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Why would 5th District Congressional candidate Lisa Wilson-Foley make a trip out to Tolland? And no, it isn't because the congressional redistricting panel moved Tolland into the 5th District.

Why would 5th District Congressional candidate Lisa Wilson-Foley make a trip out to Tolland? And no, it isn't because the congressional redistricting panel moved Tolland into the 5th District. It was expressly to visit the Nerac business incubation environment to learn more about the approach to accelerate business development in Tolland and whether that approach has meaningful implications outside of Tolland.

For those who don’t follow politics outside our 2nd District, Lisa Wilson-Foley is running for the 5th District seat. She’s a remarkable and highly regarded woman entrepreneur with a number of successful ventures to her credit. I first met her at a UConn event –her husband is an alum – and even from that first meeting it was clear that she was driven to make a difference, regionally and locally.

For the record, my voter affiliation is fiercely independent. I vote my conscience, although Lisa properly classified me as unaffiliated, since I’m not a member of the Independent party. Somehow, independent sounds better than unaffiliated, but without a party affiliation, it is what it is. Neither did she ask me for a campaign contribution.

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Following a tour of the Nerac business incubation facilities, our discussion focused on the kinds of things that can serve to enhance the Connecticut business climate and stimulate economic development. We discussed Connecticut’s business outlook, the present market and economic crisis – and agreed that the time is right for continued progress in education reform and pressure for a change in the status quo. Anxiety is a great instigator of change. Folks who previously would not consider change are now at a point where they will contemplate it – perhaps not yet quite ready to commit, but certainly ready to contemplate change.

We both agreed that Connecticut has a rich past and a promising future, one closely linked to the asset most valued within this state – its residents. Yankee ingenuity hasn’t left Connecticut; it merely needs to be reawakened.  My recent experience at Startup Weekend Storrs reaffirms it. As entrepreneurs, we’re living it. I can’t think of any place that I’d rather be than right here, right now.

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