Introduction: Why this “Case” Matters
This case study of the Fairfield Hills Parking lot illustrates key points we think you may find persuasive enough to justify giving IPN your support and replacing the major parties that have held sway over town affairs for so long. We do not believe these are isolated incidents, but rather that they typify a broad pattern in town government. However we also believe they stand alone as actions of sufficient significance that they can form the basis for judgment, especially since the major parties response to these events has been to defend their individual actions while failing to call loudly and clearly for reform except perhaps at this eleventh hour, under the pressure of a close election.
We’re not saying that the parking lot deal should not have gone through or that it wasn’t perhaps the best we could have done in the unfortunate (and entirely avoidable) circumstances. In many respects, we don’t know the answers because the questions weren’t asked. But we do see the following issues clearly illustrated by this affair:
The lack of long range planning.
The affair makes it clear that major projects have been undertaken with little regard for the way in which they relate to the town’s overall needs and financial resources, costing us money and distorting our priorities. Further, the people that have been in charge of our town (many of whom are running for office once again) failed to make this an issue of sufficient magnitude when confronted with a prime example of this failure.
The failure of checks and balances.
Both the Legislative Council and the Board of Finance were circumvented, yet neither entity made an effective or timely protest. Without such oversight, poor decisions are allowed to stand and needed reforms are ignored.
A problem with our political culture.
We used the term “old guard” in a couple of letters not as a pejorative, but to suggest that the two problems listed above are the product of a prevailing political culture. Many, though certainly not all, current candidates from the two major parties had opportunities to address the implications of the parking lot affair and chose not to do so in any meaningful way. And there have been efforts to suppress and even vilify those who questioned them on these points. This has a chilling effect on our politics.
While one hopes that fresh faces might bring change, and the shift in major party rhetoric has been both remarkable and encouraging, we feel that this pattern clearly suggests the best chance for reform lies with the consistent leadership and vision IPN has demonstrated in this case study and in all our efforts on behalf of the town.