Monthly Archives: November 2023

Letter to the Editor: Conclusions Being Reached on Halls Rd. Project Without Understanding Facts

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To the Editor:

It is very frustrating to see people reaching conclusions about Halls Road without obtaining the facts.

The town is not hiring a developer!. Property owners can choose to keep their buildings right where they are and not move them.The overlay is an option that they take advantage of or not. If they do choose it, they pick a contractor not the town.

The Halls Road Improvement Committee has no authority. All decisions are made by the [Old Lyme] Board of Selectmen (BOS) and Board of Finance. There is no opportunity for a conflict of Interest by members of the HRIC since they do not make any decisions. They just advise the BOS.

The pedestrian bridge will be paid for by grants. True, all state taxpayers contribute to funding  grants, but do we want our money to fund projects in Fairfield county or stay in Old Lyme?

Please see the town website to get the facts. Go to boards and commissions, HRIC and see the Q&A and the update.

Thanks.

Sincerely,

Howard Margules,
Old Lyme.

Editor’s Note: The author is a member of the Halls Road Improvement Committee.

Letter to the Editor: BOE Discussion of Public Comment Policy Showed General Lack of Concern for Transparency

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To the Editor:

An Open Letter to The Region 18 Board of Education

I watched the live stream of the November 1st Board of Education meeting and was troubled by the discourse and discussion around public comment policies. It showed a general lack of concern for transparency and public awareness of what business the Board of Education would discuss at meetings, and a disrespect for members of the BOE, who were not provided this discussion item on the agenda ahead of the meeting. 

First, I appreciate the commitment to continuous improvement and desire to look at policies to ensure they are appropriate, however when the chair silences the voices of board members and listens to respond — rather than listens to understand — parts of the conversation get lost. 

Additionally, Steve, you admitted at the meeting that you hadn’t read the policy and didn’t have it in front of you, if you are going to take on leadership positions, you owe it to the public to do your homework and arrive at meetings prepared and give your fellow board members and the public the same opportunity by putting items on the agenda. Further, you interrupted other members of the board and then rudely accused them of talking over you — this is not respect that any elected official deserves from the chair of the board they volunteer to serve. 

Board of Education meetings are meetings held in public, they are not public meetings. Items being discussed by the board must appear on the agenda, so the public has due notice of what is being discussed. While it sounds good to have discussion with someone making public comment, it excludes the rest of the public from the discussion because unless they attend every meeting, which you pointed out is a major burden for busy parents, they are not provided due notice (by way of the agenda) of what is being discussed at the meeting. 

It is wonderful that the public is welcome to comment. I recently asked that public comment be added to Board of Finance agendas, however it is generally understood among the public that the boards will listen to comments but not discuss them, a reminder of this widely accepted practice may go a long way towards mitigating the discomfort you discussed. 

This discussion on policy is a perfect example. I’m very interested in this and might have liked to be at the meeting or make public comment, however the topic did not appear on the agenda, so I had no reasonable way to know that this would be a point the BOE was discussing. I appreciate your attempt to respect busy constituents’ schedules, but it would be more transparent to ensure that all constituents know what is being discussed at BOE meetings by adding discussion stemming from public comment to the next meeting’s agenda.

In summary, before you start throwing out or ignoring existing policies, you need to have a thoughtful discussion and comprehensive understanding of why those policies may exist in the first place, and you need to explore all possible downstream impacts before you decide to toss long-standing policies.  

Sincerely, 

Kim Thompson,
Old Lyme.

Letter to the Editor: Old Lyme Treasurer’s Wife Responds to Griswold’s Criticisms of Her Husband; Says They Are Unfounded, Do Not Represent Reality

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To the Editor:

I take incredible exception with the Letter to the Editor, published on November 2, 2023 on LymeLine.com, signed by Timothy Griswold.

To begin, I don’t think that letter represents how Mr. Griswold really feels, so I’m not sure why he chose to put his name on it. He and current Town Treasurer Michael Reiter have worked very well together for years, and that letter would suggest otherwise. But in his own words “I guess it’s election season”.

Disappointing.

Second, when an employee goes out on emergency personal medical leave, the person frequently doesn’t inform anyone other than their direct supervisor – which in this situation was Mr. Griswold, the CEO of the town. It was his job to then inform anyone who was impacted by the leave, and he didn’t inform Michael.  Current Selectman Matt Ward did help to prepare the budget in the proper format – but Matt also didn’t think to notify Michael of the Finance Director’s absence. And still, when Michael did learn of the absence, he initiated the search to find people to fill in – when Mr. Griswold didn’t do anything. This actually demonstrates Michael’s quick thinking and willingness to work with anyone – no matter what party – to get the job done most efficiently.

Third, to set the record straight, the Treasurer is not required or expected to attend Board of Finance meetings. In fact, since the Finance Director is usually in attendance at BOF meetings, it would be redundant and a waste of time to have two people from the same department attending. When asked to attend, Mike attended.   Mr. Griswold should encourage his team to stop suggesting otherwise.

And finally, Michael has managed budgets over 60 million dollars for major defense contracts – clearly he knows his way around a balance sheet. He reached out to the experts when he noticed an opportunity for town funds to be invested in better ways due to the national financial climate. This resulted in several hundred thousand dollars of income that the town might have missed out on. Demonstrating yet again his dedication to making sure our town is in the best financial standing possible.

As I’m sure someone commenting on this LTE will point out, I am Michael’s wife and I’m running for Board of Finance. As has already happened, both Michael and I served in these positions previously when I held a seat on the BOF.  When we both ran for these offices four years ago, we consulted the town attorney who confirmed there is no issue with us running (and being married) because as a member of the BOF, I would be approving how to spend taxpayer dollars and as Treasurer, Mike will continue to make sure that tax dollars are spent exactly how taxpayers approve and invest available dollars wisely. So we don’t need to hash that out again either.

Suggesting we are anything other than dedicated to this town and ensuring its financial viability is not only misleading, it is a bald-faced lie. My husband is proud of his record over the last four years and looks forward to serving our town for another four years.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Anna Reiter,
Old Lyme.

Letter to the Editor: Thompson Explains Why Voters Should Support her Bid to be Old Lyme Tax Collector

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To the Editor:

I am running as Tax Collector for the Town of Old Lyme. As your Tax Collector, I will continue to uphold this Town’s admirable collection rate – 99 percent, one of the highest in the state – while updating our systems to make it more convenient for you to pay your taxes. 

Currently as Assistant Tax Collector, I have improved our Online Payment Center and Check Bill Status and have updated our webpage to include valuable information for our taxpayers. I take the collection, depositing and record keeping of our town’s property taxes seriously, and I will continue to uphold the fiduciary responsibilities of this position.

Over the past 20 years, the town’s leaders have recognized my professional capabilities and big-picture thinking by appointing me to represent Old Lyme on the Connecticut River Gateway Commission. I know and respect regulatory statutes, policies, and procedures. My professional work experience, leading marketing and communications teams in the private sector, is beneficial to the position of Tax Collector.

I care about the Taxpayers of Old Lyme and our Town. I am a team player. With your support, I look forward to becoming your next Tax Collector.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Suzanne Thompson,
Old Lyme.

Editor’s Note: The author is endorsed by the Old Lyme Republican Town Committee for the position of Old Lyme Tax Collector in the upcoming election.

Our Expanded Policy on ‘Letters to the Editor’

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