Fourth District: Himes to visit 17 towns in 17 days

U.S. Rep Jim Himes launches a tour of Connecticut’s Fourth District, called 17 Towns in 17 Days, with a business walk today in Westport. Over the next 17 days, Mr. Himes, a first-term Democrat seeking re-election this November, will visit each town in the district.

Mr. Himes is being challenged by State Sen. Dan Debicella, a Republican, in this November’s election.

According to his office, Mr. Himes plans to highlight each community’s unique strengths and gathering input from individuals in every city and town.

Over the course of the last 20 months, he has held more than two dozen town hall meetings, Elizabeth Kerr, his spokesman said. He has also “met with elected officials from every city and town, and actively solicited input from constituents throughout the district though e-mail surveys, Congress on Your Corner events, and meetings with local organizations and individuals,” she said.

This week, Mr. Himes plans to visit Westport, Norwalk, Bridgeport, Wilton, and Shelton. The remaining events for 17 Towns in 17 Days will be released later this week, Ms. Kerr said.

Mr. Himes has visited businesses in Westport along with First Selectman Gordon Joseloff on Tuesday, Aug. 24, beginning at Main Street Commons and ending at Gold’s Deli.

On Thursday, Aug. 26, Mr. Himes travels to the Norwalk Senior Center South: The congressman will visit with seniors at the senior center, 92 Cedar St., where he will hold a Q&A in Spanish and English. The event is from noon to 1.

Ms. Kerr says Mr. Himes will reaffirm his support for protecting Social Security from privatization, discuss improvements to Medicare resulting from health care reform, and take questions.

After visiting that center, Mr. Himes plans to travel to the Norwalk Senior Center, 11 Allen Road, where he will discuss the same topics as he did at the SoNo center. That visit and Q&A will be from 1:30 to 2:30.

Also on Thursday, he plans to speak at Park City Primary Care in Bridgeport. The center is holding a ribbon cutting ceremony for its new extension, 64 Black Rock Avenue. Mr. Himes helped secure federal money, Ms. Kerr said, for an addition to the health center, which includes 10 new exam rooms and a new kitchen. The ceremony is from 3 to 4.

On Friday morning, the congressman will be serving coffee and bagels to constituents at Wilton’s Connecticut Coffee and Grill, 12 Center Street, from 8:30 to 9:30.

Later Friday, Mr. Himes will be on a Shelton business walk to gather input and share information about how new policies affect small businesses. The walk starts at 3:45 in downtown Shelton and is expected to last an hour.

The congressman’s plans for the rest of the Fourth District’s towns will be announced later. Those towns are Darien, Easton, Fairfield,  Greenwich, Monroe, New Canaan, Oxford, Redding, Ridgefield Stamford, Trumbull,  Weston and Westport.