To the Editor:

Proper leadership of Old Lyme requires sound judgment, patience, sensitivity, integrity and experience.  It has been asserted that Cathy Carter has 15 years of experience in government and, therefore, she is ready to lead our town. I have reviewed the facts and determined otherwise.  Rather, it appears that her “experience” has been elaborated only for purposes of the campaign.

The campaign brochure handed out at the Selectmen’s debate on October 29 includes a brief biography of Mrs. Carter.  It refers to her service as a lacrosse coach and a PTO president.  It mentions no government or leadership experience.

Mrs. Carter’s LinkedIn page cites her skill at sales, marketing, public relations and lacrosse coaching.  It makes no mention of any government or leadership experience.  It states that she graduated from high school in 1982 and received a BA in 1986 and an MPA in 1990.

In a letter Cathy has distributed to voters, and in Jim McQuade’s October 30 letter to LymeLine, Cathy’s experience is described as follows:

— Internships in Meriden City Hall and the US Congress in 1983, 1984 and 1985.  Hence these were undoubtedly unpaid internships during her college summer vacations.

— During the period 1986-1993, working for housing authorities in Meriden, Bridgeport and Stamford, and as a housing advocate while serving as a “Governor’s Fellow for the State of New Jersey.”  The letters do not state the scope of this work, let alone why it is relevant to serving as a town’s CEO.

— Working as a sales rep for EnviroMed Services, Inc.–a private environmental consulting firm and not a governmental entity—from 1993 to 1998, presumably trying to sell the company’s services to towns in New Haven and Fairfield counties.

Cathy’s letter lists no positions after 1998.  What’s wrong with this picture?  Cathy has no relevant experience but pretends otherwise.  This is not a good recipe for town leadership.

Bonnie served eight years as Selectwoman before serving four years as our First Selectwoman.  She has done an excellent job and knows it inside out.  Bonnie is, beyond dispute, the better candidate to lead our town.

Sincerely,

Judy Burdick,
Old Lyme.    

To the Editor:

A few days ago the Republican candidate for Old Lyme First Selectman circulated an “attack mailer” purporting to set forth “The REAL Reemsnyder record.”  Portraying Bonnie Reemsnyder in an ominous black and white photo and misstating her record, the piece typifies the sort of disinformation we see in negative, dishonest campaigns elsewhere.  It also foreshadows the tone and substance we could expect in Town Hall were Cathy Carter to be elected.  Some corrections to Mrs. Carter’s misleading statements are these:

Bonnie supports the efforts of the beach communities to pursue a sewer solution and has done nothing to impede them.  She agrees with the WPCA that sewers are the most cost-effective response to the DEEP’s orders to correct shoreline pollution, given its attitude toward a local solution.

The design changes in the boathouse project have reduced the estimated cost from the $883,000 approved by town meeting to $600,000 ($478,000 of which to come from a STEAP grant).

The earliest cost projections for the Sound View improvements project were based on a conceptual plan and not a defined project scope or engineering estimates.  They were too low.  The project is NOT going to double in cost but, instead, will decrease in scope until additional funds can be found.  A $601,000 federal grant will pay most of the current construction budget of $751,000.

The DEEP’s requests for additional work increased the cost of the WPCA’s wastewater study.  Mrs. Carter’s public statements that the potential sewer project would result in a $50 million expense to Old Lyme taxpayers is patently false.  The cost of the study and the project are subject to reimbursement from Clean Water Funds, and the balance is expected to be financed by bonds to be repaid by users of the sewers, not any other Old Lyme taxpayers.

When the Old Lyme police department encountered internal discord impairing its effectiveness, Bonnie had to step in.  Some officers were unhappy and filed grievances, which were rejected unanimously by the Old Lyme Board of Selectmen and are expected to be dismissed on appeal.

In summary, Mrs. Carter and her team are making things up for purposes of soliciting votes.  (It would have been helpful to have a truth-meter at the October 29 debate.)  Rancorous, deceptive politics have no place in Old Lyme.  We need Bonnie: open, honest, inclusive, moving forward.

Sincerely,

George Finley,
Old Lyme.

Editor’s Note: The author is an elected Democrat on the board of assessment appeals as well as on the  Democratic Town Committee, both in Old Lyme. He also sits as an alternate on the Harbor Commission.

To the Editor:

As the Reemsnyder/Nosal power duo readies for its third victory, I think back how true leadership reversed trends perpetuated by their predecessors. Old Lyme had become accustomed to a barrage of lawsuits from numerous lake and beach residents; all of them no-win for the town. The coastal areas were driven to pollution status by town laws supposedly authored for returning clean water to the aquifer. Numerous school plants and facilities reached embarrassing condition levels before any renovations began.

In contrast, Reemsnyder/Nosal have listened to all homeowners concerned about the value of their property. They have used forward thinking to reverse the environmental harm done to water front communities and they supported the seamless high school renovation,
the timing of which impacted taxes in the least possible way.

Superior schools, clean environments, home value protection, and modest tax increases are reasons we need to stand behind the Reemsnyder/Nosal team in November.

Sincerely,

Paul Gallo,
Old Lyme.

To the Editor:

I am pleased to write this letter to inform fellow voters how Cathy Carter’s many years of experience in government service have prepared her for the job of Old Lyme First Selectman.

Cathy earned both her undergraduate and graduate degrees in public management with a concentration on municipal government.  In the early 1980’s, she served in two consecutive internships in Meriden City Hall and in Washington in the US Congress.  Following her internships at the municipal and federal levels, she served in positions with the Meriden and Bridgeport Housing Authorities for several years.  Cathy was also selected as a Governor’s Fellow for the State of New Jersey and served in a position created to address the famous 1983 Mount Laurel NJ Supreme Court decision.  Cathy then spent several years in positions with the Stamford Housing Authority and a sales role serving Fairfield and New Haven County municipalities.

Finally, Old Lyme residents will recall Cathy was a girl’s lacrosse coach for many years as well as a Lyme-Old Lyme High School employee for several years.

Old Lyme will be well served by Cathy Carter’s many years in government service.  I urge Old Lyme voters to join me in supporting Cathy and her team on November 3rd.

Sincerely,

Jim McQuade,
Old Lyme.

To the Editor:

The Republican campaign literature purporting to compare the candidates for First Selectman is so misleading that one wonders if the authors understand our community at all.    Similarly, the Republican Town Committee has blatantly violated town party custom by posting campaign signs at locations other than their campaign headquarters.  The Old Lyme Democratic Town Committee posts the following letter after requests to remove the improper signs were initially ignored.   The good faith agreement has been breached.

For years the Democratic and Republican parties in Old Lyme have abided by a “gentleman’s agreement” to avoid the use of political signs during elections, except at party headquarters.  Now, with a new Republican Town Committee chair and an unknown candidate for First Selectman, this long-held tradition is being ignored.  Clearly, the Republican campaign headquarters is located in the Hideaway shopping center, and yet massive signs are displayed at the corner of Route 156 and Halls Road.

This breach of agreement raises more serious questions than a change in advertising practices.  If the new guard in the Republican Party is going to ignore the longstanding agreement on signage, will their candidate respect in the future other past practices, traditions and preferences of the Old Lyme community?  Tough to tell, as there is no record to review of her performance on any town government boards, commissions or even special committees.  What is known is that she has not objected to this activity.

Old Lyme is a unique community whose residents appreciate our character and history.  We deserve to have our traditions respected by our leader.

Bonnie Reemsnyder is a just such a leader we can count on.

Please join me in voting for the Reemsnyder & Nosal Team, Row A on November 3rd.

David B. Woolley,
Old Lyme

Editor’s Note: The author is the Chair of the Old Lyme Democratic Town Committee.