Senate hopeful Ziobron willing to bridge the political divide

As a moderate, I’ve been open in my belief in working in a bipartisan good faith. It has been a cornerstone of my philosophy, evident in May of 2018, when state representatives from both sides of the aisle spoke, unsolicited, of their experiences working with me. These comments were public and broadcast on CT-N. I used those clips in a $375 video to answer the Needleman campaign’s recent spate of vitriolic attacks, soon to be disseminated in an $86,000 TV ad buy. My opponent can do this because, unlike me, he is unrestricted by the Citizen’s Elections Program rules.

While meeting voters in Colchester, a woman’s comment pulled me up short: why was I running at a time of such partisan divide? I felt tears welling up and had to take a moment to compose myself. I spoke of my passion for our community, my earnest desire to protect our beautiful vistas and natural resources, my appreciation for the volunteers who make our towns run and how I love our state.

The question touched a fault line: in letters to local papers some expressed upset that I used a personal photo in a campaign mailer that included prominent local Democrats. It was a picture taken during my tenure as President of Friends of Gillette Castle State Park in 2011 with a state official. It’s regrettable how some remain committed to fanatical partisan division at a time when we need to work together. Melissa Ziobron Republican candidate for state Senate, 33rd District East Haddam