Greenwich Selectman 2019 Election Profile: Litvack Vs. Rabin

GREENWICH, CT — On Nov. 5, Democratic incumbent Sanford "Sandy" Litvack will face off against Republican challenger Lauren Rabin for the position of Greenwich selectman. The winner will serve alongside either Republican first selectman candidate Fred Camillo or Democratic candidate Jill Oberlander.

Litvack has served as selectman for the past two years. He previously ran against Peter Tesei for first selectman in 2017, but ultimately lost and accepted the selectman position.

"Jill and I teamed up because we thought that the two of us together brought unique and complimentary skills," Litvack said during a debate held on Oct. 10. "Together, I think we offer something that this town has not had. That's what we want to present. We think we offer that leadership."

See also: Greenwich First Selectman 2019 Election: Camillo Vs. Oberlander

Rabin serves on the Greenwich Board of Education and is a former member of both the Representative Town Meeting and the Board of Human Services.

During a debate held earlier this month, she said she wants to apply her "experience, energy and enthusiasm" to the position of selectman and will make sure the town has a three-member board that is "available, present" and there for the community at all times.

"I left my job to focus on the role of being selectman," Rabin said, "and I'm going to work to improve our schools, the costs of our services and the ways that our interdependent boards and commissions govern to ensure we're all supporting a common mission."

Who is Sandy Litvack?

Litvack has served under First Selectman Peter Tesei, alongside Selectman John Toner, for the past couple of years. After losing to Tesei in the 2017 first selectman race, Litvack decided to accept the customary selectman position.

"After a great deal of consideration, I want to state that it will be a great privilege for me to serve as a selectman and to bring to the board my vision, my energy and my experience," Litvack said in a 2017 statement regarding his decision. "I will work on behalf of all the residents of Greenwich to advance the causes I espoused during the campaign."

Litvack also has an extensive law background, practicing law in New York City for 20 years before shifting gears in the 1980's and moving to California, where he became General Counsel of the Walt Disney Company. He later became Chief of Corporate Operations and then Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors during a lucrative time in the company's history before moving to Greenwich in 2006.

Who is Lauren Rabin?

In addition to her town government experience, Rabin has worked for 35 years in both training and development and marketing and communication.

In June, she announced she would be throwing her hat in the ring for the town selectman race. Her decision came after being discussed by two Republican Town Committee (RTC) search committees, one that wanted her to run again for Board of Education and another that considered her a good candidate for the position of selectman.

Forced to choose between the two, Rabin decided to go with the one she has had on her mind for some time.

See also: Board Of Education Member Joins Greenwich Selectman Race

"Running for selectman is something that I have thought about for a while," Rabin said to Patch in June. "As time unfolded, I discussed it with my family and people who are close to me. I decided that was the position I wanted to try to win."

On Role of Selectman

Rabin said selectmen have a number of responsibilities, including traffic control and nominating boards and commissions. She said she looks forward to collaborating with the other two members board members on these types of tasks.

She also wants to establish a way to "share best practices with the [town's] independent boards and commissions" to ensure they, along with the board of selectmen, are all operating in the same direction.

Litvack said he thinks selectmen have two important responsibilities, one of which is supporting the board and ensuring it acts "as a team." The other role is to "ask the tough questions," something he said he has done as selectman.

"It's making sure that everything that is brought to you has been aired publicly and aired in a way that you have the facts," Litvack said. "One of the concerns I have is that when the Board of Selectman acts, it acts on facts. That's the hardest thing to get the board to do, and it's something I'm committed to doing."

Special Projects

Litvack said he wants to establish an economic development plan for the town. He cited his work on these types of plans at Disney as evidence that he knows how to create and execute an effective one.

"You can't have a company and you can't have a town that remains viable without an economic development plan," Litvack said, "but you also need to be able to execute that plan...the plan is the easy part; it's the executing that is the hard part."

Rabin said the school system has been impacted by the district's "revolving door" of superintendents, and she would like to be an ombudsman to ensure the current superintendent, Toni Jones, "is successful and can steer our school system into the future."

She also would like to put something in place to help students deal with mental health issues and substance abuse.

"There's a lot that our youth are struggling with," Rabin said. "I happen to be a mother of two children...I'm also the liaison to student government, and I hear firsthand the pressures that our students are under. I'd really like to think about what we could be doing as a community and as a government to help people struggling with these illnesses."

Nomination Process For Boards and Commissions

Rabin noted she isn't necessarily dissatisfied with the current nomination process for the town's boards and commissions, she agreed there was always "room for improvement."

"I think there are some issues with just getting talent," Rabin said, "and having people understand that we do have open spots on all these boards and commissions."

Rabin said it was unclear to her if all of the town's independent boards and commissions are actually talking with each other and "sharing best practices." She also would like to ensure there is a "success criteria" for individuals appointed to boards and commissions to ensure they are meeting the needs they've been designated to address.

Litvack said he was satisfied with certain aspects of the process.

"The Board of Selectmen does a good job of interviewing, vetting and trying to get the best candidates for each job," Litvack said. "What I'm not satisfied with is that the process doesn't end there."

Litvack noted that candidates need to also go through the RTM and said there should be no reason, if residents trust the Board of Selectmen, that two votes should take place for a volunteer position. He also said the board has, in the past, had people turn down positions because they "got caught in the political maelstrom" after already being vetted by the board.

Rabin disagreed and said she thought the process should be open to a broader number of people than simply the three board members.

"We're three people in a community of 60,000," Rabin said. "I think there is a healthy regard for getting more people into the process...I don't think three people can make the decision in this particular regard, because there are hundreds of people that are getting appointed and being reappointed."

Litvack added that there were "not a plethora of people standing in line" for these volunteer positions.

Climate Change

Rabin said the town "definitely needs to address" climate change. She said the town needs to first "create a mission" for what they want to accomplish in this regard and establish "tangible goals."

She also wants make sure the Board of Selectmen and the town's independent boards and commissions, along with various local volunteer groups, are working together on these issues in a smart manner.

Litvack agreed the town needs to address climate change, but added they also need to make sure the state and federal government recognize its existence.

"The fact is, we've also got do whatever we can as individuals to make sure that our government, state and federal, recognize climate change is real," Litvack said, "environmental change is important and restrictions have an impact on us every single day."

Rabin added that "personal responsibility and accountability" play a role in dealing with the issue as well.