Vote On $500K Grant Stands After Greenwich RTM Motion To Rescind Fails

GREENWICH, CT — After two months of being in limbo, the Representative Town Meeting vote to approve a $500,000 grant from the Center for Tech and Civic Life (CTCL) to the Greenwich Registrars of Voters stands for good.

The RTM on Monday night voted to reject a motion to rescind the legislative body's narrow January approval of the grant money, 98 in favor, 118 opposed with four abstentions.

The funds were approved by just three votes on Jan. 17 after a contentious debate on the grant, which was listed as item 10 on the meeting call.

But the January meeting was thrown into chaos after several members said their votes on the item had not been counted properly by the RTM's new electronic voting system.

Meridia, the vendor for the voting system, conducted a review that week with the Greenwich Town Clerk's office and said they found no defects or flaws, and the vote on the grant stood.

First Selectman Fred Camillo chose not to sign off on the grant money, and instead wanted to wait for the matter to work its way through the RTM Monday night.

District 10 put forward a motion to rescind the grant vote, saying RTM members and their constituents were disenfranchised because some votes were not counted properly. Proponents of the motion said a "clean vote" on the grant money was needed.

According to RTM Moderator Alexis Voulgaris, this was just the third time in Greenwich's history the motion to rescind provision was used. It happened before in 1934 and 1940, she said.

Opponents of the motion to rescind said it would set a bad precedent where future votes on items could be opened back up when they should remain final and respected.

State Rep. Steve Meskers (D-150), who also serves on the RTM, spoke about the "rancor" and "partisan nature" of the town's legislative body recently.

"I've been able to sit here and accept the decisions of the body. I think reopening those decisions, questioning the decisions of the moderator, leads us to a chaotic spot. I think it's unacceptable," he said. "I think we need to close the vote and move forward. We'll have plenty of issues to argue over. I think we have to stop the partisan nature of the debate."

RTM member Scott Kalb of District 7 said there would be "bedlam" if people claimed there were glitches in the voting system and votes were reopened.

"Voting and respect for the outcome of a vote are foundational to our democracy. Win or lose, we accept the results of a vote and we move forward together. That's how our system works," he said.

Steven Katz from District 10 urged his fellow RTM members to vote to rescind. He quoted Grantland Rice and said, "It's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game."

"I urge you to vote for the District 10 motion to rescind and play the game fairly, and vote your conscience on item 10 and let that item be won or lost with a fair vote," Katz said.

Ed Dadakis, an RTM member of over 40 years, said he hadn't heard a member say their vote was not counted correctly until the Jan. 17 meeting and item 10.

"When we disenfranchise any RTM member, what we have really done is disenfranchised each and every voter in their district. That is wrong. RTM voting isn't a 'gotcha game.' This isn't about one side not liking the outcome. All votes must be counted," Dadakis said. "We can fix this by supporting the motion to rescind, then moving to item 10 tonight for a clean vote on the grant. By doing that, we will restore the integrity of RTM votes in an honest and transparent fashion. Greenwich voters deserve no less."

Monday's meeting featured several new features which aimed to make the voting process easier for RTM members.

Five television screens were set up at Central Middle School which listed RTM members, both in-person and online, in alphabetical order and if they voted or not.

The displays were brighter and more legible, and voters could check to see if their votes were recorded from the handheld clickers.

The voting window was extended from one to two minutes, and a vote was not closed until Voulgaris had confirmation that all votes were cast properly and any issues were resolved.

The $500,000 grant was one of the more hot-button issues for the RTM in recent memory. The money is meant to be used exclusively for the public purpose of planning and operationalizing safe and secure election administration infrastructure in Greenwich.

However, during the January meeting, the RTM approved a motion that will allow the legislative body to have the final say on how and where the money will be used.

Those who argued for the funds to be accepted said the money was needed to purchase and update pertinent election equipment and technology, and to respond to provisions of state law related to early voting.

RTM members who were against the money questioned the motives of the U.S. Alliance for Election Excellence and its offshoot, the CTCL.

They said private money from a nonprofit organization should not be injected into local elections, and that public trust in Greenwich's elections would wane as a result.

Fred DeCaro (Republican) and Mary Hegarty (Democrat) held an information session last month on election administration and the grant money to quell concerns.

Also on Monday night, the RTM voted to reject a second "scholarship" grant totaling $9,600 which would have paid for the town's membership in the Alliance program. The vote was 101 in favor, 101 opposed with four abstentions.