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01/10/2024 08:00 AMWhy did the Republican Town Committee fail to run candidates for Board of Education (BOE), Board of Finance (BOF), or Board of Assessment Appeals in 2023? It was certainly not the fault of either the Democratic Town Committee or the Independent Town Committee. Karma has come back to bite the Republicans for their attacks on their own party in the summer of 2021.
That summer, a small but determined group of registered Republicans, using the rules of their own caucus, beat the incumbent Republicans who were seeking to be nominated for re-election. This new slate also prevailed in the September primary. The new party organization also orchestrated the removal of a number of members of the Republican Town Committee. Some of those ousted members had held positions of first selectman and selectman and had served on the BOE and BOF. In one evening, they removed decades of institutional knowledge about the workings of municipal government.
This new band of ideological zealots proceeded to run one of the worst and most divisive campaigns ever seen in Guilford. Voter turnout in November topped 61% of eligible voters, and the Republicans were soundly defeated by the Democrats and the newly formed Independent Party of Guilford.
In 2023, there was one Republican in an elected position. They chose not to attempt to run any candidates in this year’s municipal election, so Democrats and Independents prevailed. They prevailed because they have members who understand municipal government and its role of service to the community.
The Guilford Republican brand, which is devoted to the constant harassment and vilification of our public schools, is not what Guilford wants.
Meanwhile, the Democrats, the Independents, and unaffiliated voters have been stepping up to serve a town government that works best with participation, engagement, and compromise.
Tim Sperry
Guilford