RTC Chair: Broken Promises Lead to Registrar Ousting

To the Editor-

I have known and liked Tina Gardner since I first met her when I moved to Wilton.  But as Chairman of the Wilton Republican Town Committee, my responsibility to the larger community supersedes what personal inclinations I may have.

The Wilton Republican Town Committee takes its roles and responsibilities very seriously.  Chief among them are attracting, vetting and selecting the most qualified individuals to serve in the many positions that make Wilton work. 

This includes the Republican Registrar of Voters.

Over the last several years, we have been extremely concerned about our representation in the Registrars' office. While the clerical aspects as described in the job description were being somewhat handled, the advocacy and leadership sides were severely lacking.  This presented itself in many ways, but most significantly in two areas:

1. An active Registrar, who our candidates relied on to keep them abreast of registration trends and provide them the material support they needed to succeed was non-existent.  This required that they seek the information beyond the borders of Wilton, making an already difficult job all the more so.

2. Community outreach on behalf of the Republican party was left wanting

Two years ago we vetted several candidates for the position. At that time, Tina Gardner won our endorsement by a very narrow margin based on commitments and promises to remedy the concerns the Republican party had with her performance.  Among other things, these promises included demonstrable support for our candidates and extending the Republican Registrar's visibility in the community. Almost immediately these promises were broken, and remain so to this day.

While I respect the support some have shown for our current Registrar, the facts and history that led the RTC to select Mary Arbisi are overwhelming; as is the fact that MARY ARBISI IS THE BEST CANDIDATE. 

There is much more detail and many more examples of shortcomings that informed our decision.  I would encourage all Republicans to understand why the Wilton Republican Town Committee endorsed Mary Arbisi with an overwhelming majority, and contact me @ 917-658-9008 or chairman@wiltonrtc.org.  Thank you.

Al Alper, Chairman

Wilton Republican Town Committee