Submitted by Janet Stone McGuigan, Democratic candidate for Selectman
Since moving to Greenwich with my family in 2006 I have served this community, currently on the Representative Town Meeting (RTM), the board of Community Centers Inc, as a sustainer advisor for the Junior League, and until recently on the boards of the League of Women Voters and the PTA Council.
Before devoting myself to volunteer work while my sons were in school, I worked as an environmental policy analyst researching Superfund, and mediator on federal regulatory negotiations involving drinking water, wind energy, combined sewer overflow and the Marine Mammal Protection Act. I have degrees in civil engineering and economics from Cornell and a master’s in public policy from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.
I would have been very happy continuing on this path. Then along came COVID-19. If climate change didn’t already feel real, the satellite images of newly clean skies hit home that it is not too late to make a difference, even as increasingly severe weather and rising sea levels threaten our own coastal Town.
And then, as a public school parent and RTM member, I, along with so many other Greenwich residents, was incredibly concerned by the decisions made by the Republican-led Board of Estimate and Taxation (BET) regarding the Board of Education operating and capital budget.
Without relitigating what happened here, I will simply say that I did what I could to support our schools. I wrote open letters as an individual and jointly with other RTM members to try to proactively influence the decisions of the BET.
I am knocking on doors throughout Greenwich and thoroughly enjoying the experience. What I am learning is that my qualifications and experience are exactly what Greenwich wants now. I am energized by the thought that I can help move Greenwich forward on its most pressing issues: schools, infrastructure, and sustainability.
I understand how public processes work and value the need for a broad range of community input before Town leaders make critical decisions.
I am thrilled to be running with Bill Kelly, a seasoned leader. We have a credible track record that we will be fiscally responsible and will make investments to benefit residents for years to come. We are committed to working together and across the political aisle.
Please help us help Greenwich by giving us your vote on or before November 2.
Our strength lies in the teamwork we can deliver if elected together.
Janet Stone McGuigan
Democratic Candidate for the Greenwich Board of Selectmen