Submitted by Svetlana Wasserman, RTM member, District 10
Greenwich’s Representative Town Meeting was created as a non-partisan institution. In fact, it’s the only elected institution in Town in which candidates’ party affiliations are not listed on the ballot. The reason for this nonpartisanship is so that delegates can deliberate over local issues on their merits, and not be pressured to vote a particular way because their party has taken a position.
Unfortunately, some candidates have found a way around this non-partisanship by running on slates using keywords meant to create a clear link to a certain party. For example, in District 10, fourteen of the candidates running to fill 20 seats are running under a “fiscal responsibility” banner.
Many voters will receive election materials in the coming weeks asking them to vote for slates such as these. I urge voters to think twice before dutifully carrying these lists to the polls.
Firstly, the people appearing on slates may not be who they say they are. For example, candidates in District 10 running for re-election on a slate promising to support schools and protect the environment voted against an RTM resolution asking the BET to reinstate $3 million in funding to the Board of Education.
They abstained on a vote that would allow a ban on single use plastic bags to remain in effect. And they voted against a mural to teach residents about supporting biodiversity. Voters should ask what the term “fiscal responsibility” actually means. Does it mean starving the Town’s infrastructure of adequate funding, leading to even more costly repairs when school ceilings and other infrastructure inevitably collapse due to deferred maintenance?
Secondly, by voting for a slate, voters are allowing a single voice to dominate their district. Slates almost always vote in unison. And members of slates often follow the guidance of a senior member, who does the thinking for them. By giving an entire slate control of a district, voters are discouraging the kind of non-partisan discussion that allows a diversity of views to be expressed.
Instead of mechanically checking off a slate this year, I hope voters will take the time to see how incumbents voted on issues they care about. Voters can look up incumbents’ voting records here: https://www.greenwichct.gov/AgendaCenter/Representative-Town-Meeting-35