Jennifer Leeper

I hope you've been enjoying what looks to be another beautiful autumn in our state.

It's been a busy week, and I can't wait to tell you all about it. In this week's eblast, you can read about the new Birdcraft Sanctuary at the Audubon, UConn's Sustainable Clean Energy Summit, and more.

Happy Friday!

🍁✨ Summer is great but fall is my personal favorite and it is officially here this Sunday! There is no better place to be in the fall than New England! From stunning foliage to apple orchards and cozy fall festivals, our state is the ultimate autumn destination.

On Wednesday, we paid tribute to the 2,996 lives lost on 9/11, the nearly 750 first responders who have lost their lives since 9/11 due to their exposure to the pile and its toxic chemicals, and the countless lives that have been forever changed.

Every year we will make sure to commemorate the people whose lives were stolen from them through these acts of terror and also those heroes who ran into the danger to save lives. I will also always think of all the members of our armed forces who defended our nation and fought the war on terror in the decades following.

On Tuesday, Sept. 17 from 5:30-7:00pm, the Fairfield House delegation will host a forum at the Fairfield Museum & History Center (370 Beach Rd.) on your electric bills.

We will be joined by Marissa Gillett, Chair of the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) and Dan Dolan, President of the New England Power Generators Association to discuss why our electric bills are so high, and what can be done about it.

Happy Friday! And happiest first week of school to all our students across the district! I hope everyone has a wonderful year of learning new things, fostering passions, making new friends, and feeling supported and challenged.

Thank you also to all of our teachers who do the critical work of getting to know our children, what excites and challenges them, and fostering their love for learning. I’m so grateful for all you do to make our district so wonderful.

Happy Friday! Last weekend we experienced devastating flooding in Western Connecticut that left businesses destroyed, infrastructure damaged, and two lives tragically lost. I hope that you and your loved ones did not experience the worst of this storm. Today, I want to give you updates on our recovery efforts.

As we continue to reel from these electric prices, I want you to know I am continuing to work on what we can do to not only provide some short-term relief but also to systemically restructure our utilities so they are more focused on ratepayers than shareholders.

I'm sure you've noticed your most recent electric bill with likely shock and serious concern.

I deeply empathize with the impact these outrageous rates have on people, their families, and businesses. The increased distribution rates coupled with higher usage and the persistently very hot temperatures are deeply impacting people. The high electric rates in CT are the result of many historic factors that are deeply complex and I want to provide you with more information about how we got here.