EdforRep.com
On a picture-perfect May morning in 2008 a man stood next to a Greenwich Avenue building erected by his grandfather in 1925, and with his proud parents, wife, and daughter beside him, announced his plans to change history.
Greenwich has not had a Democratic representative in Hartford since 1912. In effect, one might say, Greenwich has therefore not had a functioning representative in Hartford for 96 years. Why? Because the Democratic party has a heavy majority in the State House of Representatives, and we here in Greenwich insist on sending impotent Republicans to "represent" us anyhow. And so we are effectively unrepresented.
Ed Krumeich plans to change all that. He ran against "the Doll" two years ago, and came within a whisker of beating her in our strongly Republican Town. Many independents and Republicans voted for Ed in 2006, and your scribe believes that "the Doll" saw the handwriting on the wall. She decided not to run again - one of her smarter moves during her many utterly unproductive years in public office.
For she never got a single piece of legislation passed. Sure, she sponsored some bills; but either they never got out of committee or they died on the House floor. She can look back on a legislative record that amounts to a big fat goose egg.
Ed, on the other hand, is an experienced lawyer who can use his training to Greenwich's advantage. As a member of the BET, he was a consensus builder, acting not so much as a member of a political party as a citizen of the Town working for the betterment of the Town. As a member of the majority party in Hartford, he would be able to sponsor bills that actually (gasp!) get passed. And he would be able to bring the same common sense that has marked his career on the BET to the somewhat chaotic budget process in Hartford. Here's what he had to say on that score:
"I would like to see the State of Connecticut run more like the Town of Greenwich. We carefully balance the needs of our residents for services and the taxpayers' interest in avoiding abrupt, steep and irregular tax increases. For the past eight years we [the BET and the Town of Greenwich] have been able to limit tax increases to the rate of inflation. The State of Connecticut needs to do the same thing."
Oh, my! Fiscal responsibility in the State of Connecticut? Your scribe admires Ed for his courage.
So why should we in Greenwich change course after 96 years? Ed offers this as one reason:
"[My opponent] wants to go to Hartford to oppose, attack or criticize the majority. I want to work with the majority to get things done for the people of Greenwich."
No wonder Ed is a successful lawyer. He thinks clearly, reasons well, smiles often, and indeed "gets things done." So why would someone with a comfortable six-figure income want to take a substantial pay cut and spend untold hours commuting to and from Hartford?
"My family has been in Greenwich for a long time and Greenwich has been good to us. In return there has been a long tradition of our family giving back to Greenwich."
Well, let's see if the citizenry of Greenwich wants to take Ed up on his offer. One thing is certain: he could hardly be any less effectual than his predecessor, and the odds are pretty strong that he could in fact make good on his campaign promise of "getting things done for the Town of Greenwich." Wouldn't that be a nice change of affairs?
Greenwich has not had a Democratic representative in Hartford since 1912. In effect, one might say, Greenwich has therefore not had a functioning representative in Hartford for 96 years. Why? Because the Democratic party has a heavy majority in the State House of Representatives, and we here in Greenwich insist on sending impotent Republicans to "represent" us anyhow. And so we are effectively unrepresented.
Ed Krumeich plans to change all that. He ran against "the Doll" two years ago, and came within a whisker of beating her in our strongly Republican Town. Many independents and Republicans voted for Ed in 2006, and your scribe believes that "the Doll" saw the handwriting on the wall. She decided not to run again - one of her smarter moves during her many utterly unproductive years in public office.
For she never got a single piece of legislation passed. Sure, she sponsored some bills; but either they never got out of committee or they died on the House floor. She can look back on a legislative record that amounts to a big fat goose egg.
Ed, on the other hand, is an experienced lawyer who can use his training to Greenwich's advantage. As a member of the BET, he was a consensus builder, acting not so much as a member of a political party as a citizen of the Town working for the betterment of the Town. As a member of the majority party in Hartford, he would be able to sponsor bills that actually (gasp!) get passed. And he would be able to bring the same common sense that has marked his career on the BET to the somewhat chaotic budget process in Hartford. Here's what he had to say on that score:
"I would like to see the State of Connecticut run more like the Town of Greenwich. We carefully balance the needs of our residents for services and the taxpayers' interest in avoiding abrupt, steep and irregular tax increases. For the past eight years we [the BET and the Town of Greenwich] have been able to limit tax increases to the rate of inflation. The State of Connecticut needs to do the same thing."
Oh, my! Fiscal responsibility in the State of Connecticut? Your scribe admires Ed for his courage.
So why should we in Greenwich change course after 96 years? Ed offers this as one reason:
"[My opponent] wants to go to Hartford to oppose, attack or criticize the majority. I want to work with the majority to get things done for the people of Greenwich."
No wonder Ed is a successful lawyer. He thinks clearly, reasons well, smiles often, and indeed "gets things done." So why would someone with a comfortable six-figure income want to take a substantial pay cut and spend untold hours commuting to and from Hartford?
"My family has been in Greenwich for a long time and Greenwich has been good to us. In return there has been a long tradition of our family giving back to Greenwich."
Well, let's see if the citizenry of Greenwich wants to take Ed up on his offer. One thing is certain: he could hardly be any less effectual than his predecessor, and the odds are pretty strong that he could in fact make good on his campaign promise of "getting things done for the Town of Greenwich." Wouldn't that be a nice change of affairs?
posted by Bill Clark | 5/14/2008 11:20:00 AM
4 Comments:
That would be just lovely. There still are people out there that want to do the right thing, just because it is the right thing. Not many, but a few. I think though that when that person does present themselves to the voting public, no one buys it because we expect lies and broken promises. So most feel if it's to good to be true, it probably is. So he will have an uphill battle fighting the modern day mentality of the jaded voter.
Sounds to me like change is in the air.
I know I don't even have to ask you to keep us posted; you so good about that.
Hi, M.I. and Barrie,
Yes, I think Ed is the real thing, and that change is indeed in the air. So many people in Greenwich tend to vote for the status quo because that's what they've always done, so why should they bother to change now? Ed will no doubt force them to begin to think about some of the issues and whether we really want a Republican figurehead or a Democratic doer as our State rep.
P.S. Your scribe is a registered Republican, for the simple reason that if there's a primary in Town, it's usually between Republicans. But he always votes for the candidates and issues that he believes in, regardless of party label.
BTW, Barrie has a great blog up today about the sudden appearance of a swarm of bees at the end of her driveway. Read her post "Bee Alert" for more details.
Your scribe place the following in the comment thread:
To bee or not to bee, that is the question.
Hamlet winds up with its protagonist in a state of non-beeing. But then, Elsinore was a hive of intrigue. Ghosts and other unsavory characters swarmed everywhere. As usual, it was all due to the activity of the queen. When Hamlet confronted her, her drone of a second husband killed off Hamlet by means of a poisoned sting.
From which we are to learn that bees are to be avoided if you wish to live a long and happy life. Clearly that was the message Shakespeare was trying to convey to us in this widely-misunderstood play.
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