Maria Horn

After many phone calls and letters from legislators to leadership, from leadership to the Governor, and yesterday from the Governor back to legislative leadership: the Governor has called the legislature for a special session this summer, which we agree should focus on COVID-19 response, making absentee ballots available in the general election in November, and police accountability and transparency in the wake of the killing of George Floyd.

I went to Hartford yesterday for the first time since March 11, to retrieve some items from my office. It was eerie to be in the empty Legislative Office Building, where I saw a total of three people, the first of whom was a member of the State Capitol Police.

It was a different kind of long weekend, filled with jarring contrasts. While our daughter in Minneapolis was sending us first hand reports of that city’s pain, fear, and violence, our other daughter attended a friend’s online college graduation.

One of the by-products of the pandemic is anxiety. Whether related to health concerns, economic concerns, or a combination of the two, much of it is due to the fact that so much is beyond our individual control.

Dear Neighbor,

I hope everyone was able to enjoy the long Memorial Day weekend. The traditional Memorial Day parades were cancelled throughout the district because of the pandemic, but there were still plenty of opportunities to honor those veterans who gave their lives for our country.

I celebrated Phase I of the state’s re-opening with a visit the New Goshenette diner for a delicious toasted bagel: they’ve got a collection of picnic tables set up in the parking lot for outside dining and it’s a great place to stop by.

Today marked the first day of Phase I of Connecticut’s reopening, including outdoor dining, offices, retail and malls, museums and zoos, and outdoor recreation businesses.

I have a lot of calls with groups of other legislators focusing on the lessons we’re learning as we move through this pandemic.