Submitted by Anthony Moor, Member, District 7, Representative Town Meeting
After four decades living, working and raising a family in Greenwich, you’d think State Rep. Hector Arzeno would appreciate what makes our town so beautiful. And guess what? He does.
It’s the housing stock, old growth trees, and open space, watched over by our local zoning board.
That’s why Hector promised to protect our quality of life by fighting against attempts in Hartford to force oversized developments here. He and the rest of the Greenwich delegation successfully lobbied against a bill in 2023 that would have required towns like Greenwich to add more density than our town residents prefer or our infrastructure could readily handle.
In 2024, Hector and the delegation used their majority access to successfully negotiate changes to a similar bill, making it optional for communities like Greenwich. (That bill did not become law.).
At the same time, Hector’s record includes making Greenwich a more welcoming community to a broader range of people: young families, town employees, and our local workforce. Serving on the Education Committee, he drove the effort to secure sufficient funds to rebuild Central Middle School. He sponsored a bill to increase state reimbursements for school meal programs.
He serves on the board of Greenwich’s Barbara’s House, which provides homework clubs, tutoring, after-school activities, and summer enrichment programs for kids. And he’s obtained grants for other local nonprofits aimed at supporting public school students and early childhood education.
When I first joined the Representative Town Meeting, Hector invited me to a daylong visit with him at Greenwich Communities, our housing authority. I was impressed at his probing questions and incisive suggestions as we toured a variety of residential living options, learning the opportunities and challenges here.
The takeaway for me was that it’s personal for Hector. Two of his daughters and their spouses now call Greenwich their home. Hector has been deeply involved in the kinds of thoughtful growth policies we need: standing firm against overreach from Hartford, while encouraging our town to develop more moderately-priced housing on our terms, so we can welcome more people from more walks of life to this special place.
Anthony Moor
Member, District 7
Representative Town Meeting
Editor’s note: Letters to the editor for candidates in the Nov 5, 2024 election are accepted for consideration from Oct 8 until Oct 29 at 12:00 noon.