Submited by Joan Thakor, Liz Perry, Marina Levine, Svetlana Wasserman, Melissa Bruno Evans, Dana Gordon, Mary Ellen Markowitz, Lorelei O’Hagan Strange, Lucy Krasnor
Dear Editor:
Voters already took a pass on Republican State Senate Candidate Ryan Fazio in the last election cycle and they would be wise to do the same on August 17th.
Here’s why: Mr. Fazio claims in a mailing that now he wants to “make education a priority” but it should be noted that when he had the chance to express his support for the Greenwich Public Schools budget, he chose not to.
On June 8, 2020, he voted down a Sense of the Meeting Resolution to support an interim appropriation for the schools amid a devastating $3M budget cut.
Meanwhile after the ceiling collapse at North Mianus School, just this past April nearly every member of the RTM in District 12 signed a letter of support for an emergency response from the Board of Education and Board of Estimate and Taxation, except Ryan Fazio and two others.
And, at the June RTM meeting, he voted in favor of requiring the Greenwich Public Schools to form building committees for most capital projects, despite the fact that it holds the Greenwich Public Schools to a vastly different and uneven bureaucratic standard than those applied to projects at Town facilities.
His views on science amid the pandemic are questionable, including the fact that Mr. Fazio claimed in an op-ed that “lockdowns did not save lives” at a time when scientifically proven mitigation measures such as limiting gathering sizes, distancing, mask-wearing and limits on indoor dining helped contain the spread of Covid-19. He again showed decidedly poor judgement by voting to install a vehemently anti-vaccine and anti-mask candidate to a building committee, one that is intended to be solely devoted to the health and safety of students at Greenwich High School.
Voters should recognize that Mr. Fazio has never made the education of the students in this district a priority. He does not represent the best interests of school children in Greenwich and we urge voters to look at his record before voting. With these facts in mind, please AGAIN pass on Mr. Fazio and vote for Alexis Gevanter.