Rep. Holder-Winfield Speaks Out in Support of Clean Elections Fund

by: RepHolder-Winfield

Fri Apr 17, 2009 at 18:36:23 PM EDT

State Representative Gary Holder-Winfield (D-94), who represents New Haven in the Connecticut General Assembly, has joined with activists and other legislators in saying that the state must resist the minority legislative Republican attack on our clean election system.

"Some of us have chosen to look solely  at the numbers,  and in this case when the system is so new I don't know that using that as a measuring device is fair.  Beyond that,  the system is not in place simply to reach a numerical goal but to offer the opportunity for citizens who are otherwise essentially barred  from interjecting  their voice by running for office," he said.

Holder-Winfield participated in the system during the last election cycle and has been an advocate of clean elections having spoken on the issue at the annual Congressional Black Caucus event this past fall.

"For people in certain communities this is akin to a civil rights issue," Winfield remarked.  "We must work together to protect the voice of all of Connecticut's residents and seek their best interests as we tackle very tough economic realities. I am sure that we, as a body, can do better than the total evisceration of this program which my Republican colleagues have called for when it does so much good for so many."