Submitted by Kris Herndon, member of the Greenwich Sustainability Committee
As a member of the Greenwich Sustainability Committee, I’m writing in support of Fred Camillo’s run for a fourth term as First Selectman, and I’d like to call attention to his administration’s record on environmental issues.
Environmental issues are non-partisan; climate change isn’t going to selectively spare the party with the correct politics. This is so obviously true that I feel silly pointing it out; and yet a surprising number of people seem to feel that the Democrats “own” environmental issues and that a Republican candidate can’t possibly care about protecting the environment.
Granted, climate change is a complex phenomenon. There is never a simple solution, and the best our elected officials can do is remain open to new information, seek and respect expertise, and adopt best practices as quickly as possible.
And, well, that pretty much describes the approach Fred and his team have taken on these issues. This has led to some substantive changes during Fred’s six years as First Selectman.
During that time, Greenwich residents got two new options in an expanded recycling program (food waste and fabric scraps). Fred initiated the Sustainability Committee and the Energy Management Advisory Committee, in order to convene residents with particular expertise in these areas, and help focus their efforts and advocacy for change. Fred also created the bike task force – now called the Active Transportation Users Task Force – because residents were calling for better infrastructure for bikers and pedestrians in town.
Through public-private partnerships, Fred has facilitated the acquisition of hundreds of acres for the Greenwich Land Trust – land that will now be preserved undeveloped, helping fragile ecosystems in the region survive and thrive. Charging stations for electric vehicles have been added at town hall, and town lighting has been upgraded for energy efficiency, a process that continues.
The ban on gas leaf blowers that so many residents fought for was also implemented, and even though that’s only during the summer months, it’s still a step in the right direction on what promises to be a long road to a more sustainable future.
There is a cynical take on all this, of course. It’s the take that goes, “You’re giving Fred credit for other people’s initiatives,” which to me is kind of like saying “Fred didn’t invent recycling.”
But before he entered public life he started a recycling company, and he has been keeping up with these issues for decades. He ran on these issues, among others, in 2019, and started delivering just a few months later. Which is a good thing, because there isn’t time for cynical takes in a time of global climate crisis. (There really isn’t even time for arguing over whose idea recycling was).
Even if every politician, corporation, organization, man, woman and child perfectly understood environmental issues and acted in perfect good faith to solve the crisis from this moment forward, we would still have a long way to go.
Politics should be a collaborative process, especially in a small (ish) town where we are making decisions about resources that should be conserved and protected for the common good. Town politics puts one person in the First Selectman’s seat, but you only have to watch one public hearing to see that Greenwich government is not just one person making decisions. It’s more complicated than that, and there is a lot of back and forth (sometimes, arguably, too much!) and that is part of the process.
Greenwich is geographically blessed with miles of beachfront, waterfront parks and nature preserves, hiking and biking trails, pollinator paths, and acres of undeveloped land. The beautiful waterfront parks and nature preserves, hiking and biking trails, diversity of ecosystems and wildlife that thrive here are things that residents cherish and respect. But every town, everywhere is facing some version of the same issues. Here and elsewhere, precious natural resources are under threat. No matter where you live, it’s past time to actively work to protect our environment, to preserve it for our children and the children of the future.
Fred listens to residents and to experts on these issues. He understands that environmental issues matter to Greenwich residents, and his record demonstrates this. In this election, I think it’s worth putting politics aside and supporting the incumbent team so they can keep doing what they do best.