Drop the Bypass Rally in Stonington Connecticut

Despite bone chilling cold and wet and some roads still covered from an overnight snow, a crowd of well over 100 gathered in the path of the proposed rail bypass in Mystic Connecticut. The rails here would plow right through the Mystic Aquarium, part of Olde Mystick Village and other businesses in Stonington.

Speakers at the Rally included: Connecticut’s US Senator Richard Blumenthal; CT’s US Congressman Joe Courtney; Loren Spears with other Narragansett Tribal members; CT State Senators Paul Formica and Heather Somers; Rhode Island State Senator Dennis Algiere; CT State Representatives Joe De la Cruz, Chris Conley and Devin Carney; CT First Selectmen Rob Simmons of Stonington, Daniel M. Steward of Waterford, and Bonnie Reemsnyder of Old Lyme; Charlestown RI Town Council Vice President Julie Carroccia; Westerly RI Town Council President Jamie Silvestri, with Lisa Konicki, President of the Ocean Community Chamber of Commerce, and Westerly Councilor Jean Gagnier; business owners, Kim Coulter of Stoney Hill Cattle Company in Charlestown, Joyce Resnikoff of Olde Mystick Village, Chris Regan of the Groton Shopping Plaza, and Frank Grace of Frank’s Gourmet Grille in Mystic; Greg Stroud of SECoast, part of the CT Trust for Historic Preservation; and Stephen Bessette, former Selectman of the Town of Stonington and one of the organizers of the event.

Also present were Mayor Michael Passero of New London, Groton Town Mayor Bruce Flax, Groton City Mayor Marian Galbraith, CT Deputy Secretary of State Scott Bates, Eastern CT Chamber of Commerce President Tony Sheridan, Mystic Seaport Museum President Steven White, Connecticut Trust Executive Director Daniel Mackay, Virginia Lee President of the Town Council of Charlestown, Ruth Platner Chair of the Charlestown Planning Commission, home owners from Charlestown, and many others. If we missed anyone, please let us know.

A main theme of the event is that we are not opposed to improving the Northeast Corridor, we’re opposed to the bypass, which has significant negative environmental and economic impacts. It needs to be taken out of Tier 1 entirely.