Submitted by Mark J Lewis, Greenwich
In the summer of 2023, I decided that I had had enough of what I saw as partisan nonsense and bickering at the Representative Town Meeting (RTM). So much of what was happening was partisan grandstanding and was most definitely not helping Greenwich or its citizens. It was then I made the decision to run for the RTM and try to be a part of the solution.
In my two years on the RTM, I have been pleased to find many like-minded citizens, our neighbors who want to do the right thing for the town and its residents. This term has seen none of the grandstanding that used to occur, and instead we have seen a genuinely bipartisan effort to truly address the needs of the citizens of Greenwich on issues that matter most to them.
Sadly, where the exact opposite is true has been on the Board of Estimate and Taxation (BET). We have witnessed the six Republican members of the BET repeatedly ignore the will of the people, pushing through numerous 7-6 votes despite broad, vocal, and bipartisan opposition. The BET has openly shown its scorn for other governing bodies in town including the Board of Education (BOE) and the RTM. BET Chair Harry Fisher went so far as to publicly say that he doesn’t accept a “mandate” from the RTM. What Mr. Fisher clearly means is that he doesn’t accept a democratically passed ordinance from the most representative governing body in town.
Similarly, the BET attempted to force the BOE to install a traditional gas-fired HVAC system at Hamilton Avenue School, rather than simply modernize the existing geothermal system, against the advice of professional engineers hired to determine the best solution for the town. The BET conditioned the (insufficient) funding on a conventional system – even though the Town Charter clearly does not afford the BET the power to make technology choices. The RTM resoundingly rejected this imperial power grab by the BET on an overwhelming 180-17 vote.
It is past time to end the years of the Republican BET thumbing their noses at the citizens of this town. It is critical to remove the Chairmanship from the Republicans and restore sanity to our BET. Voting for all six BET Democratic candidates on Row A will do this. The slate of Democratic BET candidates are experienced, facts-driven, and most importantly recognize that all of us benefit from a fiscally responsible BET that listens to voters and understands that we need to plan not only for today but for the future. I encourage you to make your voice heard by voting on November 4th for the Democratic BET slate.
Mark J. Lewis
RTM Member – D11
Member – RTM Budget Overview Committee
RTM Liaison – Energy Management Advisory Committee
Note: the deadline to submit LTEs about candidates in the Nov 4, 2025 municipal election was Oct 28 at 12:00 noon. The above letter was submitted before the deadline.