‘I have dedicated my entire adult life to giving back to my hometown’
On Dec. 1, 2019, I took an oath to serve the residents of my hometown of Greenwich, and then outlined goals for the new administration.
I made a pledge to build upon our wonderful past with a bold vision for our future. That vision included public/private partnerships to assist in endeavors without the burden falling entirely on the taxpayer, a new pedestrian friendly Greenwich Avenue connected to a revamped waterfront, enhanced public safety, getting a blight ordinance enacted, and long dormant projects such as the Eastern Greenwich Civic Center and GEMS Station Four addressed and approved, an energy policy for the town, a restructured Greenwich Fire Department, weekly communications to our residents, public forums and hearings designed to get public input on ideas and issues, the usage of social media to promote town affairs as well as inform the public, green space acquisition, increased recycling, and filling the nearly $5 million municipal solid waste disposal deficit. These are just some of our first term accomplishments. Additional projects are in the planning and initial stages.
What we didn’t plan for was a 100-year pandemic, a 500-year flood, a superstorm, and national civil unrest that threatened to come to our town. When the COVID crisis hit, we immediately began to convene daily in our Emergency Operations Center, and then conducted daily news conferences with Greenwich Hospital to keep the public informed.
Our continued outreach and communications were helpful in Greenwich having one of the best responses in the state, despite our proximity to the first hot zone in the nation. When Superstorm Isaias hit, we formed a task force that made recommendations that we have started to implement. After the recent devastation caused by Hurricane Ida, we set up a website for residents to upload information to, which Gov. Ned Lamont remarked was the best he had seen as well as convened a weekly task force to look at every section of town that was impacted to see what can be done to resolve the issues, what the cost would be, and when this could be accomplished. This task will be long, transparent, honest, and sobering, but it will get done and the findings presented to the town’s Representative Town Meeting and Board of Estimate and Taxation. Lastly, while our police department continues to enjoy the confidence and cooperation of the public, we wanted to be proactive and invite citizen participation so we are about to approve the first ever town Police Review Board. We are doing so to further strengthen
the bond between the men and women in blue and all our residents.
The next term pledges include better asset utilization and making sure that properties and locations are used in the most effective way while maximizing those attributes, whether they be a town building or surface parking lot. Waterfront properties will continue to have a strong focus so that one of our greatest natural attributes and natural assets will be enhanced and enjoyed by present and future generations. I will also continue the effort to make pedestrian safety a top priority, an endeavor that began in December of 2019.
The 2019 pledge to respect our wonderful past and marry it to a bright and bold future was fulfilled. That mission continues, and our resolve has grown stronger.
A fourth-generation resident of Greenwich, I have dedicated my entire adult life to giving back to my hometown. Whether serving on the RTM, in the Connecticut General Assembly, numerous other boards, committees, and task forces, leading the Parks Board, RTC, or the town for the past two years as first selectman, public service remains my passion. I humbly and respectfully ask for your vote on Nov. 2 to continue that service for the greatest town in America.