State Rep. Lucy Dathan ‘steps up’
The night was March 16 and it was clear things were not looking good. Another emotional breakdown after her shift, and here I was placing a giant, overpriced order of N95 masks on eBay for my wife’s unit at a local hospital. Feeling powerless as a husband in the face of an unprecedented crisis, it was all I knew to do and it clearly wasn’t enough.
I met state Rep. Lucy Dathan at the first incarnation of a nonpartisan community group I started, Discuss Norwalk, which barely got off the ground before the pandemic hit. She and state Sen. Bob Duff both attended and I was thankful for a community leadership presence at my little neighborhood chat. Lucy stayed late, casually helping veer what was, at times, a lively, heated discussion into calmer waters. I listened and observed, and knew this was a person I could connect with in a meaningful way. Or at least call on when I felt the situation required it.
On that night in mid-March, just weeks after Lucy and I met, that time came. I sat down to write a desperate email. My wife’s hospital, despite what was reported at the time, substantially lacked proper PPE. I thought of the mother of my children and her colleagues at the hospital; particularly those in critical care. This was unacceptable to me and someone needed to hear it. My email went to both Rep. Dathan and Sen. Duff.
Both responded quickly. They asked questions and were willing to forward what I had heard from staff to the executives, and were also willing to participate in an online community discussion I arranged regarding COVID-19. It was clear they wanted to engage with the community however they could, and to help disseminate accurate information in a world that often lacks it.
Afterward, Lucy followed up: What’s going on in my wife’s unit? Has there been any improvement? How else could she help?
What I did not know at the time, and later learned, was Lucy was feverishly working behind-the-scenes in a way that’s shown to be her modus operandi. She was progressively rallying the private and public sector acquiring PPE from disparate sources, including from Norwalk Community College. She was doing this not for publicity, but for necessity. Her community cried out, and her first instinct was to step up and respond when it was needed most: without hesitation or fanfare.
Since getting to know Lucy, I’ve been struck by one trait above all: her decency. Lucy does this work because she simply wants to do the work . She’s had a successful career. She doesn’t need to be a State Representative, nor one that puts in the time, energy, and enthusiasm for everyone other than herself that she does. She’s selfless in the truest sense of the word. I’ve found her relentless work ethic, commitment to her community, and hours she spends doing the business of her constituents, profound, whether at the Capitol, in the community, on the phone, or emailing with people like me.
Representative Lucy Dathan is a Democrat; a party I have mostly supported over the years and only recently officially joined. But, I’m a skeptical label-wearer. I do not accept political identification lightly or without hesitation, because I always try and embrace the truth and rationality above anything else, including party affiliation. It’s because of this that I wholly embrace my state Rep. Lucy Dathan: a woman I’ve seen work with people of every party, race, and creed to seek sensible solutions to complicated issues. Issues where the answer isn’t wrapped up in a simplistic tweet or catchy headline. Where the negotiations are hard and sometimes the results are harder, and very often go unreported.
In the end, the answers to life’s problems can’t be expressed in all caps. They’re wordy, arduous, and require an unending pursuit of a higher calling of public service. This is the service Rep. Lucy Dathan offers our community everyday. If you are someone like me who values decency, honesty, and integrity over any label, and wants to see more women in this world making critical decisions that impact our daily lives in meaningful ways, I encourage you to vote for Lucy Dathan. I’m proud to be her constituent.
Justin Matley is a Norwalk resident.