Incumbent Democrat seeks larger role on Board of Selectmen
GREENWICH — Sandy Litvack considers himself fortunate that the career path he chose as a young man was the right one for him.
What does he like about the law?
“Everything,” said the Democratic candidate for selectman, and an incumbent. “I’m a lawyer, a trial lawyer. This is what I’ve done all my life, it’s what I love.”
Litvack was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., and grew up in modest circumstances: His father worked in the poultry business, and his mother was a homemaker. After finishing his undergraduate studies at the University of Connecticut, he earned his law degree at Georgetown. The law was a natural fit.
“I like the challenge of analyzing problems, thinking of solutions, and thinking of ways to persuade people….to a point of view you believe is the right point of view. It’s challenging, exciting and rewarding,” he said.
His first job was in the Justice Department in Washington, D.C., working on anttrust cases. The combination of legal issues and public policy set the template for his later interest in public service.
“I loved the Justice Department, I started there as a young lawyer, it was my first job. It is, or was, the best place to be — where you really felt you were contributing,” Litvack said. He also worked at Disney, as general counsel in 1991 later chief of corporate operations. He continues to practice law.
Litvack made a surprisingly strong showing at the the polls two years ago, capturing a seat on the Board of Selectmen as a Democrat. Being in the minority party on the board, with First Selectmen Peter Tesei and Selectman John Toner holding the Republican majority, has given him little to do in the way of policymaking, he says.
He said he has an agreement with his running mate, Jill Oberlander, a Democrat seeking the office of first selectman, to take a proactive approach to policy initiatives if their ticket wins this fall.
“I believe the job requires more than one person. It has been a oneman band, certainly that’s the way Peter (Tesei) has done it. I don’t mean to criticize him, everyone has their own personal style. But if we have a Board of Selectmen, the board should do something. Today it really doesn’t,” he says.
Litvack and Oberlander are looking to create a collaborative partnership: “The thinking was – we would form a team, and together, we would run together and govern together. She’s the boss, obviously, but we would act together,” he said.
The incumbent selectman said he wanted to develop a business development plan for the town. “We don’t have an economic development plan, we don’t have an economic development approach,” Litvack said, and he wanted to form one with input from existing businesses. “The existing businesses – what do they need? What is it we can do to help them? To enable them to grow?” he asked.
Litvack said he also wants the town administration to take a more proactive approach on the issue of contaminants found in various sites around town, a legacy of Greenwich’s industrial past, and cleaning them up. “We know it’s elsewhere, and we don’t want to look, because we’re afraid to learn,” he said.
And while the Board of Selectmen has only a minimal role over education and school infrastructure, he said he would like to work with other stakeholders in the community to modernize educational facilities. “The physical facilities are 60, 70 years old in some cases,” he said.
A 14yearresident of the town, Litvack said he also considered himself fortunate to live in Greenwich, besides having a career he loved. “This is a great place, I love the whole ambiance of the town, and the people,” he said. “It’s unique. There are a lot of towns are nice. They’re not unique.”