Letters: Republican Selectmen Have Darien's Interests at Heart

Republican Selectmen Have Darien's Interests at Heart

To the Editor:

I believe that open and candid debate about issues affecting our town is an excellent tool for disseminating factual information/opinions on both sides of the argument.

I have watched all of the shuffle discussions and listened to Mr. Bayne’s lengthy campaign speech at the recent Board of Selectmen meeting. His remarks were clearly a summary of the prepared talking points distributed (and obviously used by) his political supporters. In my opinion, his commentary was rife with obfuscation, skewed and/or inaccurate information, exaggerations, and — yes — scare tactics. Can anyone say "elections are coming and we’re experiencing déjà vu all over again?"

Most of the anti-shuffle proponents seem to support the policies of the previous administration, and it appears they care more about regaining political power than what policies might be best for our town. How many of the "recruited experts" have watched the painstaking, bipartisan, planning discussions of the volunteer Facilities Task Force and the Building Committee? How many have actually visited the three facilities involvred in the proposed shuffle?

Although our charter indicates that the RTM is a non-partisan legislative body, my biggest fear is that this "lobby group" will attempt to delay the vote until after the election in order to fill RTM vacancies with their supporters. I pray this is not the case.

Dave Campbell, Jayme Stevenson, and Jerry Nielsen are not seasoned politicians who stand to benefit from the decisions they make as a board. They had quietly volunteered their time and expertise to our town long before they were elected, without appearing on television and/or print media to tout their accomplishments.

These three dedicated public servants promised the electorate that they would make decisions based on what they thought was best for their town. They have kept that promise. In their short term in office, some of their accomplishments include:

• Rescuing Baker Park (saving 400 mature trees in the process).
• Addressing flooding on a case-by-case basis.
• Working with private developers to implement affordable housing in areas that will not destroy our residential neighborhoods.
• Developing a well-planned, common-sense solution for the relocation of the senior center through efficient reorientation of existing town-owned facilities.
• Proposing the demolition of the current senior center and establishing a public-private partnership to erect twenty units of affordable senior housing.

The previous administration had the opportunity to build a new senior center with no success. As a fifty-year resident of Darien, I urge the Board of Finance and the RTM to vote an overwhelming yes for the proposed shuffle. Let’s continue to move forward as a community by electing Jayme Stevenson as first selectman and Dave Campbell and Jerry Nielsen as selectmen. We know they have the best interests of their (and our) home town at heart.

Diana Nizolek