Submitted by Basil Lilien
I grew up in Riverside and benefited from receiving a world-class education at Greenwich Public Schools. My family continues to live in town, and I maintain strong ties to the community. My partner and I are strongly considering a move back to Greenwich in the immediate future to start a family.
I am writing to express my dismay at the news of the recently proposed BET budget cuts and the long-term ramifications this will likely have on my hometown.
Please listen to your constituents, listen to the subject-matter experts involved who have weighed in, listen to your Republican colleagues on the BOE, and fully fund the town’s public works and schools.
Northern Virginia, where I currently live just outside of Washington, D.C., is similar to Greenwich in many ways. For the past three years, I have lived in affluent suburban towns composed of working professionals, many of whom have put down roots and started families while commuting to the city for work.
However, my friends from NoVa are aghast when I tell them about the ongoing issues in the town of Greenwich, such as:
● For years, Central Middle School was so structurally unsound that alarms were put in place to alert for imminent building collapse.
● The only town ice rink is not even standard-sized, in acute disrepair, and over 50 years old, yet renovation plans have remained at a standstill for years, compromising local athletics.
● Nathaniel Witherell, the town’s skilled nursing facility which provides services to our most vulnerable residents, is at risk of being so understaffed it would warrant a 1 star rating from state auditors. (As an aside, this decrease in rating would decrease the facility’s market value in potential negotiations with private operators.)
Please try to see these issues from an outsider’s perspective. It does not make any sense that a town containing one of the wealthiest zip codes in the country should have such glaring problems with maintaining its facilities.
In my opinion, the current status quo is embarrassing and shameful.
Should these types of issues persist, which they inevitably will without funding, they will lower the quality of life and property values for all residents.
And with the newly proposed cuts to law enforcement and emergency response services, town residents’ safety will also be at risk.
Historically, the Republican party has respected and valued our first responders. Please don’t throw away your long-standing Republican values in a moment where indiscriminate cost-cutting is in vogue.
I personally value, and respect the BET’s concern for, fiscal responsibility and the careful use of government funds. I believe every dollar should remain accounted for, and unnecessary spending should be curbed. The proposed cuts do not align with this value.
It is fiscally irresponsible to dismiss months of careful analysis and documentation prepared by the First Selectman, BOE, and your BET colleagues in favor of spitballing an overall “percentage-based” adjustment. The original budget had bipartisan support because it carefully identified specific areas of necessary funding. In contrast, this proposed cut is all showmanship.
It may sound nice to be able to tout in an email blast or re-election campaign speech that you, your party, or your office “saved” the town millions of dollars, but in reality, each individual Greenwich resident will pay the cost.
It isn’t too late to reconsider and do the right thing for the long term. Please pass the original budget or modify your amendments to better align with the expressed values and needs of your constituents.
Respectfully,
Basil Lilien