Fisher and Tarkington hold Greenwich back
Most residents don’t have time to sit through budget hearings or track every debate inside Town Hall. But when you look closely at the record of the Republicans running for re-election to the Board of Estimate and Taxation (BET)—Chair Harry Fisher and Leslie Tarkington—the emerging picture is alarming. Their votes reveal a bloc out of touch with residents, in lockstep with a national “defund” agenda, anti-science propaganda and dogmatic decision-making that is driving up costs for the town.
A record of defunding and delaying
Just in the last two years, these two repeatedly opposed or delayed funding for public schools, public safety, infrastructure, and protection from flooding:
- Schools: They refused to fund rebuilding a condemned Central Middle School, cut $4 million from the school budget, and delayed funding Old Greenwich School, driving costs up by at least $1.5 million.
- Traffic and Pedestrian Safety: They slashed sidewalk and road safety projects, including federally mandated ADA upgrades on Greenwich Avenue, and rejected a $400,000 federal “Safe Streets for All” grant.
- Public Safety: They voted against replacing ancient fire engines, cut funding for a police mobile command post, and deferred repairs to patron-trapping 80-year old `library elevators.
- Flood Protection: They cut funds to safeguard the wastewater treatment plant and rejected engineering plans to protect neighborhoods in Cos Cob, Riverside, Old Greenwich, and near Greenwich Hospital from flooding, with chair Harry Fisher questioning official predictions of sea level rise.
- Everyday needs: They redlined or delayed modest projects—sidewalks, pedestrian signals, road repaving—that would have benefited drivers, cyclists, children, and people with disabilities.
How did an evenly split BET make such partisan decisions? Because BET Republicans gained more votes in the last local election, Fisher’s chairmanship gave him the power to break ties. He used that tie-breaker a stunning 25 times this year, ramming through budgets that reflected partisan ideology, not community priorities.
Harry Fisher: Greenwich’s one-man veto
Fisher shrugs off state grants as pointless—and his social media shows exactly where his priorities lie. He pushes Trump’s “Big Lie,” calls January 6 a harmless tour, denies climate change, and spreads racist jokes. That extremism shows up in his votes: fighting a student-led climate declaration, trying to stop a geothermal system for Hamilton Avenue School, cutting funding for flood protection, and refusing funds for electric leaf blowers required by town law.
Leslie Tarkington: the budget chair who looks backward
For 15 years, Tarkington has held the purse strings as budget chair of the BET. But she ignored a decade of historically low interest rates that could have funded long-overdue infrastructure at a fraction of today’s cost. Instead, her legacy is defined by deferrals and nickel-and-diming. She has:
- Opposed ADA accessible ramps and parking on Greenwich Avenue, citing inconvenience for shoppers in high heels.
- Refused to fund the fire chief’s requests for new fire engines, in one instance leaving Greenwich without any operable ladder truck.
- Nixed repairs to circa 1940s library elevators, despite reports of frequent lurching and entrapments.
- Mused about shuttering or redistricting public schools.
Yet she pushed for $1.5 million for flood mitigation on a brook near her own home—a project engineers said would cost at least $30 million over a decade and provide “little to no” relief. She rejected far cheaper, higher-impact fixes for the rest of the town. The RTM cut her pet project after calling out the misplaced priorities.
The stakes for Greenwich
Taken together, the BET Republicans demonstrate a pattern of denial, delay, and defunding that leaves Greenwich more vulnerable and more expensive. They’ve turned budget season into trench warfare, with residents caught in the crossfire.
This November, Greenwich doesn’t need more obstruction. It needs leadership. Democratic candidates bring professional expertise, rely on facts, and actually listen to residents. They understand that smart investment protects both our quality of life and our wallets. Be sure to vote for all six BET Democrats on Row A this November.
Camillo and BET Republicans create bus crisis at Western Middle School
When Republicans on the Board of Estimate and Taxation (BET) cut $4 million from the public school budget this spring, they gave little thought to the consequences. One result: over 50 school buses now jammed into Western Middle School, entering and exiting through narrow residential streets, and crowding students out of recess space.
The cuts forced the Board of Education to drop its longtime contract with First Student—the only bus company that provided its own parking in Stamford. Without that option, the district was left scrambling for a place to put buses after drop-off.
At a recent Board of Education (BOE) meeting, frustrated parents voiced concerns about the disruption. BOE member Kathleen Stowe reminded them, “It’s important to remember, we were forced into this situation…. We’re in this situation because of the budget cuts.”
Meanwhile, First Selectman Fred Camillo has not lifted a finger to resolve the situation by allowing the use of town properties—such as the Eastern Greenwich Civic Center, Holly Hill, the skating rink, or Roger Sherman Baldwin Park—as alternatives for parking. That failure of leadership now comes with a price tag: leasing a private commercial lot to move the buses out of Western could cost taxpayers $500,000 a year.
This is a failure of planning and leadership. It’s the direct result of decisions by the First Selectman and the Republican-controlled BET—leaving families, students, and taxpayers to pay the price.
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What we’re reading
This week brings lots of opportunities to hear from and about the Democratic candidates. First Selectman candidate Anthony Moor explains how Greenwich can finance overlapping capital projects better. Selectwoman candidate Rachel Khanna writes about why she is running. From our BET candidates there is Matt DesChamps’ interview on Trevor and Friends, Stephen Selbst’s editorial and Elliot Alchek’s editorial. Don’t miss the letters supporting our Board of Education candidates Veronica Chiavaroli and Bob Chaney.
Action calendar
October 12. Volunteer.
Join us at campaign headquarters to help our fantastic candidates knock doors and speak with voters. Rain on its way? No worries – if weather is bad we will pivot to phone calls and postcards. 9 Greenwich Office Park – 3rd Floor. 12:00 p.m.
October 15. Meet.
Come to our monthly DTC meeting, open to all Democrats in town. Cone Room at Greenwich Town Hall, 101 Field Point Road, 2nd floor, 7:30 p.m.
October 18. Rally.
Join the No Kings national day of protest. Meet in front of the Havemeyer Building, 290 Greenwich Avenue, 1:20-2:30 p.m.RSVP here.
| Volume 4, Number 17 • October 9, 2025 |
| Paid for by the Greenwich Democratic Town Committee. |
| Greenwich Democratic Town Committee P.O. Box 126 Greenwich, CT 06836 |