Submitted by Jay Teevan, RTM candidate for re-election, District 2
The first time I ran for the RTM – in 2021 – I was running to participate; to bring my professional financial experience to bear on town government; to be part of the town’s fabric. Today, in the municipal election on November 7, 2023, I’m running in District 2 because I feel strongly about the need for a truly representative Town Meeting.
Some people have told me they don’t understand the need to participate in local elections, but local elections impact our schools, our infrastructure, our societal well-being and our financial stability. In Greenwich, we can choose to accept short term solutions for long term problems or we can plan strategically – and for the long term, with fiscal competence. I choose the latter, and that’s why I’m running.
After two years in the RTM serving as member and co-secretary to the Legislative and Rules committee (“the L&R”), I’ve debated many of the most sensitive resolutions that have come before the body during that time. Unlike many of my colleagues on the L&R, I am not a lawyer, but I embrace the rationality and structure that the law provides. The L&R votes on almost every item before the RTM on both its legal order and its merits; it is the committee that ensures that items that pass through the RTM comply with the Town Charter, State and Federal laws. It has been a particularly rewarding experience as it is inextricably tied to preserving our remarkable democracy. I am very proud to be on this committee – that’s why I’m running.
The RTM is 230 individuals who collectively represent the best interests of our neighbors – for that responsibility, we need individuals who listen, who learn, who reflect and who advocate for the wishes of their districts. Greenwich is not a town that has embraced extremism in the past and we need your votes to ensure that we firmly shut the door to it in the upcoming election. That’s why I’m running.
Our Town Meeting Representatives need to care about every issue; we owe that to our constituents. That’s why I’m running.
I am convinced that it is essential to elect reasonable, hardworking and thoughtful individuals in these difficult times, and we need serious people to represent us – representatives who resist extremism, care for our schools and demonstrate fiscal competence. Thank you for voting on November 7.
Jay Teevan
RTM Member, District 2
Legislative & Rules (Co-Secretary), Town Services (Alt.)