To the Editor:
A few days ago the Republican candidate for Old Lyme First Selectman circulated an “attack mailer” purporting to set forth “The REAL Reemsnyder record.” Portraying Bonnie Reemsnyder in an ominous black and white photo and misstating her record, the piece typifies the sort of disinformation we see in negative, dishonest campaigns elsewhere. It also foreshadows the tone and substance we could expect in Town Hall were Cathy Carter to be elected. Some corrections to Mrs. Carter’s misleading statements are these:
Bonnie supports the efforts of the beach communities to pursue a sewer solution and has done nothing to impede them. She agrees with the WPCA that sewers are the most cost-effective response to the DEEP’s orders to correct shoreline pollution, given its attitude toward a local solution.
The design changes in the boathouse project have reduced the estimated cost from the $883,000 approved by town meeting to $600,000 ($478,000 of which to come from a STEAP grant).
The earliest cost projections for the Sound View improvements project were based on a conceptual plan and not a defined project scope or engineering estimates. They were too low. The project is NOT going to double in cost but, instead, will decrease in scope until additional funds can be found. A $601,000 federal grant will pay most of the current construction budget of $751,000.
The DEEP’s requests for additional work increased the cost of the WPCA’s wastewater study. Mrs. Carter’s public statements that the potential sewer project would result in a $50 million expense to Old Lyme taxpayers is patently false. The cost of the study and the project are subject to reimbursement from Clean Water Funds, and the balance is expected to be financed by bonds to be repaid by users of the sewers, not any other Old Lyme taxpayers.
When the Old Lyme police department encountered internal discord impairing its effectiveness, Bonnie had to step in. Some officers were unhappy and filed grievances, which were rejected unanimously by the Old Lyme Board of Selectmen and are expected to be dismissed on appeal.
In summary, Mrs. Carter and her team are making things up for purposes of soliciting votes. (It would have been helpful to have a truth-meter at the October 29 debate.) Rancorous, deceptive politics have no place in Old Lyme. We need Bonnie: open, honest, inclusive, moving forward.
Sincerely,
George Finley,
Old Lyme.
Editor’s Note: The author is an elected Democrat on the board of assessment appeals as well as on the Democratic Town Committee, both in Old Lyme. He also sits as an alternate on the Harbor Commission.