Letter: Why I am Running

lettertotheeditor

To the Editor,

For the past 11 years, I have been honored to represent the district I grew up in at the State Capitol in Hartford. I love my job as a state representative, but I love my hometown more. That is why I am coming home to run for first selectman.

Greenwich has been the best-run municipality in Connecticut for close to 90 years. Is it perfect? No. No town is, but that is why I am running. We, as a town, must take all that is good about our wonderful town and strive to make it even better. To that end, as your first selectman, within the first 30 days of taking office, I will work to change the way we fund projects through use of public-private partnerships and, in doing so, will form a business advisory council that will report to the Board of Selectman with a blueprint and list of town assets. This council, which will be made public in the coming weeks, will consist of respected business women and men in our community.

I will look at all town owned assets to ensure their best usage. If a property is underutilized, dormant or improperly used, that asset will be addressed, updated, and in some cases, repurposed. As an athlete and outdoorsman, I will seek new and improved ways for people to travel, exercise, and enjoy our beautiful location and landscape.

I will also form a community enhancement and sustainability committee that will be tasked with identifying areas that need to be spruced up and, again in some cases, repurposed. The committee, which would report back to the BOS monthly, will also work with the BOS on energy savings initiatives, some large and some small, yet all worthwhile and forward thinking.

Public safety, an issue I dedicated much of my time to in Hartford, will remain a top priority. A major part of that focus will be public building security and personnel training, as well as continuing my work on domestic violence prevention.

Athletic facilities, many of which I have been involved with in various capacities over the past five decades, will be another area that will get laser like focus. Having played, coached, and umpired on our fields, I know we can AND must do better. Many individuals and organizations stand ready to help the town, our wonderful Parks & Recreation Department, and schools. We need to encourage and embrace them all.

Many people have availed themselves of my weekly e-blasts from the Capitol. Updates on important issues, projects, and initiatives have been combined with notices of events and happenings around town. As first selectman, I would continue this practice with a weekly email to Greenwich residents.

Finally, as first selectman, I will oversee monthly utility coordination meetings between town department heads and liaisons of all major utility companies servicing our town. Knowing what each is doing in advance of projects and initiatives will allow for better public knowledge and lead to possible opportunities to bury cables and lines underground, which is only practical when there is consistent communication and proper notice of projects.

As the late Vince Lombardi once said, “We will chase perfection, and we will chase it relentlessly, knowing all the while we can never attain it. But along the way, we shall catch excellence.” That is my philosophy of governing, too. We must not settle for the path least traveled, nor just being good.

With a healthy respect for our past, and a bright, bold vision for our future, I look forward to making the case to the voters of my hometown.

Fred Camillo

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