By Elizabeth Barhydt
There are moments in the political life of a town when the outcome of an election feels larger than the sum of the votes. Greenwich had such a moment this week. The Republican primary for the Board of Estimate and Taxation—the BET, as locals know it—was not just a contest of candidates. It was, in many ways, a referendum on tone, on civility, and on the kind of community Greenwich wants to be.
The winners—Sally Bednar, Josh Brown, Harry Fisher, Joe Kelly, Joe Pellegrino, and Leslie Tarkington—are the slate endorsed by First Selectman Fred Camillo. Bednar, a certified public accountant with decades in Wall Street finance and an RTM representative, brings accounting and consulting expertise and a reputation for patriotism and fiscal stewardship. Josh Brown, like Bednar, is a newcomer to the BET with extensive experience on the RTM; offering a fresh perspective. Fisher, the BET chairman and lifelong Greenwich Republican with a Cornell economics degree, returns with seasoned leadership and experience stretching back to service on the RTM in the 1980s. Leslie Tarkington, over twenty years on the BET including leadership of its Budget Committee and a resume in senior corporate finance management (MBA, Darden School), rejoined the slate through the petition process. Joe Pellegrino, a former BET member and Budget Committee chair from a decade ago, stepped up to serve again. Joe Kelly, former Board of Education chair and Sentinel Award recipient with wide respect across town, also entered the BET race with a call for unity and goodwill.
A Test of Endurance
For longtime BET member Leslie Tarkington, the race was a challenge [to return to the BET]. She told me that when she arrived on primary night, waiting for the final numbers, she was nervous and uncertain. “Then I couldn’t believe that I had won and that every single member of our slate had won. I just think it’s such a positive referendum for the town.”
What struck her most was the outpouring of goodwill afterward. “I have never, ever had so many congratulatory emails and texts. They came from old friends, from new friends, from part-time residents, and they came from Democrats. Amazing.” Tarkington used a word she returned to often: affordable. “There are Republicans and Democrats that feel we need balance in the BET and keeping our taxes affordable. And affordable is the word that I use. Not low taxes—affordable. But civility, respect, and collaboration also, are really important.”
The Case for Civility
Joe Kelly, a relative newcomer to BET politics but well-known for his Board of Education and high-energy community work, echoed that theme. He wanted to use his thank-you message to voters to emphasize something simple but rare: kindness. “This is about remembering that those we’re competing against are our next-door neighbors and people who live up the block from us. They are usually volunteers. They have families, they live in our community, and should never be singled out or attacked in any way for wanting to serve.”
Kelly acknowledged he has thick skin. But he added, “I do have a wife and children who live in town, and they see these things in the paper. For them, for the kids at school, for the families— negative campaigning has a cost. The worse it gets, the fewer people will be willing to serve. We want more people to step forward and volunteer, not fewer.”
That sense—that volunteerism is Greenwich’s secret strength— runs deep here. It’s what makes the town both sophisticated and neighborly. “People who have achieved such great things in their lives are now offering to help to their town achieve great things,” Kelly said. “They shouldn’t be attacked, and their families shouldn’t have to go through that.”
A Relief, and a Warning
Harry Fisher, the BET chairman, was perhaps the biggest target of the campaign. His opponents threw “everything” at him—negative mailers, videos, even a photo that turned his face bright red. “They claimed it was a printer error,” he said.
Despite it all, Fisher won. “What a relief it is. Oh, it feels terrific,” he said the morning after.”
What Fisher sees in the result is a lesson. “This just proves that the electorate is interested in positive campaigns and that negative attacks do not play well with the voters.” He described the outcome as “a decisive victory” and one that “shows Greenwich is interested in bipartisanship and bringing people together.”
The View from the Top
First Selectman Fred Camillo’s endorsement of the slate was clear. “Fred’s endorsement, Fred and Lauren’s, was a key factor,” Fisher said. “There’s no question about it. A lot of people at the polls commented that ‘Fred’s my man.’” Camillo himself was characteristically gracious in victory. He thanked voters for “valuing civility, collaboration, and fiscal responsibility,” and praised “the respectful competition and service of all who put their names forward.”
It is classic Camillo: a call to unity without losing sight of the Republican roots that brought him to office.
The Numbers Behind the Story
For all the emotion of primary night, there are also numbers that matter. Registrar of Voters Fred DeCaro offered a clear-eyed account of turnout and mechanics. “We had the highest Republican primary turnout of any town our size in the state for the day—about 25%,” he said.
That’s remarkable. It means not only were Republicans engaged, but many unaffiliated voters also changed registration to take part. “The final few days, that picked up,” DeCaro said. “For basically the month of August we were getting an average of one a day. In September, that jumped to about 4 a day. And at that late date voters had to make the change in person, which means they were very determined. They definitely could have had an impact.”
A Referendum on Tone
What happened in Greenwich this week can be read a dozen ways. Some will say it was a show of strength by the First Selectman. Others will note it as a sign that fiscal conservatives still set the pace in town politics. But the words of those who won tell another story.
They speak less of policy than of tone. Less about tax rates than about listening. Tarkington: “We really need to listen to citizens more.” Kelly: “Positive campaigning in Greenwich works.” Fisher: “Negative attacks do not play well with the voters.”
What comes through is that Greenwich Republicans—and by extension, Greenwich voters—want politics that feels like the town itself. They want civility, balance, and affordability. They want people to debate, yes, but debate as neighbors, not enemies.
The Road Ahead
Tarkington reminds colleagues, “Today begins another four months of working together with this existing team.”
The existing team which will continue the work of the BET for the next four months includes three Republican members from the slate that was defeated in the primary; two Republican members that won in the primary and are up for re-election in November; a Republican member running as an Independent in November; and four of the current six Democrats, also looking ahead to the November election.
It will not be easy. As Tarkington admitted, “This term has been extremely stressful. The lobbies, the constituency groups, the interest groups—they are extremely strong. It has become difficult to hear what the vast majority of citizens are saying.” But she added, “It has been so touching to see the extent of the support coming from so many. That tells me people do not want dissension. They want balance.”
Balance. Civility. Affordability. These were the watchwords of the primary. Whether they can carry through November is the question.
Greenwich is a town that prides itself on excellence but cherishes its community life. It has wealth but also wisdom. The BET primary was, in its way, a small-town drama with big themes. It showed us that politics here can still be about something more than winning: it can be about how we choose to live together.
And in Greenwich, that still matters.
