Letter to the Editor: Why I Left the Republican Ticket

Written by Sharon Soon

To the residents of Bloomfield who may be concerned,

Now that the withdrawal of my candidacy for town council in Bloomfield has been announced, I want to express to you my sincere regret as well as my appreciation for the support and encouragement by so many.  

Please know that both my decision to be a part of the Republican ticket under Russ Mollica and to step out of the race were not taken lightly.  This town and its people mean much to me, but I truthfully believe that at this time, due to personal reasons - particularly an evolving job situation - I would not be able to serve either as a candidate or a councilperson to the best of my ability.  Yet the dire situation in Bloomfield should demand 100% commitment from its representatives and nothing less. 

With this in mind, I’ve to allow another candidate, Zach Smith, to be the kind of representative that this town so badly needs.

Smith, a resident of the Third Ward with both political and professional experience, is a strong addition to an already impressive ticket with Russ Mollica, Maribel Perez, and Peter Santana.  I admire each one of them for their devotion to Bloomfield and their commitment to integrity and honest leadership.   It’s been far too long since our town has had cohesive governance by a council that puts the best interests of the people before personal agendas, but I have full trust in these four candidates because I’ve seen the passion in their vision for Bloomfield. 

This vision, in stark contrast to that of the current administration’s, is one that recognizes the potential for greatness in Bloomfield.  This vision involves bringing accountability back to the town council and working together with all the administration to stabilize property taxes and crime.  And perhaps most importantly, this vision involves working ethically with developers to redevelop target areas to bring businesses back to Bloomfield rather than overcrowd our community and overburden our schools and taxpayers with thousands of new residents.

Residents of Bloomfield, I wish I could fully express how much I appreciate what I’ve gained from my involvement in town, and how much I believe in the goodness of the people here.  My hope is that you would see how we, as a community, deserve better from our town administration; we shouldn’t sell ourselves short by accepting outrageous property tax rates while we lose ratables and our quality of life.  For this, I remain committed to supporting support Russ, Maribel, Peter, and Zach as much as possible as they campaign to “bring Bloomfield together.”  The stakes are too high to do any less – because the stakes involve all of you.

With kind regards,

Sharon Soon