Havemeyer Building is Backdrop for 4th Election Campaign Kick-Off for Selectmen Candidates Camillo and Rabin

Republican First Selectman Fred Camillo and Selectwoman Lauren Rabin gathered before a crowd of about 150 party faithful outside the Havemeyer building on Greenwich Avenue on Monday afternoon to kick off their re-election campaigns.

The sky darkened as thunderstorms approached, but the event, which had the air of celebration, took place before a single drop fell.

The historic Havemeyer building has been home to Board of Education administration for 77 years and there is a proposal in the works that proposes to move the BOE out of the building and make the building into a hotel.

Previous campaign kick-offs took place at the Arch Street Teen Center in 2019,  in 2021 at the intersection of Greenwich Ave and Fawcett Place, and in 2023 at the Cohen Eastern Greenwich Civic Center, which under construction at the time.

On Monday at 4:30 on the dot, the event kicked off with remarks from Harbor Master Paul Cappiali, who also organized group photos at the close of the event.

Last October the three member Board of Selectmen voted 2-1 to appoint Mr. Cappiali to a vacancy on the Board of Education vacated by Karen Kowalski, after she moved out of town. Camillo and Rabin voted in favor of Cappiali, and lone Democrat, Janet Stone McGuigan voted in opposition.

Meanwhile the Board of Education voted in favor of Republican Jen Behette during an emergency meeting. Ms Behette has been recognized at BOE meetings since then. Litigation between Mr. Camillo and the BOE is ongoing.

 

Selectwoman Lauren Rabin described Mr. Camillo as her classmate, running mate and teammate.

“We’ve been doing a lot for our buildings – for schools,” she said, adding that she serves on two building committees and a fifth was being formed, for Riverside School, and Mr. Camillo would serve on that.

“That’s partly why we are in front of the Board of Ed building,” she said. “In 2019 we talked to (Greenwich Public Schools superintendent) Dr. Toni Jones about making sure the administration had great office space. And now, with our committee, we are investigating what we can do with this building and make sure we can it turn it back to the community as an asset for all residents to enjoy.”

Fred Camillo explained that he and Ms Rabin had been classmates as children at Cos Cob School.

“She’s been a great running mate and great teammate – and to me the best deputy mayor in the state of Connecticut,” he said.

Camillo said six years earlier, when he first ran for First Selectman, he had promised to take the job one term at a time.

“If people thought I did an okay job I’d keep doing it, but I didn’t want to be a caretaker,” he said. “I wanted to be somebody in the tradition of the great Griff Harris who was transformational.”

He listed accomplishments in his first three terms as including public-private-partnerships aimed at lessening the tax burden on residents for projects, including the Cohen Eastern Greenwich Civic Center, which was the location of his and Rabin’s campaign kick off two years earlier.

Camillo talked about public safety, especially on Greenwich Ave.

“These are some very dangerous intersections over the years,’ he said, gesturing to Greenwich Avenue. “We had a couple people hit and a couple deaths prior to doing this. So, this does work, and we’ll continue doing this. So you’re not just going down a concrete boulevard – you’ll have a beautiful new Greenwich Avenue connected to a new waterfront.”

He talked about his vision to connect Greenwich Avenue to Greenwich Harbor via the recently renovated and expanded Bruce Museum and the Greenwich train station, where the “Greenwich Crossing” project will result in a new transportation hub.

“You’re going to have a bright new Greenwich Avenue connected to a beautiful new waterfront,” he said.

Gesturing to the town owned historic Havemeyer building where a committee recently presented plans for a boutique hotel, he said, “This has been talked about for decades and we’re closer now than ever before to finding a new home for the Board of Education and returning this expensive piece of property back to the people of Greenwich so they can enjoy it.”

“It will be a public-private-partnership. It won’t cost the town anything, but it will bring in revenue to the town, and  you will be able to access it for your enjoyment. This will transform this whole area here.”

Camillo segued to his proposal to place a statute of 41st President of the United States and US Navy pilot during World War II, George HW Bush, at the front of the Havemeyer property.

“And just to our left there will be a statue, please God, in the next year or so, of the 41st president of the United States George HW Bush right over here,” she said, pointing to the foot of the path from the Havemeyer Building to Greenwich Avenue.

He noted that President Bush was the youngest pilot in the Navy at the time and flew 58 combat missions, including one where his plane was shot down over the Pacific.

“It cries out for a statue of one of Greenwich’s native sons, so we’re really proud about that,” he added.

Finally, Camillo said the Town of Greenwich was approaching ‘silly season,’ a reference to behavior during election campaigns, and how he had heard feedback about conversations with Democratic candidates who had been door knocking over the weekend.

‘They were here at sidewalk sales saying some crazy things,” he said. “Never in my lifetime in Greenwich has there been a bigger difference between a slate of candidates than there is this year. It’s not my job to tear my opponent down to build myself up – they’re doing that now, we’re not going to do that. You have two things when you run: your record and your vision, that’s it. We’re proud of our record and we’re going to continue to transform Greenwich, which marries the very best of Greenwich, the things we love about Greenwich that we’d never change, and marry it with a bright, bold future.”

“When you hear some of that noise there, remember they don’t have much of a record, so they’ll go after us. That’s okay, we want them to go after our record because we want to debate them.”

After his remarks, Mr. Camillo invited the crowd to gather at George Italian Seafood & Steakhouse in Byram.

After the campaign kick-off, Greenwich Democratic Town Committee chair, Christina Downey, shared a statement by email:

“Greenwich has seen enough of what we get with a Camillo administration—too many promises and too little follow through, too many fights and not enough solutions. Just look at where Fred staged his campaign announcement—the Havemeyer building in the middle of Greenwich Avenue. Fred claims he wants to return that property to ‘the people’ of Greenwich, but instead he’s seeking a hotel to serve out-of-town guests, and has ignored residents and incited a public outcry. Our town residents are combating parking and traffic headaches which he has ignored. Anthony Moor and Rachel Khanna have a vision for our town that puts you first.”

Camillo and Rabin’s Democratic opponents in the November municipal elections, Anthony Moor and Rachel Khanna respectively, shared a joint statement:

“After three terms at the head of town hall, it’s clear that Mr. Camillo is not who our residents need now. Imagine a Greenwich with real leadership that listens, collaborates, and delivers solutions that reflect values of our entire community. Our Democratic ticket includes a world-class team of professionals in business, law, finance and public service. We will bring Greenwich into the 21st century by leveraging our experience, skills and relationships around the state.”

 

See also:

Camillo and Rabin Intend to Run for Fourth Term as First Selectman and Selectwoman 

Hopeful Democratic Candidates for November: New Faces among Familiar Ones