Letter: Council Candidate Enjoyed Meeting Citizens on Campaign Trail

To the Editor:

I would like to use this opportunity to thank everyone in Middletown that I met on the campaign trail over the past three months. As you may know, I was a Republican, first-time . Even though the ball did not bounce my way — I came up several hundred votes short — I had an outstanding experience.

While campaigning, I had the good fortune to meet some great people at the many community events that I attended as well as at the many, many homes that I visited while door-knocking.

By and large, everyone was very welcoming and I was constantly reminded of the special community that we have here in Middletown. During visits to each home, we undoubtedly caught many people in the midst of a chore or activity relative to their daily lives. I would like to express my appreciation to Middletown residents for their graciousness in receiving an impromptu visit from several candidates at one time. 

More often than not, a great conversation came out of the visit. Whether they devoted 30 seconds or 30 minutes to our visits, I offer my sincere thanks to everyone for taking time out of your busy schedules to speak with us.

I have always been proud of this city that I — along with my siblings, parents and grandparents — was born and raised. The campaign process served to galvanize my pride in the city and gave me the chance to learn that you love Middletown as much as I do.

I would also like to thank Mayor Giuliano and the Republican underticket for making me a part of their team. It was a pleasure to visit the Middletown residents with these individuals and every outing with the mayor was a lesson in Middletown as well as a living example of the reason why a person should seek public office. Mayor Giuliano’s love for this city is a love that is palpable; his knowledge of the city and emotion that he shows while talking about it will attest to this point.

I said earlier that I have always been proud of this community and am equally proud to have had Mayor Giuliano as my hometown’s leader for the past six years.

Now that there is a transition in our leadership, I ask those elected leaders to keep the prosperity of Middletown and its residents as a continued priority.  Whether you are a Republican, Democrat or Independent, we must come together and respect the outcome of the election and offer our support to Mayor-Elect Drew.

There are several issues that will develop in the next two years — the merger with the Mattabassett District, securing a tenant for the Aetna property and revitalization on Main Street’s North End, amongst others — and we need our leaders to make the right decisions that will move us forward. As an employee of the Middlesex Chamber, I look forward to still being able to work with these leaders in some capacity. 

Let us all be mindful to keep Middletown first.

Matt Fraulino, 2011 Republican Common Council candidate

Editor's note: Read Fraulino's bio here.