Transcript: Campbell, Bayne Spar at Selectmen Meeting

The following exchange took place during the Oct. 4 Board of Selectmen meeting at the end of the First Selectman's report:

Dave Campbell: Yesterday I went to the Big Rig Gig. It had a great turnout with perfect weather. I walked around, and seeing all the children—I've never seen so many excited kids playing with real trucks, both fire trucks, police cars, the old Ring's End truck—made me smile. I realized that five-year-olds have a great life. Everything they do is fun. They smile at the smallest pleasures. You know, it's a simple life.

We adults way over-think and -complicate our lives. Nowhere is that more evident than at the Board of Selectmen meetings, and I'm very sorry for that. As the Times said in its editorial, we are the board of dysfunction.

I agree with the Times that our job is to set policy for the entire Town of Darien. From my first day in office it's been very hard to manage this town with a minority party that wants to throw sand in my face every time to try to advance their political agenda. Evonne Klein said in a letter to the town on Oct. 25 [sic], "There is no Republican or Democrat way to run a town. Only the right way." And I could not agree more with that statement.

On March 22, David Bayne sent me an email in which he offered to work at us coming together. This was a few days after me getting many handfuls of sand thrown in my face. I did not respond because of my anger at the hypocrisy of the moment. Since March, there have been no meetings of the mind, only grandstanding and "gotcha" moments. I'm very willing to work with the minority party if they have constructive ideas. 

Jerry [Nielsen], Jayme [Stevenson], and I were elected with the hope that partisan rhetoric could be toned down. Evonne took a lot of grief during her time as First Selectman from the RTC. She's in good company. I am not their favorite son, either. Jayme, Jerry, and I are doing this job strictly for all the people in Darien. I invite David and Callie [Sullivan] to do the same. Cooperation and trust will go a long way in getting their views heard by the majority. So thank you.

Bayne: Do we get to respond to that?

Campbell: No. You can respond in my office, which is open all the time. My phone's on all the time. My BlackBerry's in my pocket. Just call me anytime you want. The town's seen enough of this.

Bayne: It has, Dave, but not every disagreement is a partisan disagreement, alright? [Gaveling.] We can—

Campbell: No. 

Bayne: We can agree to disagree on things, and it's not—

Campbell: Quiet, David.

Bayne: Alright.

Campbell: Alright.

Bayne: You don't want to hear it. That's fine.

Campbell: No. Not tonight.

Bayne: That's—okay. 

Campbell: Karl [Kilduff]? 

Bayne: Or any night, I'm sure.

Campbell: No, anytime. We can try again. We can start over, but not in public. We've got to start—

Bayne: Well, you've just lambasted me and Callie for five minutes and I think that's very unfair. And you don't want give us a chance to respond, and so—

Campbell: Thank you.

Bayne: —more power to you.

Campbell: Yep.

Bayne: That's the way this Board of Selectmen is running. That's very unfortunate for the town.

Campbell: That's very nice, David. Thank you.