Jill Oberlander Says Goodbye To The Greenwich Board Of Selectmen

GREENWICH, CT — With her two-year term coming to a close, Selectperson Jill Oberlander bid farewell to the Greenwich Board of Selectmen on Tuesday during her final meeting.

Oberlander ran for First Selectman against Fred Camillo in 2019 and lost, but joined the board as the lone Democrat. She chose not to run for re-election this year.

Before she made her farewell remarks, Oberlander was given a Certificate of Recognition from the town, as well as the Greenwich flag from Camillo.

Oberlander then spoke about her two years of service on the board, as well as issues she'd like to see the next group focus on. Incumbent Republicans Selectwoman Lauren Rabin and Camillo will be sworn-in with newcomer and Democrat Janet Stone McGuigan on Dec. 1.

She also thanked the scores of employees in town government and volunteers in town for their work.

"I am supremely grateful for the honor of serving the people of the Town of Greenwich on this board for two years and other elected positions for an additional 10 years," Oberlander said. She previously served on the Board of Estimate and Taxation, where she became the finance board's first Democratic chair in recorded history in 2018. She also was on the Representative Town Meeting.

"Public service has been my calling both professionally, and like many in this community, as a volunteer. I thank you for your trust in me," she added.

Oberlander recalled the theme of her platform in 2019 — the Three E's: Environment, Education and Economy.

"I've talked a lot about our success on environmental issues throughout these past two years, and also about how much work remains. These issues need to be a priority this next budget term, and I hope the First Selectman's budget will include funding to both add a staff person to cover sustainability and energy, which I might add, will pay for itself through cost savings," Oberlander said. "And to prepare Greenwich for future allocations in infrastructure funds. We can't be shovel-ready for infrastructure improvements if we haven't done the necessary planning work."

On education, Oberlander said there is a need for the community to come together and support teachers and administrators. Much of the conversation around education recently in Greenwich has been divisive, and has focused on mask and vaccine mandates.

Some members of the community have also been outspoken about district curriculum; teachers have said they've felt harassed at times.

"This was not the conversation on education that I expected to have going into this term. The pandemic changed things, and opened my eyes to the needs of our youth and young adults. Namely, to be in school, in-person, learning with their peers and adults who can identify and address social issues," Oberlander said, noting that anxiety, depression and maladaptive coping are at record-high levels.

"Knowing that there are different opinions in how to respond to the challenges of a COVID world, I ask that we not get distracted by divisive tactics, name-calling and threats, but rather band together for the good of our children and our community," she said.

On the economy, Oberlander said the Greenwich residential real estate market exploded during the pandemic, but businesses have suffered at the same time.

"I advocated for a pedestrian corridor along Greenwich Avenue, and now, we have outdoor dining and more to come. There's a lot of opportunity to do more to revitalize our community," she said.

She encouraged the board to "take a step back and develop a well-thought out economic development plan" for the whole town.

A fourth "E" came about over the last two years, Oberlander said, which is equity.

"We need equitable systems and situational awareness to how we might experience things differently from others," she said. "The work on these issues has only just begun, and I hope this entire board will be committed to seeing it through."

Camillo thanked Oberlander for her service to the town.

"I've enjoyed working with you, and certainly you've helped push a lot of things forward. Even when we didn't agree, which was often at times, it was actually good because it showed people that this board wasn't a rubber stamp for anything," Camillo said. "I truly appreciate it, and all your counsel the past two years. I look forward to you still working with us going forward. I know you have lots of passions in town here, like the [bicycle] task force and sustainability. I hope you won't go away on those things."

Rabin also thanked Oberlander and said she's looking forward to continuing a dialogue on town issues in the future.

"I'm thankful, Jill, for your service. We first met 10 years ago on the RTM, serving on the finance committee. Your contribution to the town is appreciated by many, and especially me," Rabin said. "I know that we'll have continued dialogue and we'll have your input on things moving forward."

Camillo, Rabin and McGuigan will be sworn-in on Dec. 1 at 5 p.m. at the Arch Street Teen Center.