Message from the First Selectman, July 25, 2018

A message from First Selectman Lizz Milardo.
Haddam,
This week, our small beautiful quaint town received national attention due to the actions of one individual. The saying that a picture is worth a thousand words was communicated not only to our community, but to others across the country. This picture has caused additional unwelcomed division!
How it happened or what caused it I do not know. Some say it was President Trump, others say it was Obama, but does it really matter? The Haddam that I serve is a community that cares and helps one another and this division does not belong here, what is best for Haddam is what all of us should be concerned with. This is where we live, play, worship, parent, learn, listen, laugh, cry, and lay our heads down at night. Our team of volunteers, elected officials and employees has worked tirelessly these past 3 years to bring improvements to our community and serve the residents of our town.
While I respect Melissa Schlag’s right to express her ideas and opinions, I do not condone activities that distract from our purpose to provide successful operation of our town, when we are working and conducting town business. She has a right to kneel, just as I have the right to proudly stand and pledge allegiance to our flag and our country. However, we elected officials serve the people of Haddam and our partisan views need to be left at the door when conducting town business and being paid by the taxpayers of this town.
I, for one, am done with it! I have listened to the outcry from veterans. The angry phone calls and emails have poured into the town hall. People scream, use vulgarity, and are heartbroken about this incident. This has not been good for the town. I have been following the social media, replied to hundreds of emails, watched TV coverage, news articles, and listened to the passion and emotion about our country and our flag from our residents and from people outside of Haddam. Most were sincere, but some were opportunistic, some were down right mean and stated they would never come to our town and support our businesses, they are not the ones who caused this upset.

How do we take this passion, emotion and energy and put it to good? First, I encourage everyone to stop writing nasty, hateful comments on Facebook.
I choose to put Haddam First and I hope you will also! You can fly the flag at your home. Be nice to people. You can hold the door for someone and pay it forward buying them a coffee or water or just giving a simple smile. Respect our neighbors whether we agree with them or not..
Yes Haddam can get this behind us! Let’s set the right example for our kids, our community and for our country.
Lizz Milardo

Ed Note: This letter represents a  personal view of the author, It is not necessarily the view of the staff of HaddamNow, Haddam News or the Haddam Civic League.