Opinion: Communication, Integrity, Trust and Respect Need to be Restored

A Letter to the Editor, by Rick McCarty.

As the November 3rd election is [less than] a week away it seems as though the tension in town can be cut with a knife. It is true to form in almost any election. The Town of Brookfield is a great town. I have lived here all my life and truly love the town itself. I call it home. I’m proud to be a resident of such a wonderful place.

With that said, I have seen changes amongst the residents here. We are all human beings. We all have our opinions. And that’s everyone’s right. I find it disheartening that the people of Brookfield are frustrated, beaten down, saddened and even scared to speak out or post their thoughts on social media or by email in regards to the town politics.

The fact is they are scared of retribution from our current administration. How can this be? During the First Selectman’s debate Bill Tinsley singled out Mike Zachea for allegedly giving him the middle finger during the debate and later informing Mike that “Pay Back is a B**ch.” How tasteless can people be. This is a small sample of why people are scared. That was Tinsley’s way of retaliation for an email that was sent to him.

First off, we are human beings and party affiliation, Democrat, Unaffiliated or Republican comes after. Respect is a thing of the past. Why? I was brought up to respect everyone I come in contact with. That respect can be lost if a person is deserving of it.

We as residents need to respect each other and our views. Communication, integrity, trust and respect need to be restored. Retailiation is not the answer and not what we need from our current town officials. Let’s take back Brookfield and restore our town we all call home.