Submitted by John Cooper, Greenwich, Oct 18, 2023
To The Editor:
This evening’s BET debate evidenced a few important truths about the candidate groups.
The Democrats are head and shoulders more experienced and knowledgeable about finance from start to finish.
The Republicans featured speakers who read their answers to the questions asked of them. This would indicate they prepared statements to get across a POV versus answering the questions.
In the Selectman’s debate last week, Fred Camillo once again trotted out the “Holy Grail” of Greenwich Republican politics, the mill rate. He is so proud that we are second in the entire state, only a few decimals behind Salisbury a town of 3,000 residents in the north-west corner of the state.
A low mill rate is worth trying to maintain if and only if the residents of the town are being well served by it. To ignore the needs of our seniors and lower income residents to maintain a low mill rate is the cart before the horse.
Perhaps if we set a mill rate of 12.0 next year, we could solve many of the long-term capital issues we have, and maybe make many of our public buildings ADA compliant, including Town Hall.
The RTC recently noted with pride their 100 years of governing the town. Sadly, the last 30 years have proven them unable to handle the changing fiscal environment. They see this as a battle, not something that can be solved together. One Republican even refused to call her fellow Democratic BET members colleagues, each time referring to “our opponents”. It’s time to send her and the rest of her combatants to the back bench!
Please get out and vote Democratic, the change it will herald will be beneficial to everyone.
John Cooper
Greenwich, CT