute started Saturday evening when Pavalock-D’Amato took her 2-year-old son to a large GOP fundraiser at the Winston Road homeof Jake Carrier, president of Carrier Construction.
The house is near her home, but she drove and then parked her car — with its high-visibility legislative license plates — in the driveway of a vacant house nearby.
The vacant house is in foreclosure. Neighbor Ryan Bousquet knew the owner, who’d moved out a couple of weeks ago, and was keeping an eye on it for him. Bousquet conceded that he used a profanity in a note he left on her car saying it should be moved.
The next day, Bousquet saw an unusual-looking note sticking out of the neighbor’s mailbox. Pavalock-D’Amato hadn’t signed it, but evidently penned it on a sheet of her distinctive pink writing paper, which has a gold C at the top.
Bousquet, who said he doesn’t know Pavalock-D’Amato, photographed her note, and posted it to her Facebook page and the Bristol Talks page. He said he wanted her to apologize to his friend, and was surprised by how many times the message was shared on social media.
Democratic challenger Andrew Rasmussen-Tuller put out a press release Tuesday condemning Pavalock-D’Amato’s behavior, calling it unacceptable.
“Calling out a family as foreclosed losers is indicative of where wehavecomeinpolitics,” said Bristol Democratic Town Committee Chair Rippy Patton. “It’s cruel and childish and similar to some of the other statements we are hearing on the national stage.”
Through her office, Pavalock-D’Amato put out a brief written statement Tuesday afternoon.
“I apologize for any inconvenience or misunderstanding caused over the weekend in my Bristol neighborhood. I brought my two-year-old son with me to an event Saturday night and parked nearby. Whenasked to move my car, I did,” she wrote.