by Timothy Bristol

Dear Stratford Resident,

How many of us have attended a Town Council meeting in Stratford recently? I can’t imagine it’s many of us. Town Council meetings aren’t exactly must-see, but Stratford’s meeting seems particularly empty. Now, part of this may be due to Covid, or the late hour of the meetings themselves, but Some of this does seem to be by design.

The majority in the Town Council don’t seem to want the public at these meetings and have done everything in their power to limit public involvement. The scripted nature of the meetings is designed to make them as short as possible. I’ve clocked in at least one meeting at under 20 minutes from start to finish. They have also taken the only public interaction portion of the meeting and held it a solid hour and a half before the real Town Council meeting starts.

If you want to make a public comment to the town council, you must sign up at 6:30, a full hour and a half before the actual meeting, and public comment starts at 6:45, if you do not make that fifteen-minute window then better luck next time. This is obviously designed by the majority in the Town Council to limit public comment and disenfranchise those who want to air grievances at town meetings. But that is not all.

If you make the sign-up period and get to speak to whichever Council Members decide to show up to the public comments, and you speak for the allotted 3 minutes. The council members who are there can’t interact or respond to your comments. Something I find most disappointing. The Republican majority in the Council have put themselves in a bubble. It’s basically the equivalent of sticking their heads in the sand. This is not how to gain the trust of the public, or how to create participation from the public.

Town Council Meetings should be a forum for the public to interact with the council in an official setting. Instead, we the public get a pre-scripted show by the Republican majority, where they all get to play a part while limiting public involvement and the democratic minority. This is not how meetings should be run.

Public comment should be a part of the meeting agenda, during the actual meetings, not an hour and a half before the meeting. I encourage you to go to the public comments at the next Town Council meeting and demand more transparency.

Dear Supporters and Friends,

I genuinely thank the many folks who have reaffirmed their friendship and support for me. As you may know, I did not pursue a primary against the Stratford Democratic Town Committee (SDTC) nominee Immacula Cann for Stratford’s Mayoral election. This decision does not come easily; I, like you, love our town and fear what it has become. Republicans have been in power in Stratford for over ten years. In this time, we have seen our taxes increase for most residents, our debt obligation skyrocket, economic stagnation, diminishing educational standards, and a divide between those who have and those who don’t.

As a candidate for elected office, you would expect significant factors are your platform, credentials, integrity, local accomplishments, and town experience. Political wisdom is that town-wide name recognition is also beneficial. In a fair process, the chairperson is neutral, and the candidates prevail on the strength of their attributes. Unfortunately, during our Democratic nominating process, we did not see that.

Instead, we saw the DTC chairperson email a last-minute character assassination (the day before the endorsement meeting) of lies and false associations to swing enough endorsement support in collusion with the Cann mayoral campaign members. I was deeply hurt to be blindsided by these 11th-hour accusations in a complaint before the endorsement vote to ensure Immacula Cann was the Democratic candidate for Mayor. The timing was not suspect; it was intentional. The use of dirty politics under the pretense that someone else is responsible for finding the truth when the damage is done is unforgivable.

However, forcing a primary will only result in further negative attacks leaving the winner weaker financially and maligned. That is not the campaign I want to run nor the kind of person I am, and certainly not the politics I support.

Rather than using the opportunity to unify the party more, this new SDTC leadership has sowed division and distrust within its ranks. The Democratic Committee is visibly divided; good people have left or considering resigning. Per the CT Post, the “Cann campaign said they’re ignoring the infighting.” However, the Cann negative campaign caused the infighting, they proved they would do anything to win, and Democrats can become dispensable.

It is no longer the Committee that I know nor the leadership I can continue to follow. Therefore, I have resigned my affiliation with this current Stratford Democratic Town Committee. I am working proactively with the SEEC to clear my name. Unfortunately, it can take up to a year for the State Election Enforcement Commission to release its findings.

Nevertheless, I do plan to support some of the endorsed Democratic candidates. But to be clear, I will continue to love my Democratic Party, and I love Stratford above all. Ultimately, my decision is based on my principles, not to engage in the negativity and infighting some candidates encouraged. This decision is what’s best for my family, friends, and supporters. Accordingly, I will continue to help my community as a volunteer to make our town better.

I love Stratford. But there are much better ways for me to serve with integrity and respect for everyone. Thank you to my friends and supporters for their faith and support during my candidacy.

Stephanie Philips
former Democratic Candidate for Mayor