Ridgefield News
June 23, 2000
Nielsen Sets Headquarters Outside Of District
In 5th District Race, All Politics Is Not Local
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5th District Cong. Jim Maloney (left) is a familiar face in Ridgefield. He visited a fundraiser for Rudy Marconi (right) at the home of P&Z Chair Di Masters last fall.
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June 23 -- Cong. Jim Maloney is well-known in Ridgefield, and throughout the 5th District, for his hard work on local issues. Democrat Maloney, who lives in Danbury, has been a frequent visitor to Ridgefield over the years, and has worked hard on issues that matter to us, like federal funds for Weir Farm, enhanced commuter rail service on the Danbury line, I-84 modernization, and federal support for open space. Maloney is being challenged in 2000 by Republican Mark Nielsen, who ran an unsuccessful campaign to unseat him in 1998. With much hoopla, the Nielsen campaign has just opened their campaign headquarters - in the SIXTH Congressional District! The 6th is currently represented by Republican Nancy Johnson. We think this is unique in the nation: running for Congress from an office OUTSIDE the district! Wonder if they'll relocate when they figure it out??!!
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Candidate Nielsen's new office is at 754 Straits Turnpike in Watertown - part of Congresswoman Nancy Johnson's 6th Congressional District!
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While this might seem to some to be nothing more than an embarassment to the Nielsen campaign, Ridgefield DTC Chair Jim Diamond suggests it's symptomatic of a serious problem. "I have concerns about how well Mr. Nielsen would represent Ridgefield. This
is a very large and diverse District. The first prerequisite to being in
Congress is to understand your District. At a bare minimum you need to have
an office within the District." Recalling the brief tenure of the predecessor to Jim Maloney, Diamond added, "The last Republican to represent us in Congress, Gary Franks, ignored his
District back home. My fear is that Mr. Nielsen's office location flap is a
sign that he doesn't have a good handle on this District. Jim Maloney knows
his District and, more importantly, has put the people of the Fifth
Congressional District before politics. "
As we know our Republican friends constantly monitor www.ridgefielddems.org, we offer here, as a public service, a MAP of the Fifth Congressional District. Perhaps someone can send it to candidate Nielsen's staff.
More photos here
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