WORDS MATTER (sometimes)
A recent statement put out by the Democratic Town Committee Chairman, called for “necessary repudiation” for the use of the word “bucket” at a recent Board of Education meeting. The word was used by several individuals of the administration throughout a presentation to the board on district priorities in which they were rolling out a new gifted and talented program (Level Up). It was further used by others during the ensuing discussion including BOE member, Sean McEvoy, in an unfortunate statement for which he has apologized. It is, however, election season and some very vocal Democrat supporters are calling for the resignation of a BOE member that they have attacked at every turn because they just do not like him.
The statement by the DTC Chairman goes on to say “Sometimes, however, opponents do or say things so egregious they must be addressed.” Well, let me take you into the annals of Ridgefield politics where people have said things they may like to take back. In one case, a current member of the BOE referred to Ridgefield Public Schools as a “militant district”. In another case, a sitting member of the Economic & Community Development Commission used the classification of “old white men” to state why a new award should not be named after Cass Gilbert. This member was reappointed to the Commission by the Board of Selectman by a 4-1 vote recently even after they stated that the statement was not within the town's ethical standards. The recent Chair of the Affordable Housing Commission wrote in a printed article that Ridgefield's Zoning Laws were racist. A claim for which he has yet been able to provide any substantive evidence. Let's not omit the time a former DTC member referred to Republicans as having white hoods in their closets. He subsequently received the Spirit of Martin Luther King Award. Probably the worst of all was our own current State Representative posting a picture of an elected President impaled on a broomstick being flown by a witch.
All these highly egregious statements were made by Democrats either elected or appointed to town offices or committees. In each of these cases, the statement was premeditated and not an off the cuff statement in a discussion. In most cases I do not recall hearing an apology. Never a peep from the DTC on any of these statements so the fact that they are now making a statement in this case smells of politics which the DTC Chairman states is not in line with their general rule.
Sean McEvoy has been a pillar of this community for decades and has volunteered thousands of hours of his time to Ridgefield. He has been the long-standing Director of the Town CERT team and during COVID, he was instrumental in running the vaccination center for Ridgefield. He manages what is probably the largest volunteer group in town of over 100 in number. Over the past 4 years he has advocated for all students in the Ridgefield Public Schools especially those with special needs/accommodations.
I have personally known Sean for several years and I vouch for his character as someone who truly cares for this town and for what he does in his various roles on the Board of Education. For all his efforts, Sean is now having to report online threats to the Ridgefield Police Department. Not surprised as Republicans in town have had their personal being, jobs and businesses threatened over the last several election cycles. It’s no wonder that it is becoming increasingly more difficult to find people to run for elected office. Unfortunately, our local DTC has adopted the DNC playbook and are more than happy to tear down their fellow neighbors in the quest for more power.
Sincerely,
Michael Raduazzo
Chair
Ridgefield Republican Town Committee