By Bill Slocum
Contributing Editor
The Democratic Town Committee last week elected Jeffrey Ramer its chair in a close but amicable contest dominated by expressions of gratitude for departing chair Frank Farricker.
Ramer, a senior member of the Board of Estimate and Taxation, defeated Howard Richman, last year’s challenger for the position of tax collector, in a 37-28 vote.
In brief remarks before the votes were tallied, Ramer described himself as a “high-energy person” who would work to bring Greenwich Democrats together for better results in future elections.
“We are going to move forward with unity,” he said. “I want lines to disappear. I want us to move forward as one team, shoulder-to-shoulder.”
Unity was a big theme that evening, reflecting the internal friction that has harrowed Greenwich Democrats in recent years. There was little evidence of that division last week aside from frequent jokes about Farricker’s sometimes-prickly relationships with DTC members. This seemed to amuse everyone present, not least of all Farricker himself.
DTC member Lin Lavery, a running mate of Farricker’s in the 2007 Board of Selectman race, called a halt to the proceedings to read expressions of gratitude from U.S. Senator Chris Murphy and U.S. House member Jim Himes, the latter himself once a Greenwich DTC chair.
“Frank leaves the Greenwich Democrats far more numerous, engaged, and active than ever before,” Himes’s statement read in part.
Farricker was also presented with a bottle of champagne, a cake, and a Donald Trump bobblehead doll before his time as chair officially came to an end. In a final speech to the DTC, Farricker urged the party cast a skeptical eye on the supposed virtues of “centrism.”
“You cannot be entrusted to govern unless you have a philosophy,” he said. “Being a Democrat is far, far, far more preferable, not just for you, but for the town, the community, the state, and the country as a whole. You know that, or you wouldn’t be here.”
Farricker also spoke of promising developments for Greenwich Democrats, including an incremental rise in local party registration and national trends that favor progressive views. “There is no futility in being proud stalwarts of this party, no matter what the vote totals are,” he said.
Greenwich Democrats have seen victories on the state and national level, but those have not translated into local-election wins in some time. Farricker, pressed into service last year as the party’s candidate for first selectman, lost to incumbent Peter Tesei by a 49-percent margin, one of the biggest landslides in town history.
In his remarks before the vote, Howard Richman spoke of candidate searches being a core component for any party chair, and said as chair he would create a “permanent candidate search committee” to identify and prepare those who could position themselves for election.
Richman has been a party nominee in the past, most recently last year for tax collector. In that race, he argued for making the position appointed rather than elected, which has become a mantra among Democrats.
At the DTC meeting, it was noted that the Board of Estimate and Taxation (including Ramer) had voted to reduce the salary of the tax collector position by $50,000. This was described at the meeting as a measure of vindication for Richman’s campaign.
