Litvack Response to Kriskey: Really?

Letter to the editor from Sandy Litvack, Democratic Selectman, submitted Sunday, Aug 18, 2019

It is more than a little ironic that in a letter designed to put a chasm between anything to do with national politics and our president on the one hand, and local elections on the other hand, the first thing Jack Kriskey – Chair of Fred Camillo’s campaign for First Selectman  – does is to assert that Mr. Camillo will “not be getting a fair shake from the media in this race.”

While it is strange to reach such a conclusion before the campaigns have hardly begun, it is not unusual to hear about “an unfair media” being at the core of all our problems. It must be about “fake news.”

Sound familiar?

Putting aside the “blame the media” strategy, contrary to Mr. Kriskey’s, claim no one is “trying to bully or goad” his campaign into anything. And, I for one am perfectly happy to talk about the issues impacting Greenwich, whether it is our schools, our environment or economic issues. But, that does not mean that we cannot also talk about leadership, who we are, what we stand for and what we aspire to be both in Greenwich, and in this country.

While I disagree with him on a number of issues, I respect Fred Camillo and I do not think he will shy away from an honest conversation about how things like divisive rhetoric, separating children from their parents or failing to give people at our border basic human needs, like soap and water, should be viewed in our diverse  community.

We, as leaders are proud of the diversity of Greenwich and recognize that it is one of our great strengths. Can we continue to celebrate that diversity while at the same time staying silent about these issues, which also impact our community? I don’t think so and if some leaders do, they should stand up and speak up so that we can have a dialogue on the subject. In other words this is not about engaging “in rhetoric that is meant to confuse and distract the public,” as Mr. Kriskey fears, it is about an honest conversation about values and leadership.

It would be very sad if we were not able to have that conversation.

Sandy Litvack
Democratic Selectman, Greenwich Board of Selectmen