It’s about the process
Residents who want to bring a concern or request before the Board of Selectmen (BOS) should expect a clear, accessible process. That’s not what we have today.
Until recently, BOS meetings included public comment opportunities for people in the room. But, after a recent change instituted by First Selectman Fred Camillo, that flexibility is gone. At a December meeting, Selectwoman Rachel Khanna asked for clarification about how members of the public get on the agenda. The answer from Camillo, Executive Assistant Ken Borsuk, and Town Attorney Barbara Schellenberg made one thing clear: the process is confusing and opaque.
Residents must hunt through layers of the town website to find a meeting-specific contact form or bypass the system entirely by calling Camillo, or Selectwomen Rabin or Khanna directly. Either way, now the decision about whether someone can speak falls to the First Selectman.
“Our primary goal as a Board of Selectmen should be transparency and fairness, ensuring that all residents’ voices are heard,” notes Khanna. “We need to make it easier—not harder—for people to participate in government. We don’t need to agree, but we do need to listen.” While the BOS isn’t legally required to allow public comment during their regular meetings, legality is not the same as good governance. Access to elected officials should not depend on insider knowledge, persistence, or having the right phone number. When the process is unclear and cumbersome, people get shut out.
Ice rink shows why process and transparency matter
The redevelopment of Greenwich’s ice rink is a case study in what happens when process is ignored and what’s possible when it’s restored.
After the First Selectman pushed his preferred plan and created a committee without meaningful neighborhood input, the project stalled. Key stakeholders, including the Byram Neighborhood Association, had been sidelined. There was no independent cost analysis, limited evaluation of environmental impacts, and little transparency. Unsurprisingly, the town legislature, the RTM, rejected the proposal last year.
After that failure, a new 9-member task force was created, chaired by Matt DesChamps, a Democratic member of the Board of Estimate and Taxation. The difference wasn’t ideology—it was method.
Since March 2025, the rink task force, which includes members who represent key constituencies, met almost weekly. It welcomed public comment, evaluated sites systematically, studied environmental impacts, and developed professional cost estimates. The result, a recommended “modified flip” plan in Byram is now something that can actually withstand scrutiny from the Planning & Zoning Commission and the RTM. It has clear scope, credible costs, and transparent tradeoffs.
A pattern we shouldn’t ignore
The rink isn’t an outlier. We see the same process issues across Town Hall:
● A backwards approach to the Havemeyer Building
● Budgets that unfold largely out of public view
● Ongoing road-safety problems because Greenwich lacks a holistic approach from a traffic engineer superintendent
● A Glenville dog park opposed by neighbors
Greenwich deserves better than governance by workaround. Clear procedures, professional management, and genuine public engagement aren’t bureaucratic extras—they’re how a town avoids costly mistakes and builds real consensus. The question isn’t just whether residents have the legal right to be heard. It’s whether their town government is truly organized to listen.
The rooms where it happens
Last week, Democrats across Greenwich gathered for an important civic event—our biennial district caucuses to endorse the 100 members of the Greenwich Democratic Town Committee (DTC). These neighbors will shape local Party success for the next two years by influencing candidate recruitment, messaging, organizing, and will carry us through the critical 2027 town elections.
At a time when national politics can feel overwhelming, these caucuses are a reminder of where democracy lives: in school cafeterias, town hall meeting rooms, and 30-minute conversations between neighbors who reside just a few blocks apart. As Lucy von Brachel, veteran DTC member noted, “Caucuses are a time to reconnect with people who have diverse backgrounds and experience, but are united in shared values and sense of purpose.”
Across town, we saw a healthy mix of experienced leaders and newer faces stepping up. “I remember attending my first caucus in 2024 and feeling intimidated walking into the room,” recalled Meghan McCreary. “Now from the other side, I can see how excited everyone is to welcome new faces and new ideas.” In one district, half the slate was under age 42—proof that a new generation is investing in local governance. Notably, the District 1 caucus featured a charming (non-voting) toddler, a perfect symbol of why we make time for civic engagement.
Building our future
From Byram to Old Greenwich, members spoke about why they show up, everything from protecting the social safety net, to winning back state legislative seats, and building on the recent Democratic Board of Estimate and Taxation success.
What united every caucus room was a shared belief that engaging locally is the place to start. “I want to be an active contributor to all the great momentum of this DTC,” new member Lynn Markley affirmed. “I’m ready to work hard for this great team.”
Thank you to everyone who showed up, raised a hand, and took a seat at the caucuses. Are you ready to get involved? Come to our January 21st meeting. The future of Greenwich and of our democracy starts right here.
What we’re reading
In the wake of last week’s killing of 37-year-old U.S. citizen Renee Good by an ICE agent in Minneapolis—a shooting that has sparked nationwide protests and calls for accountability—Connecticut leaders have spoken out.
Governor Ned Lamont condemned the violence, saying in the past year ICE activity has “terrorized” communities and we’ve seen situations that disregarded “the basic values of our constitution.” Greenwich Selectwoman Rachel Khanna called the shooting avoidable and criticized the rush to blame the victim, stressing that all Americans deserve to feel safe in their neighborhoods. Listen to her full statement here.
Action Calendar
January 21. Meet.
Come to our monthly DTC meeting, open to all Democrats in town. Our special guest speaker will be Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas. In the Cone Room at Greenwich Town Hall, 101 Field Point Road, 2nd floor, 7:30 p.m.
January 22. Learn.
Annual Coretta Scott and Martin Luther King, Jr. Conversation: Third Spaces: Building Belonging Beyond Home and Work. A comprehensive discussion with sociologist Eric Klinenberg. YWCA Greenwich, 259 East Putnam Avenue. 7 – 8:30 p.m. Register here.
January 27. Engage.
Proposed town and school budget presentations from the First Selectman and Board of Education. 6:00 p.m. in the Town Hall Meeting Room (101 Field Point Road) and streamed on Greenwich Community TV (YouTube and cable). Have your say on what’s important to you during the Public Hearing which starts at 7:00 p.m.
| Volume 4, Number 29 • January 15, 2026 |
| Paid for by the Greenwich Democratic Town Committee. |
| Greenwich Democratic Town Committee P.O. Box 126 Greenwich, CT 06836 |