Greenwich Roundup: 05/14/08 - Bill Clark At Greenwich Gossip Choses Ed To Replace "The Doll"

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

05/14/08 - Bill Clark At Greenwich Gossip Choses Ed To Replace "The Doll"

EdforRep.com

On a picture-perfect May morning in 2008 a man stood next to a Greenwich Avenue building erected by his grandfather in 1925, and with his proud parents, wife, and daughter beside him, announced his plans to change history.

Greenwich has not had a Democratic representative in Hartford since 1912. In effect, one might say, Greenwich has therefore not had a functioning representative in Hartford for 96 years. Why? Because the Democratic party has a heavy majority in the State House of Representatives, and we here in Greenwich insist on sending impotent Republicans to "represent" us anyhow. And so we are effectively unrepresented.

Ed Krumeich plans to change all that. He ran against "the Doll" two years ago, and came within a whisker of beating her in our strongly Republican Town. Many independents and Republicans voted for Ed in 2006, and your scribe believes that "the Doll" saw the handwriting on the wall. She decided not to run again - one of her smarter moves during her many utterly unproductive years in public office.

For she never got a single piece of legislation passed. Sure, she sponsored some bills; but either they never got out of committee or they died on the House floor. She can look back on a legislative record that amounts to a big fat goose egg.

Ed, on the other hand, is an experienced lawyer who can use his training to Greenwich's advantage. As a member of the BET, he was a consensus builder, acting not so much as a member of a political party as a citizen of the Town working for the Town. As a member of the majority party in Hartford, he would be able to sponsor bills that actually (gasp!) get passed. And he would be able to bring the same common sense that has marked his career on the BET to the somewhat chaotic budget process in Hartford. Here's what he had to say on that score:

"I would like to see the State of Connecticut run more like the Town of Greenwich. We carefully balance the needs of our residents for services and the taxpayers' interest in avoiding abrupt, steep and irregular tax increases. For the past eight years we [the BET and the Town of Greenwich] have been able to limit tax increases to the rate of inflation. The State of Connecticut needs to do the same thing."

Oh, my! Fiscal responsibility in the State of Connecticut? Your scribe admires Ed for his courage.

So why should we in Greenwich change course after 96 years? Ed offers this as one reason:

"[My opponent] wants to go to Hartford to oppose, attack or criticize the majority. I want to work with the majority to get things done for the people of Greenwich."

No wonder Ed is a successful lawyer. He thinks clearly, reasons well, smiles often, and indeed "gets things done." So why would someone with a comfortable six-figure income want to take a substantial pay cut and spend untold hours commuting to and from Hartford?

"My family has been in Greenwich for a long time and Greenwich has been good to us. In return there has been a long tradition of our family giving back to Greenwich."

Well, let's see if the citizenry of Greenwich wants to take Ed up on his offer. One thing is certain: he could hardly be any less effectual than his predecessor, and the odds are pretty strong that he could in fact make good on his campaign promise of "getting things done for the Town of Greenwich." Wouldn't that be a nice change of affairs?

More From Bill Clark At Greenwich Gossip:

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Greenwich Time
endorses
Ed Krumeich for the 151st state House seat

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