“What Were They Thinking?”

We are at a critical point in Westport’s history. Future residents will look back at this period of time with either gratitude for Westport’s crisis planning skills or scratch their heads
and wonder, "What were they thinking?”

The entire Town of Westport deserves credit for maintaining emphasis on superior quality schools, wonderful recreational services and contemporary views in a charming New England setting. As residents, we personify these qualities and many have moved here because of them and continue to support these qualities.

While many of us go about our daily lives raising families, volunteering for community organizations and earning a living, a small group of elected officials are charting a course that puts at risk all of the ideals we hold dear. I believe Westport is in the midst of our own “perfect storm” that will affect these ideals for many
years to come. In politics I would characterize that perfect storm as the
intersection of power and arrogance.

The last fourteen years have given a whole new meaning to the phrase “election results” for Westport. The election of the Democrat majority to Westport’s Boards and Commissions has resulted in an unprecedented period of financial blunders, mismanagement and heightened public controversy about the direction of Westport.

Westport: the Highest Debt in the Country

On October 24, 2011, Reuters
published an article stating that “Connecticut has the highest debt per capita” in the entire country. On March 21, 2011, Westport Patch reported: When the unfunded pension and retiree health care benefits are added to our current Town debt, Westport will likely be the Town with the highest debt per person in the entire USA. Yes, you read that correctly.

Under the current Town
Administration we have seen Westport’s finances deteriorate, intense squabbling
between boards, a P&Z that sues the very people they were elected to
represent and a First Selectman more interested in securing his own generous
pension benefits before he has to reduce pension benefits of the other Town
employees. In the past 24 months the Fire and Police Chiefs along with every
police lieutenant have retired or quit; so have the Dept. Heads of Personnel,
Finance and Tax Collection. What were they thinking? Search the archives of
this newspaper; unfortunately, the facts speak for themselves.

The Board of Finance

By electing Tom Lasersohn, John Pincavage and Mike Rea to the Board of Finance, the Town Administration will be held to a higher standard of transparency and leadership. Financial discipline will be restored to Town Hall by, 1. Reducing retiree pension and medical liabilities, 2. Conducting an independent audit on the pension and retiree benefit plans, and 3. Better anticipating financial risks and encourage
more transparency by posting complete financial information on the Town’s
website.

Planning & Zoning Commission

The egregious state of the current P&Z leadership defies explanation. An objective reader might conclude the writings of the Republican Party Chairman as political rhetoric and half-truths. So don’t take my word for it. Valerie Seiling Jacobs, a
registered Democrat and member of the group “Save Westport Now” said it best in
her op-ed in WestportPatch, and I quote: “During the past few years, P&Z
has been tone deaf to the concerns of Westport residents. Since 2009,
homeowners have been so dissatisfied that they have appealed four of P&Z’s
text amendments, and two of those decisions were actually overturned—despite
the fact that they required a “super-majority” vote of the RTM. That is
reportedly more than double the number of appeals and reversals that P&Z
has experienced in its entire 50-year history. (P&Z would likely
have suffered a fifth appeal, had not it hastily withdrawn its recent plan to
allow 60-foot tall buildings downtown.)

Under the guidance of its Chairman (Ron Corwin), this Commission has often supported business interests at the expense of residential neighborhoods and has bristled at the idea of any appellate review. Take the Inn at National Hall debacle, for example. After the RTM overturned P&Z’s developer-friendly text amendment, Mr. Corwin urged his fellow Commissioners to sue the RTM. (Never mind that the Town Attorney advised against it or that the Town Charter specifically provides for such checks and balances.) Amazingly, Mr. Corwin admitted on the record that he and others were “elected and some people gave money and contributed to us to try and get these things done.” A video clip of his admission can be viewed at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIv5gZCaN5Y&feature=youtu.be
A few months later, when confronted with neighborhood opposition to another
proposal, Mr. Corwin suddenly adopted a ban on partisan t-shirts and signs at
public hearings, notwithstanding the fact that the new rule probably violates
the First Amendment. It is time to wrest control from this Chairman and to
refocus the town’s planning and zoning efforts on residents. “end of quote.

Mr. Corwin is not up for re-election this year, but we can change the direction of the P&Z by voting for Cathy Walsh, Al Gratrix, Chip Stephens and Jack Whittle. For any Democrats reluctant to vote for a Republican, these candidates were also endorsed by Save Westport Now. SWN has been at the forefront of many of these P&Z battles and has selected candidates who it believes are committed to protecting neighborhoods and residents’ rights.

Board of Education

Financial mismanagement on the “Town-side” of the budget may impact the “Gown-side” of the budget. We must keep a vigilant eye to make sure that the quality of our schools is not comprised. One of the most important things we do as a community is to educate our children and we must not let a great school system become just a “good” one. Financial blunders will only threaten the quality of our children’s education and lower property values for all Westporters.

Jeannie Smith and Jen Tooker possess a unique combination of business and educational experience, to go along with the perspective that comes from raising their young families. Jeannie and Jennifer represent the future of our Town, and together they will help keep our schools great and protect the investment the taxpayers of Westport have made in one of our town’s greatest assets, its school system.

Consider the facts before voting.

The current administration will try to convince you that Westport has weathered the economic storm and that everything is perfect in Westport. He won’t mention that problems are made worse by dysfunctional Town management with little defined processes and no financial controls. Or that our problems are made worse by the lack of political will in his political party to challenge their elected friends in office. They will extort bipartisanship and quick fixes to problems without fully understanding how they occurred in the first place. I too would like to be lulled into thinking that Westport is perfect and change isn’t necessary. But the facts speak for themselves. The sad state of affairs demonstrates the damage that one-party rule can inflict on the Town. There are no “checks and balances” in place to
ensure that politicians are held accountable. Westport deserves better.

The ending of this story hasn’t been written yet. You can play a large role in creating a positive outcome or go along for the ride and also wonder “What was I thinking?”

Bob Zappi

Chairman Westport RTC