Support CEP, keep Connecticut politics special interest free

The Citizens’ Election Program (CEP) is Connecticut’s no-special-interests contributions, level-playing-field program to fund election campaigns. Sadly, legislators propose its elimination as a way to save money during the current budget negotiations. We strongly support CEP and urge all our representatives to defend it.

CEP is funded by the sale of abandoned property in the state, not tax dollars; its funding constitutes 0.0001 percent of the state budget. All (100 percent) current statewide officers and 89 percent of the Connecticut House and Senate ran their campaigns on CEP funding.

If CEP is eliminated, all these candidates will have to invest huge amounts of time and energy hunting (including out of state) for special-interest contributions to run their campaigns. Special interests tend to favor incumbents and to expect some return on their investment. We prefer energetic competition for our state offices and more attention on constituents.

We also don’t want our elected officers to owe any special-interest contributors any favors.

We hope that all readers of this newspaper join us in asking our legislators and governor to support this successful program. Alyssa Siegel-Miles, Ledyard Cecelia Whalen, Norwich Irene Weiss, Mystic League of Women Voters of Southeastern Connecticut