Testimonial Endorsement: written by Wendy Murphy

I write to endorse Lynn Mellis Worthington’s candidacy for First Selectman in the upcoming November election. I speak as one who has lived in Kent for 50 years and seen more than a dozen First Selectmen come and go. What was once a responsibility that could be done well as a part-time job, it now requires a complex set of skills ready to be deployed 24/7. Any candidate must be capable of hitting the ground running if elected as there is virtually no time to learn on the job. Fortunately, Lynn knows more about the workings of Kent than just about anyone else in town, having worked and raised a family in Kent for 33 years. She has been the town’s local news reporter for the Waterbury Republican-American for as long as I can remember, and was a member of the South Kent School’s staff for 26 years.

Speaking as a member of the Kent Conservation Commission and as a regular attendee at several other meeting groups here in Kent I am accustomed to seeing Lynn in the front row of scores of meetings with her camera and notepad at the ready, absorbing debates about town issues, town budgets, town infrastructure into the late hours if necessary, and I can count on her to provide her readers with a balanced report on what is happening and why it matters.

I have never seen much significance in voting party-line politics locally, even for the First Selectmen. Rather, I look for a candidate’s competence, the ability to find consensus on issues, and the willingness to delegate responsibility when appropriate rather than engage in every detail of town government at the risk of losing focus. Lynn is such a person. She also has the people skills to make Town Hall work efficiently and her dedication to Kent and its history bodes well for protecting the place we all love.

I am confident that Lynn Mellis Worthington can deliver the kind of leadership we need to keep Kent on track and financially solid.

Wendy Murphy
Kent, CT