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Regarding Carl Weinberg's opinion letter in the Stamford Advocate on 2/11/24.
In it Carl complained about the so-called "double dipping" by some Stamford Board of Representative members who are also running to get on the Democratic City Committee (DCC).
Not only is this common practice, it’s done by current sitting members of the DCC who benefit advantageously from double dipping as well.
Double dipping is not just exclusive to the Board of Representative members who have candidates challenging sitting DCC members in the March 5th primary election. There are elected officials on the DCC, right now, who hold elected positions in other factions of Stamford’s government.
It is also double dipping when you get elected to the DCC and are elected to the “Board of Finance” or to the “Board of Education” or let’s say “prominently supporting the mayor in the administration” as well as DCC members sitting on critical boards who are appointed by the mayor."
Each one of these entities mentioned is a part of Stamford’s governance and have current sitting members on the DCC. In refuting Carl’s point, double dipping is a way of life in Stamford politics, not a new form of politics created by the so called “Reformers.” I chalk this up to the limited amount of people who are interested and have the will to run to create a new exchange of ideas that can benefit our great City of Stamford, not Carl’s take on double dipping that is prevalent throughout Stamford’s governance.
The way I see it, the process starts when a person who wants to run for a seat on the DCC goes out and gathers the required number of signatures needed from the voters in his district in order to be placed on the ballot. Should that person acquire the proper number of signatures and win a seat on the DCC, they are then responsible for nominating people to run for any of the elected boards such as the Board of Reps, Board of Finance and so forth. These people then are placed on the ballot for election again by the voters of the city. The voters select the DCC members and the voters then select the winners — is it not the way the process should work?
I am sure it has been going on this way for many many years.
If Carl has a problem with the way this works...
Instead of writing "nasty" letters to the Advocate, why doesn't he put his effort into changing the rules that he doesn't like?
I use the word "nasty" because I think when you start comparing the people, whom he listed in his opinion piece, and then compare them with "pigs on a farm" is beneath the Dignity of a Board of Representative member, and it should be reprimanded promptly by the Board itself.
Stamford’s BOR imposes decorum in its meetings such that individual members are not skewered in meetings. Free speech aside, it would be proper form for each member to volunteer to agree that this practice should be observed outside of meetings. Public shaming makes it difficult for members to work together constructively when any member vilifies other members publicly. It’s nasty bullying and needs to stop.
In Greenwich, Selecwoman Lauren Rabin, who already has ex-oficio membership on the Republican Town Committee, is trying to become elected in the upcoming primary, displacing her hard-working supporters who helped her get elected.
Pretty aggressive back-stabbing and un-neighborly, huh?