GREENWICH — The political landscape will shift in Greenwich after the municipal election in the fall, with many familiar political figures from both parties deciding to not seek reelection this year.
One member of the Board of Selectmen and at least three of the four members of the Board of Education whose terms are up this year are stepping aside.
Selectperson Jill Oberlander, a Democrat, said she is not planning to run this fall. On the school board, Chair Peter Bernstein and member Peter Sherr, both Republicans, and Meghan Olsson, a Democrat, all said this past week they would not be on the ballot. Democrat Kathleen Stowe, the board’s vice chair whose term is also expiring, has not announced her plans.
“While I have enjoyed my eight years of service to the students and citizens of Greenwich, I will not be seeking another term on the Board of Education,” Bernstein, who has been chair since 2017, said Friday.
The Board of Education consists of eight elected members serving four-year terms, with four members elected every two years.
First Selectman Fred Camillo and Selectwoman Lauren Rabin, who ran on the Republican ticket in 2019, have not announced their plans for 2021. Rabin said Friday that she expects to make a joint announcement with Camillo in the coming weeks.
But Oberlander will not be on the fall ballot, after running for first selectman in 2019 and earning a seat on the board. The Board of Selectmen has three members who are elected every two years.
“It is a privilege to represent the residents of Greenwich on the Board of Selectmen, and I am very proud of my contributions and accomplishments,” Oberlander said in a statement. “At present, I do not plan to stand for election in this year’s municipal election cycle.”
Oberlander, who served from 2017 to 2019 as the first Democratic chair of the Board of Estimate and Taxation in recorded town history, declined to comment further on her decision and would not say if she would seek a different role in town government.
Several possible candidates are likely interested in running for her seat, including Democrat Howard Richman, who served as tax collector from 2017 to 2019.
“The Democratic Town Committee candidate search committee is aware of my interest in the nomination for selectman,” Richman said Friday. “I expect to be interviewed by the nominating committee in the near future.”
Under Greenwich’s town charter, the top three vote-getters are seated on the Board of Selectmen, and only a candidate running for first selectman can be elected to that position. But if the losing candidate for first selectman gets more votes than a candidate for selectman, the first selectman candidate gets the seat on the board.
That’s what happened in 2019 with Oberlander and in 2017 with Sandy Litvack, after each fell short in their bids for first selectman.
Full tickets likely
The political season kicked off in Greenwich last week when Republican Tax Collector Heather Smeriglio announced she is seeking a second term.
Republican Town Committee Chair Dan Quigley said he expects Camillo and Rabin to run again and anticipates Carmella Budkins will run for a 16th term as town clerk.
“Our community should take great pride in the job our Republican leaders have done to help navigate Greenwich through the uncharted waters of this past year,” Quigley said. “First Selectman Camillo’s vision and strong leadership have set the tone for our entire community during a period when their was real fear about COVID.”
Democratic Town Committee Chair Joe Angland said the Democrats would likely field a full slate of municipal candidates, which was not always the case. But the local Democratic candidates have seen far more success in recent years than they once did in Greenwich.
“My optimism that we will have candidates for all offices is based on my understanding that many highly qualified Democrats have expressed interest in running for office,” Angland said. “Of course, we are early in the process, and we won’t know for sure until ... (they) seek endorsement from the DTC.”
Filling the school board
The DTC and RTC will both be looking to fill the vacancies on the Board of Education, which is losing two longtime members.
Bernstein has served for eight years, including the last four as chair. And Sherr is completing his 12th year on the board.
Both are Republicans, but Sherr has clashed publicly on several occasions with Bernstein as well as with other past Republican board chairs and party leaders. Sherr once went against the GOP and supported a Democratic chair of the school board over the sitting Republican.
“I’ve been blessed to give 12 years to the town’s children and improving schools,” said Sherr, who was chair from 2016 to 2017. “It’s time to focus in new directions and engage in different ways.”
Sherr was censored last month in a bipartisan but not unanimous vote of the Board of Education after he was caught on a live mic uttering a profanity during a February meeting. But he said the censure had no bearing on his decision.
It was the surprise resignation of school superintendent Jill Gildea in May 2018 that compelled him to stay on this long, he said.
“I never planned to serve three terms,” Sherr said. “But all the other senior members decided to leave and I was holding the bag when we had hired a new superintendent. I stayed to assure a successful transition. Despite many people asking me to run again, I never considered for a moment a fourth term.”
Sherr said he almost left in the middle of this term but “many parents see me as their voice in the chaos of the last few years; I decided to fulfill my commitment to them.”
As for the Democrats, Olsson accepted an out-of-state teaching position in 2019 and had been calling in remotely to meetings even before the COVID-19 pandemic. She said that she and her family would soon be moving to Massachusetts.
“I’ve truly enjoyed my tenure on the board, the relationships forged and the work we have done,” Olsson said. “The particular challenge our board faces is the obstacle to funding our public education system, and my hope is that Greenwich can appropriately fund the public schools going forward to provide a first-class education and facilities to all of our students.”
Stowe, who ran unsuccessfully for the seat in the 149th House District last November, she said she has not reached a decision on the school board.
“I’m still trying to digest the outcome of the BET (budget) meetings,” Stowe said this week. “My focus right now is ending this strange school year strong and then we will see.”
The RTC and DTC will hold nomination meetings in July. Both parties have set up committees to look at prospective candidates.
kborsuk@greenwichtime.com
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