Letter: My Vision for Greenwich

lettertotheeditor

To the Editor,

Greenwich is a wonderful place to live.  My family and I, like many of you, chose Greenwich because our Town offers so much – excellent schools, a beautiful shoreline, open recreational spaces, low taxes and a wonderful, diverse community. 

My vision for our Town’s future is clear.  I want to see a Greenwich with: modern school buildings to go along with our excellent teachers and education programs; enough playable fields for all residents to complement our beautiful beaches and parks; vibrant shopping and commercial districts across Town; well-maintained public infrastructure; safe, convenient bicycle and pedestrian paths; less traffic congestion; and high-quality services for all ages. 

These are goals we can and should achieve, and to get there, Greenwich needs a new kind of leadership.  We need to revisit the status quo approach to government, and elect smart, effective leaders who will not only introduce new ideas but also have the experience to implement them.  We need innovative solutions to the challenges we have been facing for some time.  This is the kind of knowledge and experience I bring to the table.

I will start with a focus on three areas – what I call the Three E’s –Education, Environment and the Economy.  These areas are critical to the future of Greenwich and I will address each one of them with a clear and achievable plan. Specifically, I will: (1) prioritize investments in our education system and our children’s well-being; (2) adopt an environmental mission statement that identifies and puts into motion easy-to-implement actions to conserve energy and protect our natural resources; and (3) establish a business retention and economic development program to support our existing local business and attract new ones.  We can and should improve Greenwich infrastructure to better serve our community, which goes hand-in-hand with attracting new residents and businesses.  These goals are achievable while preserving our historically low property tax rate, which I know is very important to Greenwich residents.  I strongly support keeping Greenwich’s property tax rates low and as Chair of the Greenwich Board of Estimate and Taxation I made sure that the Town’s property tax rates remained stable.

With more than twenty years of experience in law and government, including 10 years in Greenwich Town government, I am ready to provide the leadership we need.  I will succeed, as I have throughout my career, by working collaboratively with people across the spectrum of this Town who have the same love for Greenwich – and the same desire to maintain and build upon the Town’s quality of life – as I do.

I love Greenwich and I care deeply about its future, which is why I am running for First Selectman.  I hope, as we go through this election season, we will get to know one another and I can share my vision with you.

Jill Oberlander

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