Submitted by Michael Hahn, Greenwich RTC Chair
Dear Editor,
As Chairman of the Greenwich Republican Town Committee (RTC), I write with profound frustration and anger in response to the open letter from Karen Hirsh, Chair of the Greenwich Board of Education, and Jennifer Behette, Vice-Chair, published this weekend. Their plea to the Board of Estimate and Taxation (BET) to reconsider the Fiscal Year 2025–26 Operating Budget masks a deeper issue: a calculated power grab by Hirsh, Behette and the rest of the BOE Democrats, to seize control of the Board of Education, undermining decades of bipartisan precedent and co-opting the town’s largest cost center for their personal agendas.
The Greenwich Public Schools, representing the town’s most significant budgetary commitment, have long been governed by a balanced, bipartisan Board of Education, with four Republicans and four Democrats working collaboratively. This balance is not merely a tradition but a cornerstone of our town’s governance, ensuring that no single party dominates decisions affecting our children’s education. However, recent actions by Hirsh, fellow Democrat Laura Kostin, and their ally, Behette reveal a concerted effort to subvert this equilibrium.
The controversy began with the vacancy left by Republican Chair Karen Kowalski’s resignation in July 2024. Per the town charter, the remaining Board members are tasked with selecting a replacement from the same party. Historically, for over a century, the party of the departing
member has been deferred to for such appointments, reflecting Greenwich’s commitment to fairness and bipartisanship. Yet, in a brazen move, the Democratic majority—led by Hirsh and Kostin—orchestrated an “emergency” meeting on October 21, 2024, to appoint Jennifer Behette, a personal friend of both, over the objections of Republican members.
This meeting, called with questionable legality and insufficient notice, was no emergency but a strategic maneuver to install a pliable ally before a critical budget vote (to extend the Superintendent’s contract).
Greenwich Board of Education Extends Superintendent Jones’ Contract Two Years Greenwich Free Press, May 3, 2025
She failed in interviews to draw any distinctions between her and the Democrats. She was unwilling to commit to vote for a Republican chair of the Board. And that is why, of the six candidates considered, she was the only one universally considered unacceptable by the Republican caucus.
Behette, a former Central Middle School PTA co-president, holds close personal ties to Hirsh and Kostin, evident in their shared social and political circles, suggesting her appointment was a tactic to secure Democratic control.
Republican member Michael-Joseph Mercanti-Anthony, the lone Republican present at the meeting, explicitly stated that Behette was the one candidate his party could not support, citing her alignment with Democratic priorities. This is not the first time Greenwich Democrats have disregarded long standing agreements.
Last election cycle, Democratic Town Committee Chair Christina Downey unilaterally accelerated the campaign season by littering the town with signs earlier than tradition allowed, without consulting Republicans. This move, which broke decades of mutual respect for agreed-upon campaign timelines, foreshadowed the current Board of Education power grab.
Such actions reflect a pattern of liberal Democrats prioritizing political advantage over Greenwich’s cooperative governance model. (Greenwich lawsuit between first selectman and school board has already cost town about $200,000 Greenwich Time, October 1, 2024).
The RTC is outraged that Hirsh and Behette—a woman cosplaying as a Republican to mask her alignment with Democratic agendas—have co-opted the Board of Education. Their actions threaten the fiscal and educational integrity of our schools. The BET’s $4.1 million budget reduction, which Hirsh and Behette decry, was a necessary check on a Board that has lost its commitment to fiscal responsibility.
The Greenwich Republican’s priority is the community and the taxpayers, and we demand transparency and accountability. The Board’s Democratic majority, bolstered by Behette’s improper appointment, has prioritized political control over our community’s needs.
Greenwich deserves a Board of Education that respects tradition, bipartisanship, and the taxpayers who fund it.
Sincerely,
Michael Hahn
Chairman, Greenwich Republican Town Committee