Challenging their Dist. 20 rival
As the incumbent Democratic City Committee (DCC) candidates for District 20 we want to correct some of the misstatements of fact in Alicia Teitelbaum's recently published letter. For example:
Ms. Teitelbaum: “There is not an easy pathway to become involved in Stamford politics.”
Fact: The pathway to become involved in politics is usually through volunteering. Candidates for local and state offices are always looking for people to help them. Ms. Teitelbaum could have volunteered to work on her neighbor Ashley Ley's successful Board of Representatives campaign as a first step in becoming involved in Democratic politics. We began by volunteering for the PTO at Northeast School which then led to becoming involved in city government and politics.
DCC meetings are posted on our website, Stamforddems.com and are open to all registered Democrats. As DCC members we often meet with people in the 20th district who want to run for office or serve on a Board or Commission, and we guide them to achieve their goals.
Ms. Teitelbaum: “The Perna Lane Sewer Project is a constant battle.”
Fact: The Perna Lane sewer project has been approved, and the WPCA has been collecting bids from prospective contractors. District 20 Board of Representatives member Ashley Ley, who we endorsed and whose election we worked for, has been a constant advocate for the sewer project.
Ms. Teitelbaum: “The neighborhood school lost 250 students in 2022.”
Fact: Northeast School's annual student enrollment declined from 571 students in 2020/21 to 475 students in 2023/24. This decline is significantly attributable to the relocation out of Northeast of the city-wide bilingual program, which at its peak comprised about 100 students.
Ms. Teitelbaum: “Our district has never had a contested election in more than 10 years.”
Fact: In 2023 there was a highly competitive Democratic primary race for Board of Representatives between the incumbent, Carl Weinberg, and a well- known and highly qualified challenger. Both candidates went door to door and spoke to the people in the district about their concerns. We worked on Carl's successful campaign by organizing and leading phone banks and Get out the Vote efforts as we have done for successful campaigns for Mayor Caroline Simmons, State Rep. Matt Blumenthal, Attorney General William Tong, and many others.
Ms. Teitelbaum: “No one has gone door to door to seek to be on the ballot in our neighborhood before.”
Fact: Prior to a change in state law in 2022, all candidates for the DCC — including us — had to acquire petition signatures of 5% of the registered Democrats in the district to appear on the ballot.
During our service on the DCC, we have made decisions based on facts and evidence. By voting for us on March 5, District 20 Democrats will continue to have factbased representation that continues to put the interest of our neighbors first.