Letter To The Editor: Outside Money Seeps Into Greenwich Politics

To the Editor:
Non-residents, and their money, have entered local Greenwich politics with a clear objective to
influence our election for town offices, and by extension, policy for years to come. In over 30
years of local involvement, I have never witnessed anything like it. If successful, the attack
would have a negative impact on your tax bill.

Hard evidence can be found in filings by the campaign for Sandy Litvack, Democrat for First
Selectman, whose campaign took in 62 percent of contributions through September 30th from non-
residents, versus zero for Republican Peter Tesei. We not know how much went to the two
parties in town, but my bet is a similar pattern. And all should watch for the next set of reports
due this week.

That money is being spent. Make no mistake, these are highly coordinated and expensive efforts
utilizing print, pre-recorded robo calls, social media, video and banner ad insertion to your
computer and phone, and activists interacting to a high degree. I wish we could follow the
money to determine who is paying, and who is being paid, but we do know some things.

In a recent mailing, residents received a solicitation from the Democrat party under its “Change
for a Better Tomorrow” brand. This obviously expensive mailing included an absentee ballot
application, an addressed, stamped return envelope and a letter. The claims in the letter to
solve problems by “telling the truth” are fanciful at best. The advocacy to “stop piling on the
debt” runs against the very grain of what the Democrat party does in every legislative body or
government office in which it takes power. Examples abound in our state, all due to long-term
mismanagement by Democrat strangleholds. Hartford teeters on bankruptcy, Bridgeport begs for
a casino, New London might get saved again by Electric Boat, and many towns and cities at the
brink due to our Democrat Governor having a temper tantrum and withholding funds for
education. The root cause of all this? Decades of Democrats piling on debt and labor
obligations at all levels of government.

Just in time for the early September filing deadline, applications to get on the ballot to fill empty
RTM seats flooded the Town Clerk’s office. While competition is good, we should look very
carefully at who motivated this unprecedented move. It is no secret that a new group called
“Indivisible Greenwich” was behind it all, and it is affiliated with similarly – named groups
nationwide. Laughably it claims to be independent, but these “Indivisible” groups are closely
aligned with, and funded by, those who identify with other leftist, progressive, socialist
organizations such as Moveon.org. A major source of funding is bad boy George Soros, labeled
as such because he has thrown his considerable resource at Hungary to influence elections there.

When you cast a ballot for any candidates for the RTM, please ensure you know each person, or
have recommendations from trusted sources. One does not have to vote for all candidates
permitted on any ballot.

Recently I have noticed a significant increase in geo-targeted video and banner ads on my mobile
phone, and robo calls to home, all for Democrat Sandy Litvak, and either by him or on his
behalf. This is a sophisticated modern campaign. These ad insertions are well produced and
slick, read expensive, but lack substance.

Greenwich is the wealthiest town in the state, but much more diverse, economically and
ethnically, than its peers. With the added challenges of the budget crisis at the state level, now is
not the time for a change in leadership. We do not need vague promises of hope and change. If
you would like to keep the town moving forward, I urge you to vote Republican. Experience
you can trust and leadership that works.

Sincerely,

Harry Fisher
Former vice-chairman, Board of Estimate and Taxation
Greenwich, CT