Please Gov. Lamont, veto the zoning bill
Dear Gov. Ned Lamont,
The Greenwich Republican Town Committee is asking that you not sign SB1 into law. We realize that these are sensitive times when it comes to race and social equity in America. The events of last summer have led to a national discussion about race. This is a good thing.
However, we view this bill as something that does not move the needle with respect to equality, and instead feeds into the misplaced narrative that Connecticut is somehow segregationist, or a systemically racist state.
We feel this bill does more to damage Connecticut at a time when our state is facing headwinds on multiple fronts and that it portrays the good people of Connecticut in an unjustifiably bad light.
Equality for every individual American is enshrined in our Constitution. If there is a disparity in our health care system, that problem should be identified, examined and addressed. However, this bill is too broad, too vague and feels more spur of the moment politics than a product of thoughtful and reasoned debate.
The Greenwich community has resented the accusations by some Connecticut lawmakers that we practice “racist zoning policies” and that our community and others in Fairfield County are “exclusionary.” This is a false narrative. You know better than most how diverse and inclusive Greenwich is.
We appreciated your defense of Greenwich when it came to zoning, and we ask that you support our state in the same fashion by vetoing SB1 when it comes to your desk.