Rachel Khanna is a Greenwich resident and RTM member in District 10. The views expressed herein are her own and not those of the RTM.
Hypocrisy is on the ballot this November in Washington and in Greenwich, CT, especially when it comes to addressing key environmental issues that threaten the health and well-being of our community. And, when faced with the urgency of the climate crisis, voting for candidates who will make the right choices for our communities is critical.
In the candidate debate hosted by the League of Women Voters, Kimberly Fiorello touted her environmental credentials by boasting about the re-usable plastic bag that she patented. Yet, when it came to supporting the environment, Kimberly Fiorello turned her back.
In 2018, the RTM voted to join more than 300 municipalities across the US that ban or charge fees for single-use plastic bags. Single-use plastic bags are not biodegradable, release toxic chemicals into the water and soil, get absorbed by marine life, and litter our streets, storm drains, and trees. Fiorello was part of a small minority that voted against a re-usable bag ordinance.
And when the RTM voted to join the 40+ Greenwich communities that banned contaminated waste from out-of-state oil and gas fracking extraction, Fiorello was once again in the minority, voting in favor of allowing fracking waste into Greenwich.
Finally, Fiorello voted against the implementation of Pay As You Throw and in favor of tipping fees, which do nothing to address CT’s waste crisis and which resulted in large waste removal increases for Greenwich taxpayers.
Kimberly Fiorello cannot be trusted to protect our health and our environment. That is why I will be voting for Kathleen Stowe this November.
Editor’s note: Letters to the Editor in support of local candidates in the Nov 3, 2020 election may be submitted to [email protected] for consideration beginning July 15 and with a hard deadline of Oct 26, 2020 at noon.