Special Edition
Like a Florida hurricane, Governor Ron DeSantis will make landfall in Greenwich tomorrow. DeSantis is the guest of honor at a fundraiser hosted by former state senator Scott Frantz and his wife Icy at their stately Riverside waterfront mansion.
The choice of DeSantis is an odd one for a town that voted for Biden over Trump by 25 points in the 2020 election. DeSantis’s unfavorability ratings keep rising as his campaign war chest keeps falling, perhaps explaining why the tickets for this event start at $3300 and top out at a hefty $50,000.
DeSantis’ campaign embraces everything that moderate Americans reject.
In his home state of Florida, he criminalized abortion after six weeks, before many women even realize they are pregnant.
In a state where the Parkland School shooting is still fresh in people’s minds, he eliminated the requirement that an individual obtain a permit to carry a concealed firearm.
He retaliated against the largest employer in Florida, Disney, for exercising their free speech rights, costing Floridians $1 billion in lost business.
As hurricanes and rising sea levels put Florida on the front lines of climate change, DeSantis feeds the lie that it’s all natural and there’s no reason to change anything.
And in a series of blows to freedom, he has signed legislation that prevents teachers from being able to teach, voters from being able to vote, and LGBTQ+ people from being able to merely exist openly.
But none of this seems to disturb First Selectman Camillo
You might think that our first selectman would stand up and say that DeSantis’ brand of hate and division is not welcome here. And with only 18% of Republican voters nationwide supporting the Florida governor, it should be pretty easy to do the right thing. Yet, First Selectman Fred Camillo has taken a different tack. “He’s done a very good job in Florida,” Camillo admiringly told the Greenwich Time.
It is well documented that Greenwich’s local Republican party has taken a hard swerve to the right. Now it’s disappointing to discover that Camillo is right there with them.
Local elections for every town office will be held this November 7, giving residents an opportunity to vote their values.
Editorials that caught our eye
Greenwich Pride statement on local fundraiser for Governor DeSantis: Greenwich is a diverse town with deep roots in American history. …DeSantis’ policies are bad for Florida, bad for the nation, and his presence is bad for the town Greenwich aspires to be. Election Day is approaching. We urge our friends and neighbors to distance themselves from this extremism and vote for the party that fights for – not against – all Greenwich residents.
| Special Edition • September 12, 2023 |
| Paid for by the Greenwich Democratic Town Committee. |
| Greenwich Democratic Town Committee P.O. Box 126 Greenwich, CT 06836 |