Submitted by Pam Fontana
Politics has become far too divisive. Debates have become confrontations with goals of converting rather than convincing and, in many cases, arguments take the form of name calling rather than logical or critical considerations. Moderates are criticized and members of an opposing party are mercilessly, and oftimes offensively, labeled.
To run for a political position feels much like exposing yourself as an extremist simply because one must embrace the label of a party.
All that said, I am running for the local position as a member of the RTM in Greenwich’s district 10. I am a democrat, indeed I have been a democrat since I first registered to vote as a teen growing up here in Greenwich. But as I approached the idea of running, I realized how adverse I felt to being categorized because, now-a-days, being part of a party seems to promise one and only one way of thinking or voting. I have decided, therefore, to run alongside a truly non-partisan group of candidates among whom you can find, democrats, republicans, and independents and who share the underlying political principle of fiscal responsibility and bringing civility back to politics and common sense to governing.
Surprisingly, I found myself, without my consent or knowledge, listed on an e-blasted email from the Greenwich Democrats as part of their coalition of “RTM candidate(s) you know”, but the authors seemingly did not know that I am part of the very group they dismissed as a “MAGA faction”. Not understanding anything about me, and despite my inclusion in their own list of candidates, they wrote, with disdain, of my being a “neophyte” as if…only entrenched politicos should enter politics at this entry-level, volunteer role?
I want to bring civil discussion back into our politics. The RTM is a non-partisan legislative body with a hyper local focus on expenditures and appropriations. There is no reason to assume that those with differing opinions on such matters are uniformly people of “hate” as every decision made by the RTM must reflect the nuances of each consideration and not some broad-brush notion derived from a national agenda. I have placed myself on another list of bi-partisan candidates who are like-minded in wanting to serve with a smart, common sense approach while maintaining a keen sense of fiscal responsibility. I believe we will bring a fresh balance and civility to the RTM.
We need people who have an ideology that can be the foundation of opinions, interpretations and discussions rather than ideologues who are uncompromising or emphatically and dogmatically imposing their view.
NOTE: The deadline to submit letters to the editor about candidates in the Nov 7 Greenwich Municipal Election was Oct 30, 2023 at 12:00 noon.