By State Senator Ryan Fazio
Voting in your local elections is not always easy, from navigating a complex ballot to adjudicating serious public debates. Yet, your vote never counts more than in this Tuesday’s town election when we will determine the future of Greenwich. It is worth taking a step back to see past rhetoric and make this important decision for our community.
Greenwich ranks as one of the safest municipalities in Connecticut, according to the publication Safewise. When other cities in our state and region saw increasing unrest and violent crime after 2020, First Selectman Fred Camillo and our Republican-led town government supported our great Greenwich Police in doing their job and insulated the town from negative trends around us. Other politicians undermined law enforcement, while Camillo and local Republican leaders had their back and kept us safe.
Greenwich has wonderful, diverse, and livable neighborhoods. Unfortunately, the Democratic supermajority in the state Capitol has relentlessly worked to take away local control of zoning and significantly change our towns. But Fred Camillo and Republican town officials have always stood up to defend our town’s right to make its own decisions. While State Rep. Tina Courpas and I were fighting against anti-local control bills like HB5002 and advocating to change 8-30g, I cannot remember a single leader in the Greenwich Democratic Party stepping up to debate or testify in favor of local control. Greenwich Democrats even support “Work Live Ride,” anti-local control legislation that could result in 10-units per lot around bus or train stations.
On the other hand, Fred Camillo, Republican BET members, and other local Republican officials testify every single year before the state legislature and often end up taking intense criticism from politicians in Hartford. Yet, their work to improve housing affordability with local buy-in has made it easier on Tina Courpas and me as we fight for local control in the state Capitol. They are protecting our neighborhoods.
Greenwich has excellent public schools, which I say as a proud product of Parkway, Western Middle, and Greenwich High Schools. The publication Niche ranked Greenwich schools 5th-best in the entire state, so you don’t have to take my word for it. Republican officials on the BOE and BET have prioritized classroom learning and academics. Greenwich teachers earn the highest median salary of any school district in Connecticut. We boast higher academic standards than most and provide a great education to a large and diverse student body townwide. These are the outcomes. These are the facts— beyond the rhetoric. There are always difficult decisions and tradeoffs, but our local leaders have supported and continue to support our schools.
Greenwich has a strong town economy and the lowest mill rate of any major municipality in the state. As I travel the state on my campaign for governor, I am met almost everywhere by seniors who are getting crushed under the weight of sky-high property taxes and families suffering under a stagnant state economy. A woman in eastern Connecticut came up to me holding back tears at a recent event because she cannot afford her property taxes and thinks she may have to leave the state she grew up in. Even affluent towns like West Hartford, which hasn’t had a Republican mayor in my lifetime, boast mill rates of 45 compared to our rate of 12. We should not take our low mill rate and strong local economy in Greenwich for granted. It’s because of fiscally responsible leadership from local Republican leaders like Fred Camillo, Selectwoman Lauren Rabin, the Republican BET, and others who have made it that way.
When I open my inbox and mailbox, I am disappointed to see the barrage of negativity from the Democratic Town Committee (DTC) and their local campaigns. Criticism of policy is necessary and always valid, but the attacks have become cynical and personal in recent years. I count at least seven highly negative mass emails from the local DTC since just September. They are constantly denigrating Fred Camillo, Republican BET and BOE members and others in personal ways. However, the attacks rarely stand up under scrutiny. Remember when the DTC accused Fred Camillo of wasting time and money for his legal disagreement with Democrats on the Board of Education who rushed to fill an open seat without bipartisan approval? Well, the FOIA commission of the state government—anything but a Republican bastion— completely vindicated Fred and the town against the Democrats on the BOE, who were ruled to have broken the law to appoint a new BOE member and gain political control.
I don’t remember the town’s politics being this way growing up. I suppose it is difficult for the DTC to run against Greenwich Republicans who boast such a proud record of results, but their rhetoric should not be rewarded.
I love our town to my bones. Greenwich is a wonderful, diverse, interesting, and big-hearted community. Representing it in the Senate is the honor of my lifetime. I write this letter to take perspective on how lucky we are to live here and how important it is to keep it a wonderful place for the future. First Selectman Fred Camillo, Selectwoman Lauren Rabin, Town Clerk Jackie Budkins, Tax Collector Heather Smeriglio, and Republican candidates for BET have and will continue to make our town safe, prosperous, and strong. I wholeheartedly encourage you to vote Row B locally on Tuesday, November 4th.
State Senator Ryan Fazio represents Greenwich in the state Senate and is a candidate for Governor of Connecticut
