Election Day is this coming Tuesday, November 7th and we encourage everyone who is eligible to vote to do so. Who is eligible to vote? Everyone who lives in town, over the age of eighteen who has registered to vote can and should. In fact, it is your civic responsibility to vote in every election.
The question this year is who to vote for? We have watched the various local campaigns closely since the summer. At times, we have been impressed and at other times appalled. Throughout it all, we stand by our belief that negative campaigning has no place in Greenwich and we have encouraged candidates to run on their record.
In this day of ever deafening partisanship at the national level it may seem like that is a good yard-stick by which to measure our local candidates. It is not. We must evaluate our candidates on who will do the best job for Greenwich. Civility is important. An ability to unify and find consensus is important. Enabling public/private partnerships is important. Properly managing an efficient government that is fiscally sound is vital. Who has a record that we can look to and say “yes” we want that type of leadership in our town government?
When we endorse candidates for public office, we endorse those who most closely share the values of this paper. We look for candidates who will work hard for the betterment of our community. We look for candidates who will strive to lift Greenwich up as a community, not find our differences and use them to separate us. Most important, we look for candidates who believe in civility and civil discourse and not politics of destruction and obstruction.
For the Board of Selectmen we whole heartedly endorse, our current Board. While you can only vote for two of the four running we hope that Greenwich will return Peter Tesei, John Toner and Drew Marzullo to their current positions. Collectively they offer balanced and steady leadership, exactly what is needed at a time when our state is having such difficulty getting its financial house in order.
Mr. Tesei’s approach to leading our town has been one of compromise and solution. Since before his days on the Board of Estimate and Taxation, Mr. Tesei has been mindful of the town’s resources and how they are spent. He looks to build consensus out of opposing views to find solutions, understanding that while we approach things differently, we generally have the same end goals.
Mr. Tesei’s experience on the BET prior to becoming First Selectman gave him a solid foundation from which to ensure tax increases are kept at a minimum while at the same time requiring that the quality of town services improves and that infrastructure needs are met in a steady, predictable way.
By contrast, Mr. Tesei’s opponent, Mr. Sandy Litvack, since moving to town in July 2006, has only voted in one municipal election. We question his commitment to the Greenwich community when he has been unwilling to vote for the very seat he seeks. We have difficulty understanding why he would not choose to get involved as a volunteer on the RTM or the BET to gain valuable experience prior to running. We also have concerns about the tone and accuracy of his campaign, which have been divisive and at times incendiary.
The best team to lead Greenwich for the next two years is the team that we have currently. In this time of fiscal uncertainty concerning our state’s finances, we need to ensure that Greenwich continues to run smoothly and efficiently. That begins with our current Board of Selectmen being returned for another two years.
