By day – Prague has always thought of its constituents

I was saddened to learn of the passing of former State Senator and Commissioner for Aging, Edith Prague. (“Former State Legislator, Commissioner of Aging Edith Prague Recalls Her Advocacy, Her Empathy,” December 16) As a former Disability Advocate in Connecticut, I marveled at her courage and willingness to support positions that rightly helped those who might otherwise be overlooked.

Besides her powerful leadership for the elderly community, she understood, for example, the need for necessary support for people with disabilities as equal citizens. She has realized that such support is not an unnecessary expense or something that resembles “handouts”; on the contrary, such efforts strengthen community and economic life for all of us.

Edith was also responsible for enforcing laws against drinking and driving, as well as for the eloquent defense of equality of domestic partners. She was also a member of a Northeastern Regional Coalition, which worked to lower the cost of prescription drugs for the elderly, as well as for the general population. Such initiatives are underway and hopefully will bear fruit.

In my opinion, Edith was an example of a lawmaker and administrator who always had the best interests of her constituents and all of Connecticut’s citizens at heart – in many ways a paradigm for a public servant. I hope the Connecticut legislature pays him a deserved tribute.

Sam liss

Sunderland, Vermont