Submitted by Lauren Rabin, Republican candidate for Greenwich Selectman
“It’s only what you give away that enriches you from day to day.” This quote sums up my perspective on life and it is why I want to give back to the community that has given so much to my family and me.
From my time as a Greenwich Hospital Candy Striper to a Greenwich Public Schools Board of Education member, I have strived to improve the lives of our diverse community. Now I am at a stage in my life that enables me to fully commit to serving our town in a greater capacity as your Selectman.
I have the great honor of teaming up on this journey with my friend and fellow 1980 Greenwich High School alumni Fred Camillo. Our overarching goal is simple; to ensure Greenwich continues to be the most desirable town to live, work, raise a family and retire. Fred and I believe we have the extensive experience that will help Greenwich successfully navigate future challenges and harvest opportunities that will make our town work even better for its residents.
The role of Selectman on the 3-person Board of Selectmen is unique with its primary responsibilities being:
• Adoption of Ordinances
• Nominations to Boards and Commissions
• Ombudsmen to Citizens/Government
• Settlement of Claims
• Traffic Authority
As Ombudsman to our citizens and government, I will be a connector and a manager, listening more than speaking. As Selectman, I will organize public town halls to connect with our community and improve the dialogue between our town government and the residents we serve. My background in Marketing and Communications will be an asset that I will use to communicate on a regular basis with residents on issues we all care about.
Having been nominated or elected to multiple town boards, I possess the experience to ensure we have the most qualified and dedicated people in place. This is extremely important given the fact that 70% of our town departments report to an independent board or commission, not to the office of the First Selectman.
In the role of Traffic Authority, I am committed to working with the appropriate departments to incorporate traffic calming measures, especially in our most populated areas, ensuring safety for our residents.
Serving as your Selectman will also give me a great opportunity to focus my energy toward issues that I am very passionate about:
• Schools: Maintaining and strengthening capital assets with a smarter, more focused approach towards spending, and helping to ensure a successful tenure for our new Superintendent of Schools.
• Service: Increase our use of public/private partnerships to lessen the burden on taxpayers and establishing more transparency among our independent boards and commissions to promote better communication.
• Spending: Emphasizing more creative ways to use technology to reduce government spending.
• Sustainability: Work with the Business/Economic Advisory Committee to accelerate our economic growth by attracting new industries such as tech start-ups.
Greenwich is a unique and special place to live. I was raised here and my husband and I raised our two sons here as well. Our community is part of the fabric of who we all are and it helps shape our value system. As your Selectman, I will dedicate myself to making our Town work better for all of us. There are always challenges to meet, and the current economic and political environment will require leadership, experience, hard work and a commitment to civil discourse. I have demonstrated these qualities throughout my time serving our community in the Cub Scouts, all levels of the Parent Teacher Association (PTA), the Greenwich Alliance for Education (GAE), the Greenwich Youth Football League
(GYFL), the Distinguished Teacher Award Committee (DTAC), the Representative Town Meeting (RTM), the Board of Human Services and currently the Board of Education (BOE).
I very much look forward to earning your support and trust to extend my service to the role of Selectman.
Lauren Rabin