Hint: They won’t rely on a cellphone
Newsletter Volume 2 • Number 15
Knocking on doors while campaigning for First Selectperson, Democratic candidate Laura Erickson says she “gets” why people say they like her opponent. If a constituent calls his cellphone, he answers. People remember that kind of thing. But, Laura continues, some also remember that nothing came of the conversation.
There’s a way the elected head of Greenwich could have exponentially more impact than just answering the phone, Laura exclaims. “We have a whole town government set up to take care of peoples’ needs. You should be strengthening those systems. It takes too long to get permits, to get answers to questions. Nobody understands why it’s so hard to get a parking pass… it’s crazy.”
Town government needs better forums for citizen input
Janet Stone McGuigan, Laura’s running mate, has seen the problem up close the past two years, as a member of the Board of Selectmen. What’s missing in the current administration, she says, are the regular public hearings that allow constituents to inform officials, help them hone a vision, develop a consensus, and craft a plan.
“First Selectman Camillo laughs and calls me Janet ‘Second Read’ McGuigan because I’m the one who insists on this procedure, because it’s the only way we can get public feedback before we take a final vote.” She points out that he tried to push through what turned out to be a hugely unpopular Glenville dog park without a second read, and it was only because of her insistence that he discovered neighbors howled at the idea.
While campaigning, Laura met seniors who are concerned they can’t afford rent hikes in our inflationary environment. Janet recalls that Camillo didn’t even want to hear whether Greenwich residents would support a new state law for larger towns to provide a forum for renters and landlords. Janet put forward a proposal to prompt public input anyway. “I think with Laura and me in the majority, a discussion would have just happened.”
The First Selectman must also articulate a vision
Laura blames a “lack of leadership” by the First Selectman for the drifting, partisan state of the town finance board, the Board of Estimate and Taxation (BET). Laura’s point of view is informed by her 21 years in town government. She’s in her fourth year on the BET and is a past chair of the Board of Education. She also served in the Representative Town Meeting (RTM) for over a decade, on both the Finance and Health & Human Services Committees.
“It used to be that BET members would attempt to listen and find common ground,” she says. “But now the Republicans go into caucus, decide what they want to do, and when it comes time for public hearings, some of them are on their phones, or just tuned out. It’s incumbent on the First Selectman, when you put forward your capital budget, that you have your own public hearing. The BET is running the show, and it shouldn’t be like that. It’s twisted!”
Janet adds that she and Laura will be more thoughtful about organizing and empowering Greenwich’s 22 boards, commissions, and committees, which do the lion’s share of town governance. “The rink advisory committee is a prime example of what can go wrong,” she said. “When these processes are not well designed, it just exhausts everybody. We do need a rink. We do want a process that gets us to a good outcome. It’s a shame.”
A vision and plans unlock outside funding
Laura picks up on this theme. “Going back 20 years we’ve talked about a lot of things, we’ve studied a lot of things, and we’ve actually done very little.”
Janet notes, for example, that Greenwich spends “astronomical amounts” to ship our waste to Ohio and Pennsylvania. “We need to separate our organics from solid waste. If we could do that, we could move the needle. We have a plan, and if we implemented it, we could qualify for state funding. But we’re not there.” That story is all the more ironic considering the current First Selectman’s business before politics was waste management in Greenwich. His signature effort failed, Janet suggests, because “he couldn’t even design a process that would help advance his idea.”
So how hard would it be to change course? Laura and Janet are confident that much of the raw material is already present. “We can do this,” Janet emphasizes. “We would empower our departments and committees to do their work.” Laura notes much of the money would come from elsewhere. “Considering our delegation in Hartford now, with all of this federal and state money available, if we actually get some plans and get some proposals, we could get some outside money and start working.”
If you want to see the town move from talk to action, vote for Laura Erickson as First Selectperson, and Janet Stone-McGuigan as Selectperson, along with the rest of Row A, on Election Day, November 7th.
We need better planning for downtown Greenwich
“We should have a traffic plan in place before pulling police off Greenwich Avenue,” says Laura Erickson, candidate for First Selectperson.
Campaign Calendar
Write to Voters
Let’s give that writing hand a workout to get out the vote! Sign up here to write letters to voters, or for help organizing your own writing party, or to join someone else’s party. Voter to voter outreach is proven to boost turnout, which we must do to win big on November 7.
October 14th Day of Action
Join our candidates and fellow volunteers for a day of door-knocking to help us tell voters about our vision for Greenwich. Two time slots this Saturday, 12-2 and 3-5.
Please bring a charged smart phone and comfortable walking shoes. We’ll provide scripts, training, and water. 23 Benedict Place, rear entrance.
October 19 Phonebank
Help us get our Democratic slate elected in Greenwich this November! Come make calls with us at our headquarters at 23 Benedict Place, rear entrance, between 5:30 and 7:30 pm on Thursdays through November 2nd! 23 Benedict Place, rear entrance.
Lawn sign, anyone?
Show your support for the team with a better vision for our town. Request a lawn sign here.
Request your absentee ballot
Don’t forget to request your absentee ballot! And don’t think your vote doesn’t matter. In a recent election, a candidate for the Board of Education won by one vote. It only takes a moment to make your voice heard.
| Volume 2, Number 15 • October 10, 2023 |
| Paid for by the Greenwich Democratic Town Committee. |
| Greenwich Democratic Town Committee P.O. Box 126 Greenwich, CT 06836 |