Submitted by Laura Erickson, Democratic candidate for First Selectperson
As part of my campaign preparation, I read the oral history of Ruth Sims, a Democrat, and the first woman elected First Selectman in 1977.
The interviewer asks Ruth Sims if she prefers to be called First Selectwoman or First Selectperson. Sims replies, “Well, the Charter calls it the office of the First Selectman so that’s what I used.”
It’s 2023 and there has been a total of three women elected to this office. Ruth Sims served two terms and was succeeded by Rebecca Breed, a Republican, who served one term.* In 2001, Lolly Prince, also a Republican, was elected and served one term.
I’m on the ballot as First Selectman because that’s what the Town Charter still says. Ruth Sims won as a Democrat in 1977 when the town’s voter affiliation was overwhelming Republican per her New York Times obituary.
Today the voters have shifted: 39% are Unaffiliated, 30% are Democrats, 29% are Republican and 2% are other. Republicans should not be handed this election. Voters need to educate themselves and vote for leadership that represents the values of the community up and down the ballot, including the RTM.
Campaigning is hard, but immensely rewarding. Residents have a lot on their minds and there are many concerns. Republicans have been in control of the Town of Greenwich for the last century, with only a couple of exceptions and they are not delivering in this administration.
There’s been a complete breakdown in the local Republican party town committee which is domineered by extremists and candidates spreading misinformation. I’ve been in town government for over twenty years, and am currently serving in my 4th year on the Board of Estimate and Taxation. I am seeing first hand a lot of issues that aren’t being addressed proactively or in a fiscally responsible manner. It’s time to be forward thinking and to plan for our future. Greenwich needs a reset.
Ruth Sims was a remarkable woman. Recently, I attended a campaign gathering and chatted with a woman who knew Ruth personally. She remarked that Ruth was a deep thinker and a woman of action. I surely got a sense of that from reading the oral history, and also the oral history of Peter Bloch, which detailed the close election of 1977, the recounts that resulted in an ultimate declaration of a tie and the special election held on December 29th which Ruth Sims won handily. It’s a gripping story.
Ruth was the first full time First Selectman and she oversaw the move to the current Town Hall. She implemented a 5 year capital plan. She got Governor Ella Grasso down for a visit to see firsthand the pollution emanating from the Cos Cob power plant which was later closed down. She oversaw the Commission on Aging’s plan to convert the Town Hall Annex to elderly housing and repurpose the old Town Hall into a Senior Center and Arts Center. She addressed affirmative action in the town’s work force. She created the fire training center and our own police shooting range so our first responders didn’t have to travel out of town. Some of the issues she faced are ones we are still talking about almost 50 years later such as increasing rents, over-development, congestion, parking and open space.
I am asking for your vote because I believe I am the most qualified candidate for the position, not because I’m a woman. It’s time to fix our schools, fund public safety measures and focus on the real concerns that residents care about.
Vote Row A on November 7th for a better Greenwich. It’s been 46 years, and it’s time for a change.
Laura Erickson
*Rebecca Breed also served a second term as Selectman.