Is There A Schism In The Greenwich Republican Party?After decisive election results that settled any doubts about whether Greenwich is still a Republican town, Republican Town Committee Chairman John Raben officially announced Wednesday night that he will be stepping down after four years at the helm.
The announcement was made at last Wednesday’s meeting of the RTC where the party faithful got the chance to do a victory lap after First Selectman Peter Tesei handily won re-election. Not only was Mr. Tesei re-elected to a second term by a far greater margin than most expected, but also new Republican Selectman David Theis and new Republican Tax Collector Tod Laudonia also performed above expectations in their first races for town office. With a clean sweep for Republicans on election night, Mr. Raben said it gives him the chance to leave on a “high note.”
Mr. Raben said his decision wasn’t made by the victories. Rather it was something he had come to months ago and held off announcing because he didn’t want anything to distract from the campaigns.
Mr. Raben will remain as chairman until his term expires in March. While he’s not leaving town politics behind, he said he won’t miss leading the long meetings and he’s happy to take a few deep breaths. In fact, Mr. Raben has not decided if he will remain on the RTC for another term, where he is one of District 5’s representatives. He said he wants to make sure there’s some distance between himself and the new party leadership. He said he does not want whomever is elected the new chairman to feel as though he is lurking over anyone’s shoulder......
....“You have to maintain a sense of humor,” Mr. Raben said. “You have to make sure that you keep in mind that the job is sometimes more important than the person. Don’t take things personally in this job.”......
UPDATE:
Eight Hours Later The Greenwich Time Reports .....
In the afterglow of a dominating performance by the Republicans in this month's town election, party boss John Raben is preparing to hand over the leadership reins.
Raben, 64, notified GOP leaders Wednesday night that he will not seek re-election as Republican Town Committee chairman when his current two-year term ends in March.
"I do believe we need new blood in the town committee," Raben said in an interview Thursday. "Turnover is healthy for any organization."
A former Democrat who coordinated the GOP's political efforts during the 2000 and 2001 campaigns, Raben succeeded current state Rep. Alfred Camillo, R-151st District, in March 2006 as the head of the town's majority party......
......One person who is expected to vie for the chairman's gavel is Campbell, a former member of the Republican State Central Committee.
Campbell had little to say about his aspirations to lead the party, calling it premature to speculate on the position.......
COMMENT:
Republican party insiders tell Greenwich Roundup that Raben was pushed out.
They say he was too abrasive and saw problems where none existed.
Raben was accused of causing a great deal of infighting by disgruntled Republicans.
Other party insiders spoke of Mr. Raben's family issues that just did not live up to good ole Republican values.
Could this be the begining of a Republican schism on the heals of a great town victory?
Some say the Republican party in Greenwich is not too big fail.
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