Dig Even Deeper and You’ll Find the Truth in Old Lyme

Share

TwitterFacebookCopy LinkPrintEmail

To the Editor:

Last week, an op-ed in this paper from a lady in Old Lyme presented erroneous and disingenuous reasons for voting against Tim Griswold for First Selectman.  Dig even deeper and you’ll find the truth and see the absurdity in the statements made in that letter.

First, the letter argued that Mr. Griswold is responsible for the economic impact of COVID on the economy and the shift away from retail business due to on-line shopping.  Wow, did she really say that?

Next this discursive and misleading rambling claimed that, as First Selectman, Mr. Griswold has not addressed the following issues:

  • Beaver Dam Flooding Issue:

The beaver dam that supposedly caused the flooding was not on town property.  Rather, it was on Old Lyme Land Trust land and the Land Trust proactively addressed the issue.  In fact, the Town does not own any of the land downstream of that pond.  Hence, any future beaver dam reconstruction related flooding is or will be the responsibility of private land owners.

  • Public/Private Land Dispute on Tantummaheag Road:

Under Griswold’s leadership, this land’s ownership dispute is being reviewed by the Town’s Legal Counsel currently.  This ownership issue is a relatively recent matter and is being carefully and properly addressed by the Selectman’s office. Mr. Griswold defends the town’s ownership of this property.

  • The Ferry Road Tree Issue:

Mr. Griswold has met with all abutting residents affected by the sidewalk issue on Ferry Road.  An engineering study is currently underway to install the sidewalk on the north side with the least impact to the mature trees.  The reason for the issue is tree root damage to the existing sidewalk on the north side of Ferry Road.  Did Mr. Griswold make those roots grow under the sidewalk too?  The residents mainly want the sidewalks to remain on the north side of the street.  Mr. Griswold has built consensus on the resolution of this undertaking.  He is balancing the residents’ wishes for rebuilt sidewalks with the least impact to the trees.

  • The Racism Proclamation:

More people in Old Lyme have come to Mr. Griswold expressing opposition to this resolution than those who support it.  When questioned about this issue, Mr. Griswold’s response has been:  Why should Old Lyme pass a resolution that most residents don’t support which officially admits the Town has a racist health crisis and which needlessly sets up lots of bureaucratic process.

  • The so-called Sewer Mess:

The administration of the sewer project is under the direction of the Old Lyme Water Pollution Control Authority and not the Board of Selectman.  Mr. Griswold has been enormously helpful in assisting the Water Pollution Control Authority with the Inter Municipal Agreements (IMAs) needed for the project to move forward.  The cost issues with the sewer project for Soundview are emblematic of the construction bidding climate throughout Connecticut and the country during these times.  Mr. Griswold did not create the economic conditions present today in the civil engineering construction business.  This is where I make my living.  So I actually know something about it.

The Dig Deeper letter digs itself an even deeper hole as it proceeds, making further non-factual statements about Commission member appointments.  Appointed members of Commissions are the jurisdiction of the First Selectman.  This was the case in the prior Democrat administration and it remains so under current Republican leadership.  Nothing awry has occurred here.

Dig deeper and you will see that Mr. Griswold has proactively addressed all of the issues raised in a responsible, prompt and cooperative manner. The dig deeper letter was both inaccurate and biased with no foundation in truth. But when your party has no issues to run on, spurious personal attacks seem to be the pattern of discourse chosen. 

If your intent is to discredit the candidate of the opposition, I suggest you get your facts straight. Better still, why not dig deeper and retract the specious statements set forth in that letter.

Vote for Tim Griswold and Matt Ward for First and Second Selectmen on November 2nd. Because integrity and experience matters. 

R. Andrew Nixon
Old Lyme, CT