Nomination by Matt Raimondi at State Senate 26 Convention

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. My name is Matthew Raimondi, I’m from Wilton, and I would like to nominate Senator Toni Boucher for the 26th district.

We all know Toni – her accolades and accomplishments are almost too long to list. She’s a mother to 3 wonderful children and 6 grandchildren. She’s a successful businesswoman and wonderfully generous philanthropist. And, as some of you may know, she’s also an extraordinarily accomplished public servant. Toni was the Chairman of Wilton’s Board of Education – during a time, I might add, when Wilton schools were first in the state. Toni went on to the board of Selectman and was appointed by a Governor to serve on the State Board of Education. She was then elected to the CT State House, where she served for 12 years before being elected to the State Senate in 2008. During that time Senator Boucher championed education, open space, farms, our trains, public safety, local control of our property rights, and fiscal responsibility.

Her story is one of impressive success, but it is also uniquely American. You see Toni didn’t come from boundless wealth or a political dynasty. Her success wasn’t delivered on a silver platter. Toni was born on a small farm in Italy – her first job was supervising the sheep dog at the family farm. Over time, her parents were able to escape poverty for the New World, for the United States. And despite these humble beginnings, Toni wanted to give back and serve the people. She looked at her own early difficulties and determined to never let people face the hardships that she and her family had.

While Toni’s accomplishments are very impressive, I know Toni in another way. Perhaps people here know her in this way too. I know her as a mentor. I’m grateful that Toni took, and takes, the time to mentor me. When my wife and I moved back to Wilton a few years ago, I wanted to get involved in our town’s governance. Over a long lunch, and many other meetings after that, Toni gave me invaluable advice – advice which actually helped inspire me to run, and win, a seat on Wilton’s Board of Finance. Today I work hard to make sure fiscal prudence pervades our budget. It’s hard – the democrats sure don’t make it easy – but when you believe in something, you fight for it. I learned not just how to fight fairly and with civility, but how to win from Toni. If I’ve had success, it’s because Toni taught me how to get things done. State Rep Tom O’Dea will tell you she did the same for him.

Toni has amongst the most impressive resumes in the game– and I think it’s fair to say she’s earned a break from politics. But things have become serious–we’re asking a lot from her.  But, we need Toni back in Hartford right now. We need Toni’s expertise to protect local control of education and respect parental involvement in our schools. We need Toni’s oversight to protect local control of our homes and property rights. We need Toni’s dedication toward making CT’s communities safer and supporting law enforcement. And in this time of rising inflation, we need oni’s eyes on the finances to help make CT more affordable. We also need Toni’s positive relationships she has built on both sides of the aisle to give us a stronger voice on our pressing issues.

Mr. Chairman, Delegates of this Convention, it’s time to bring the experts back to fix the failures of Hartford and to give us a stronger voice. And it’s because of that, that I nominate Senator Toni Boucher for the 26th district.