By Edward Dadakis
Do you want Hartford Democrats and their bureaucrats to control Greenwich zoning regulations allowing high density buildings in your residential neighborhood with not a say from any local officials?
Are you upset that you aren’t paying enough taxes and want Hartford Democrats to impose a mansion tax which will ultimately double your property taxes if you own a mansion? By the way, Democrats define a mansion as any dwelling valued over $430,000. Yes, your studio condominium is actually a mansion in looney Democrat world.
Do you want your school system regionalized by Hartford Democrats who will share your funding with other communities then dictate a left wing curriculum?
If you answered no to any of these questions then you want to make absolutely certain to vote in the August 17th state Senate special election and that you vote for Ryan Fazio.
Fazio, a lifelong Greenwich resident and lifelong Republican, loves this town and the people of our district. He has a long track record of speaking out against the looney policies of Hartford Democrats which overtaxed residents, forcing many to flee the state and plunging Connecticut to the edge of the fiscal abyss. He’s developed strategies to start reversing the damage the Democrats have done which he will implement when elected to the Senate.
Fazio is a strong believer in local control especially for zoning and education including curriculum development. Fazio respects that residents of Greenwich know their town best and know what will work and not work.
Here’s something you probably don’t know about Fazio. Last year as COVID raged our state government failed to have sufficient PPE available. Fazio and some friends located PPE, loaded up their pickup delivering it to facilities in desperate need around Greenwich, Stamford, New Canaan and the rest of the state. Fazio didn’t do this once. He did it over and over again.
Fazio is running against two, yes, count them two, Democrats. They are both liberal Democrats who will follow the policies of new Haven’s liberal Senator and Connecticut Senate Leader Martin Looney.
One is John Blankley who has run for competitive office repeatedly yet always failed to win. At the MVP-Greenwich Sentinel debate, Blankley declared “there is no possibility of reducing taxes in our state.” Shocking because 47 other states have lower taxes. That comment squares with the Blankley I know from local government who always supported excessive spending and, in fact, bragged about that very thing at the debate. We know Blankley will keep spending wildly if he goes to Hartford.
Blankley was the loser in the Democrat smoke filled room sweepstakes as party insiders tried to force him from the race. Blankley was having none of those shenanigans and got the needed signatures to be on the ballot anyway.
In their smoke filled room Democrats shut down all competition anointing Alexis Gevanter. She’s only lived in Greenwich for three years and has no understanding of our community. For many years San Francisco was her home where she saw the left wing, liberal policies, that she no doubt supports, ruin that once magnificent city. She, like so many liberals, fled the ruins of her progressive dream and now wants to do to Greenwich what was done to San Francisco.
A one issue candidate, Gevanter has focused all her efforts on tighter gun laws. Connecticut already has some of the nation’s strictest gun laws, many passed on a bi-partisan basis.
Gevanter has no track record on any other issue, after all she hasn’t lived here long and doesn’t know the community. Her knowledge deficit was on full display at the MVP-Greenwich Sentinel debate where she only could speak in broad generalities. When chided for specifics she simply had none. Without a track record she’s trying to fool the electorate and claims to be fiscally responsible and against increased taxes and tolls. Malarkey!
She supports regionalization with TCI, a regional climate change plan that all but one other state has dropped because its so radical. Its funded by increasing the gas tax on you.
The truth is she will be a rubber-stamp for the left-wing Democrat Hartford cabal led by Senator Looney. Its that cabal that will strip your local zoning authority, impose a mansion tax and regionalize school funding and curriculum.
She proudly touts campaigning with Hartford Mayor Bronin. He and his wife are the leading advocates to strip local zoning from Greenwich. So with Bronin at her side, Gevanter will likely support some regionalizing of local zoning despite protestations to the contrary.
When New Haven Mayor Jason Ellicker declared Greenwich a community that practices “racist zoning policies” last spring, neither Bronin nor Gevanter condemned his words and defended our town.
So electing Ryan Fazio is important. If elected he will be the 13th Republican Senator and be able to stop Democrats from overriding gubernatorial vetoes. It’s hard to believe, but a Democrat governor and Republican Ryan Fazio will be the firewall against the craziest of the progressive agenda.
The election is Tuesday August 17th. If you aren’t able to vote in person you can vote any business day in the Town Clerks office on the first floor of Town Hall. Don’t miss this opportunity.
Join me and our fellow residents by voting on August 17th (or any day at Town Hall) as if the future of Connecticut depends on it—-because it does. Vote for Ryan Fazio.
Edward Dadakis, a life long Greenwich resident, has served in Greenwich Town government for more than 40 years. Follow him on Twitter at Eddie on Watch @EdDadakis
