LETTER: Alex Kasser, Steve Meskers And Their Lack Of Leadership

Submitted by Trey Reynolds

If you’ve been following the ongoing debate about Zoning (SB 1024), you may have noticed something that is missing from it. The voices of Greenwich’s Democratic delegation to Hartford. Although Alex Kasser and Steve Meskers have both issued messages to their supporters stating they intend not to vote for the bill, neither have come out against it in any form nor have they lobbied colleagues or stood with their fellow Republican representatives in rebuking it. This shows a lack of leadership.

For her part, Alex Kasser released a statement to the press (which had been sent to her supporters via email) in which she said she would not vote for SB 1024, and then proceeded to extol great virtues on the merits of state controlled zoning for six paragraphs.

In her statement, Senator Kasser says in reference to local opposition to the bill, “I hope that Greenwich officials stop fear-mongering”. Simply put, if Greenwich officials are against this, they are fear mongering. She goes on to say “feigning outrage and stirring fear, is not a responsible reaction. And, frankly, that kind of reaction is precisely what leads others to suggest that local zoning policies are racist.” Again, if you speak out against this legislation it will force others to label you as racist.

Contrary to her intentions, this does not sound like the words of someone who opposes this bill. The comments are also offensive to our community and anyone who has a different viewpoint than hers.

As for Rep Meskers, outside of a couple of Facebook posts (only read by his supporters) it has been radio silence.

Many Democrats I know have lamented their disappointment in their local party’s silence on this issue. This is where Kasser and Meskers are failing as leaders. Everyone knows that their votes are not important to the passage of this legislation. Democrats have enough votes to pass it without them. They are taking it for granted that their constituents will give them a pass if they merely vote against it. They are mistaken.

If they want to act in the best interests of their constituents, they should be out fighting against this and related bills. These bills seek to support the false narrative of “housing equity” by advocating for an oversupply of units to be built, thereby devaluing everyone else’s property values. This is the practice of bringing down prosperous communities instead of uplifting struggling ones. 

The fact that Sen Kasser and Rep Meskers have muted their opposition to SB 1024 says a lot about where they stand. One thing is for certain, they don’t stand with our community. Instead, they chose to stand with the progressive element of their own party as it tramples over freedom under the false flag of virtue signaling and a national progressive agenda gone haywire.