A shift that points to rising engagement and room to grow
The 2025 municipal election delivered results that should energize anyone who cares about civic engagement.
For the first time in Greenwich history, more registered Democrats voted in our town elections than Republicans. That milestone reflects real momentum: stronger outreach, broader interest in local issues, and a growing recognition that every election matters.
Compared to the last municipal election, Democratic turnout ticked up one point to 54.5% while Republican turnout fell by nine points to 53.5%. Overall town turnout, which includes unaffiliated voters, landed at 47%, better than the state’s 36%, but still a reminder that we have more work to do to bring every voice into the process.
Democrats knocked on thousands of doors
A major driver of this shift was unprecedented grassroots engagement. Candidates and volunteers knocked on thousands of doors across town, the largest field effort the Greenwich Democrats have ever undertaken. And it worked.
Nowhere was that clearer than in the Board of Estimate and Taxation (BET) race. The goal was simple: reverse the narrow GOP advantage from 2023 and secure a Democratic chairmanship on the powerful finance board. Our BET slate won by an astounding nine points, the strongest Democratic performance in the history of the race.
While Democrats nationwide saw hopeful signs, especially in states like New Jersey and Virginia, Greenwich stood out. Every one of our local candidates outperformed the national swing, underscoring what we’ve long known: local organization and local conversations move the needle.
Rachel Khanna came within a point of her Republican rival for Board of Selectmen and Meghan McCreary, candidate for Town Clerk, came closer to victory than any Democratic candidate in recent history.
Photo: Leslie Yager
This is a new Democratic baseline
For too long, municipal elections in Greenwich were shaped by low turnout and inertia. This year showed that old assumptions don’t always hold. But this isn’t a finish line, it’s a new baseline. With municipal turnout hovering around 50%, there is room for improvement, and a real opportunity to continue building a more engaged, informed, and inclusive civic culture.
Thank you to everyone who knocked on doors, cast a ballot, talked to neighbors, and strengthened our democracy this year. The work continues, and so does the momentum.
Greenwich needed a decision. BET Republicans abstained
For the past two years, the Republican BET majority used its 7–6 margin to push through a series of unpopular decisions. One of the clearest examples was the Hamilton Avenue School’s geothermal HVAC refurbishment.
Despite bipartisan support from the Board of Education, Greenwich Public Schools (GPS), the Representative Town Meeting (RTM), and recommendations from engineering experts the town hired, Republican BET members sought to scrap the geothermal system and replace it with a more expensive conventional gas alternative, leaving taxpayers to foot the bill.
The public rebuke was swift and decisive. When theRepublican BET attempted to force the installation of an undersized natural gas system, the RTM rejected the plan in a landslide, bipartisan vote, 180–17.
Yet the outgoing Republican BET saved its most telling moment for last. At their November 17 meeting, GPS requested a $5.3 million appropriation to finally begin the work. But when it came time to vote, every Republican on the BET—all six, including returning members Harry Fisher and Leslie Tarkington—abstained.
The result: passage of the item with a 5-0 vote and 6 abstentions.
Their silence on a $5.3 million spending decision while the town continues to waste nearly $20,000 each month on a noisy, temporary HVAC spoke volumes. But voters do not elect representatives to sit on their hands. Abstaining on a critical vote is not leadership. It is avoidance.
So now, Greenwich residents have spoken, electing a Democratic-led BET committed to forward-looking planning and responsible decision-making. Let’s move beyond this costly, divisive, and short-sighted approach toward a government that plans and votes.
WHAT WE’RE READING
Selectwoman sworn in
On being sworn in on Monday, Selectwoman Rachel Khanna writes, “as your Selectwoman, you can count on me to never shy away from a challenge, approach everything with an open mind, listen, and foster inclusion and belonging.” Read her letter here.
Take the resident survey
Share your thoughts on how well the town is doing in various areas from road maintenance to health services. The biennial survey is open to all Greenwich residents at GreenwichSurvey.com or via the town’s website. The survey is completely anonymous.
Action calendar
Gift.
Find a waste-free local gift for that special someone from this holiday gift guide curated by the Greenwich Sustainability Committee, Waste Free Greenwich and the Greenwich Conservation Commission.
December 5. Tree lighting.
Join Santa and friends for holiday treats, 4:15 p.m., Friday, December 5. Greenwich Town Hall, 101 Field Point Road. More info.
December 5. Tree lighting.
Community-wide pre-Chanukah celebration, 3:00–5:00 p.m., Sunday, December 7. Old Greenwich Fire Station
Early January. Caucus.
Plan to join fellow Democrats in your district for one evening in the first week of January (exact date TBD) for our biennial election of Democratic Town Committee members. Any Dem can self-nominate and/or vote. This is what Democracy looks like!
| Volume 4, Number 24 • December 4, 2025 |
| Paid for by the Greenwich Democratic Town Committee. |
| Greenwich Democratic Town Committee P.O. Box 126 Greenwich, CT 06836 |