Newsletter Volume 4 • Number 3
Serving papers—and their neighbors—with compassion and courage.
If there ever was a time that Donnie Romeo regretted being a constable in Greenwich, he’s not saying. Not even when a woman sicced her wild pig on him after he served her papers. “It chased me all the way back to my car,” Romeo chuckled.
The lifelong Democrat was first elected to his post in 1984. Constables are process servers, delivering civil legal papers, from eviction orders to lawsuit notices, like those folks in police dramas who hand someone a document and say, “You’ve been served.”
“There is some danger,” Romeo observed. “Sometimes you have to be clever. Like presenting as a florist or something.”
It’s a job that takes a certain empathy for your neighbors. “It often means delivering bad news to people,” said Dawn Fortunato, who is also running, for a fourth term, as a Democratic constable. “I once had to serve a woman with divorce papers. She’d fled with her children from another state to protect them from the petitioner, who was under a restraining order. So she was terrified by the legal notification. I told her about resources available to her in case of danger, which she appreciated.”
Both constables were born and raised in Greenwich, and have deep connections to the community. Fortunato has long advocated for her neighbors in Chickahominy, seeking to clean up soil and water pollution caused by the former incinerator, where her father worked. She was the first to test the soil at Western Middle School when the Board of Education wouldn’t.
Romeo ran the food concessions at Tod’s Point, Byram Beach, Dorothy Hamill Rink, Belle Haven Club and other popular locations for 30 years, staying open through winter weekends, serving hot cider to customers. The window through which he served gave him a unique view on the town. “I’ve had many political conversations with diners,” he said, “and that encouraged me to get more involved as an elected official.”
But in recent years, Romeo observed, those conversations have become more difficult. His brother Sam has been a leader on the Republican Town Committee (and also serves as Chairman of Greenwich Communities, the town’s public housing authority.) “After the Trump years, people are completely fed up with politics,” Romeo laments. “That’s why we have to focus on solutions. Let’s move forward.”
Fortunato agrees. Too often, she says, people “rush to judgment” about others’ situations. Perhaps informed by the wisdom that comes with seeing people at their worst times, Fortunato suggests we need more compassion and understanding. “Unless you’ve walked a mile in another person’s shoes, you have no right to judge them.” It’s one of the reasons she says she is a Democrat.
Compassion, experience, calm in the face of a neighbor’s distress. Plus the willingness to do a job that others may find distasteful or dangerous. (The town doesn’t pay constables; they receive fees from the lawyers who hire them.) Greenwich’s two Democratic constables are up for re-election November 4. Please vote for them.
Trump budget sparks uproar, and a looming health care crisis in Connecticut
With threats and arm-twisting, President Donald Trump strong-armed House Republicans into narrowly passing a sweeping budget bill critics are calling the largest transfer of wealth from the working class to the ultra-rich in modern history. The bill, which adds $3.5 trillion to the national debt, is so politically toxic that its steep cuts to health care programs were deliberately delayed until after the midterm elections.
Connecticut leaders are sounding the alarm
“This bill is going to have devastating impacts on millions of Americans for years to come and was passed for the sole purpose of giving tax cuts to millionaires and billionaires,” said Governor Ned Lamont.
Tiffany Donelson, President of the Connecticut Health Foundation, warned it will leave thousands of residents uninsured, force more people to delay medical care, and destabilize hospitals across the state. State Rep. Steve Meskers called it a “pretty frightening scenario” and Rep.Hector Arzeno urged, “I strongly support convening a special session to take all necessary steps—within our budgetary authority—to lessen the impact on Connecticut and protect the services our communities rely on.”
Read more about CT’s response to the bill here.
What we’re reading
It’s time for smarter, more accountable leadership on the BET
Doug Fenton, a hedge fund partner with over 20 years of finance experience, explains why he is running to serve on the Board of Estimate and Taxation (BET). The BET is the powerful town board that sets revenue and taxation policies. The Republicans who hold a controlling vote on the BET have been criticized for neglecting to maintain town assets and for forcing unsustainable cuts on the district’s schools.
Doug would be the only member of the BET who has young children in the public schools. Fenton writes, “We shouldn’t be scrambling every year to protect essential services or invest in critical infrastructure. With the right planning and leadership, we can do better—for our schools, our seniors, our neighborhoods, and the future of Greenwich.” Read his editorial here.
Action Calendar
July 16. Endorse.
Join us in the Town Hall Meeting Room at Greenwich Town Hall for our monthly meeting (101 Field Point Road). Members: Don’t miss this crucial meeting. It will be your only chance to vote for candidates recommended for endorsement in the municipal elections! 7:30 p.m.
July 26. Meet.
Join us for an evening with our Democratic municipal candidates in an intimate, private setting. Details upon RSVP. 4:00 p.m.- 6:00 p.m.
July 31. Learn.
Legislators’ wrap-up and tapas, hosted by the League of Women Voters. $25. Burning Tree Country Club, 120 Perkins Road. 5:30 p.m.-7:00 p.m. Tickets.
| Volume 4, Number 3 • July 10, 2025 |
| Paid for by the Greenwich Democratic Town Committee. |
| Greenwich Democratic Town Committee P.O. Box 126 Greenwich, CT 06836 |