With The Election Now Over, Camillo Looks Toward The Future

GREENWICH, CT — With the election now in the rear view mirror, First Selectman Fred Camillo is setting his sights on a second term in office.

Camillo, a Republican, soundly defeated Democratic challenger Bill Kelly in Tuesday's election. According to CT Secretary of the State Denise Merrill, Camillo tallied 10,794 votes (68.80 percent) to Kelly's 4,894 (31.20 percent).

[Full results on the 2021 races in Greenwich]

On Wednesday, Camillo said it was "hard to put into words" when asked what it felt like to receive widespread support from the community.

"It certainly gives me even more enthusiasm to continue serving the public and making our town an even greater destination than it's always been," Camillo said.

Among his first term accomplishments, Camillo helped craft a blight ordinance, and other environmental initiatives such as adding more items to the town's list of recyclables.

He also helped establish waste disposal, energy management, and sustainability committees, and improved pedestrian safety along Greenwich Avenue by adding bump-outs to increase sight lines for drivers. Camillo reorganized and redeployed police on Greenwich Avenue in order to make patrol units more mobile, and helped supplement major projects, such as the Eastern Greenwich Civic Center (EGCC), with public/private partnerships.

Camillo also helped guide the town through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Over the next two years, Camillo said he wants to see some of the initiatives started over the past two years through to completion, whether it's completing the EGCC, or building a new Greenwich Emergency Medical Services (GEMS) Station 4, or Dorothy Hamill ice rink. The recently approved Citizens Police Advisory Committee is expected to begin in January 2022, Camillo said.

"We're going to continue to build on the green initiatives with a few committees that we already have, that will be looking to add even more recyclables to the list and address the rising costs of carting municipal solid waste and recyclables out of town," Camillo said.

The town's flood issue will also be a major focus for Camillo's administration, especially after Tropical Storm Ida slammed into Greenwich in September.

"That was something that has come front and center, and it's been an issue for so many years, but we really want to shine a spotlight on it, get all the facts out there, see what we can fix and resolve now, and what it would take to resolve all the other ones we can't do in the short term," Camillo added.

Camillo will have a new colleague on the board, as Janet Stone McGuigan, a Democrat, was elected as a Selectperson.

McGuigan, a Representative Town Meeting member, received the third highest vote total in the Selectmen field with 6,322.

"'I'm looking forward to working with Janet, and would like to meet with her in the coming days to see what she would like to do and what her thoughts are, and also give any advice that I have after serving on the board for two years," Camillo said.

The two First Selectman candidates tried to differentiate themselves over the course of the campaign trail. Camillo touted his track record, and Kelly said he'd offer a new look as a volunteer, not a career politician.

Kelly served in town as a volunteer for several decades on the RTM, Board of Education and Board of Estimate and Taxation.

During the campaign, Kelly, who is a litigation attorney with a background in construction law, said he'd prioritize working on fixing Greenwich's aging public school buildings. He also pledged to help various committees and boards work together and across the aisle.

"I did my best to raise issues that I thought were important to the town such as the physical condition of the schools, the fields and the infrastructure," Kelly told Patch after the election returns came in on Tuesday night. "If some or all of them get addressed then I’ll feel the effort was worthwhile. I wish Fred the best because his success will be our success."

Camillo said Wednesday he's looking forward to getting to know Kelly more in the weeks and months to come.

"We've known each other for a long time, but we've had more exchanges in the last few months than we've ever had so that was good," Camillo said. "He's a good guy, and I certainly would love to get his thoughts on what he'd like the new board to undertake, and certainly I'm sure he'd be open to helping us in any way he can."

Camillo's running mate, Selectwoman Lauren Rabin, was also re-elected on Tuesday night with 9,923 votes. Camillo and Rabin grew up in town together, and now find themselves at the forefront of Greenwich leadership for a second term.

"We're friends. That really is an extra benefit, not only for us, but for the town. We have each other's backs, and we also work well with other people in our government, whether it's town hall here or on the various boards, committees, and commissions," Camillo said. "That won't change. I really look forward to the next two years with Lauren."