Submitted by Rachel Khanna, Democratic candidate for Greenwich Selectwoman
At the recent League of Women Voters Board of Selectmen debate, we were asked a question about civility. I appreciate the question because I pride myself on the fact that as a member of the RTM and as state representative I worked collaboratively with colleagues across the political spectrum. I respectfully engaged with constituents, even if their views differed from mine. Perhaps most importantly, I’ve run multiple campaigns and I’ve never lied about my opponents or their records.
Once again, it’s election time and the opposition party has resorted to spreading lies about my record. Misinformation-based politics has no place in our town. They’re trying to paint me as someone who opposes local control over zoning decisions. That’s just not true and I have the voting record to prove it. When I served as state representative, I consistently used my position to advocate for and voted to protect Greenwich’s local decision making power.
There is no arguing that our town and state need more housing. Insufficient housing hurts businesses – large and small – who struggle to find employees. We want our seniors to be able to afford to stay in Greenwich. We want young families to move to our town. We want our teachers, firefighters, police officers, and town employees to be able to both live and work in Greenwich. I’m for building more housing on our own terms, not Hartford’s.
So, before my opponents spread lies about my record, perhaps they should examine their own. In the last 13 years, our town leaders have increased the share of housing that qualifies as affordable under state law by a mere 1.2%. Now, that’s a failure of leadership. And that’s the truth.