As a local official, I know how hard it is to provide essential services in a small rural town. We maintain miles of roads, support our schools, and care for aging infrastructure with limited staff and resources. Like many rural communities, we also face an aging and declining population. We need a state representative who understands these challenges and will fight to make sure small rural towns get their fair share from the commonwealth.
That is why I am supporting Corinne Coryat.
For five years, Corinne served as former state Rep. Natalie Blais’ chief of staff, working directly with towns across the 1st Franklin District. She helped change the Chapter 90 formula to better recognize the many miles of roads that rural communities must maintain. She worked to increase funding for rural schools and helped secure critical disaster relief after devastating floods. She has also worked on issues including the Farm Bill, rural sustainability, and solar canopy legislation, and has developed strong working relationships at the State House.
Corinne already knows our communities and the challenges local officials face. Just as important, she knows how to navigate the State House and turn that knowledge into results. Small towns need a representative who will show up, listen, and fight for all of 1st Franklin, not just for Greenfield. Corinne has already been doing that work, and I know she is ready to continue it as our next state representative.
This is a precarious time for our towns. We are struggling with the cost of school funding, double-digit increases in health insurance costs, aging infrastructure, and the difficult question of how to provide the services our residents need without constantly asking taxpayers for more.
We need someone in Boston who understands that reality.
I’m proud to support Corinne Coryat, and I ask you to join me in voting for her on Sept. 1st. Don’t skip this primary!
Patricia Duffy, Select Board chair
Leverett