To the Editor:
As a voting resident in the Town of Old Lyme, I attended the Special Town Meeting on August 16th in the Town Hall, which was only held in person. The purpose of the meeting was to vote on the appropriation of money for four items totaling $197,000. In the past, I was always asked to verify that I was a property owner or eligible to vote prior to the meeting. No such verification was held at this meeting where less than 20 people were in attendance. I only knew about the meeting because Selectwoman Mary Jo Nosal highlighted to First Selectman Tim Griswold at a Board of Selectman’s meeting two weeks prior, that proper support and information for the requests needed to be clear to the public. Nevertheless, no handouts or information of any kind was shared with the public.
Thankfully, David Roberge, the Fire Marshal, was able to provide substantial information on the funds for Covid-19 and Storm Isaias responses, much of which will be reimbursed by the federal government. Phil Parcak, Facilities Manager, was also helpful in providing detailed information regarding the construction of a new scale house building. All three of these motions passed. Sadly, Tim Griswold was unable to provide information about the $42,000 expenditure for Police/Ranger overtime and as a result, this motion failed. When a Board of Finance member in attendance was asked what happens now, his reply was, “I don’t know, this has never happened before!”
The people of Old Lyme deserve better. We need strong leadership, not incompetence, especially when it comes to our precious tax dollars. I hope the voters will remember that on November 2!
Sincerely,
Kathleen Tracy,
Old Lyme.
Editor’s Note: The author is running as the Democratic-endorsed candidate for the position of Zoning Board of Appeals Alternate in the upcoming November election.
I think there’s someone named Kathleen Tracy running for office in Old Lyme. If that’s you, maybe include it? Just a suggestion.
Thank you for the suggestion, Dwayne. You are correct that Ms. Tracy is running for office in Old Lyme in the November election. We apologize for our oversight in not stating that, which has now been corrected as an Editor’s Note on the published letter. You have our assurance that the omission was not deliberate on either our or Ms. Tracy’s part.
Thanks for sharing this Kathleen
I am embarrassed. Neither Christina or I had this this on our calendar.
The notification of the special town meeting was carried out according to state law. Anyone calling foul after the fact is just plain wrong. And obvious lack of understanding of the process by some individuals is the only issue here.
Those are some relevant points raised above. I missed the call of “fair” or foul”, but I wonder whether the editor, or someone in Town Hall, might review the State-required notification process, or, if possible, even clarify the procedures, or at least, those areas where there was such an obvious lack of understanding.
Again, Christina and I feel sheepish about missing that vote. Given the less than twenty in attendance, we’re probably not the only ones.
Like Henri,this conversation/complaint/political gotcha has fizzled out.