I have never called our First Selectman “Timmy,” not even once, on Trumbull Chat or in any other communication.

My differences with the First Selectman and the Trumbull Republican Party are not personally based, no matter what some people think. The root of my differences is based on the fact that I was a very loyal supporter of the First Selectman two years ago, and I was a very vocal and passionate advocate. Yet everytime I look back at the things I was saying 2 years ago, everytime I see what the Republicans were saying 2 years ago, I feel terrible because I see how far away Tim Herbst and the GOP is from what we said back then….what I truly believed when I attached my name to it.

Let me give some examples….I was just going back to some old threads from just this time two years ago. They are all still here on Trumbull Chat if anyone wants to look at them. Bill Holden started a thread about how Robert Scinto had made a $1,000 donation to the Democratic Party. We all then proceeded to talk about how contractors want to buy influence with those in power and how the Republicans don’t accept such donations….and we talked about ethics reform whereby those who do business with the town of Trumbull shouldn’t be able to contribute and the parties shouldn’t accept such donations. But as soon as Tim was elected, he started accepting the same donations we all said were bad and we said we wouldn’t accept. Now the GOP has donations from multiple town contractors and thousands from town employees.

We talked about “Family and Friends” and how it was wrong and how the GOP wouldn’t hire this way. However, the opposite took place. So far, the First Selectman, Chief of Staff, Executive Assistant, and Technology Director are all friends and all graduated from Trumbull High, class of 1998. By the way, it’s not illegal to do it, but we said it was wrong and we wouldn’t do it. And then we did. And that leaves idealists like me with a bad feeling.

We talked about the debates and when the Democrats accused the GOP of “ducking” the Board of Finance and Board of Education debate, we said we never agreed to a format in advance and that wasn’t fair. Now, two years later, when the Democrats never agreed to a format, the GOP blasts them for not accepting terms that were never discussed in advance. It’s hypocritical.

Tim said he was going to lead with transparency in everything he did. Then, his very first move was to get sworn in during the middle of the night in his parents’ home without the people of Trumbull being able to witness the transfer of power and Mr. Baldwin was not even given the courtesy of a heads up that he was no longer First Selectman. Was this what we promised?

I don’t have anything personal against Tim. I am disappointed in him for doing the exact opposite of so many things he said he would do. I am disappointed in myself for being so naive when it comes to politics and being played for a fool….someone who was willing to get out there and passionately advocate for someone and who believed what he was saying, but the folks who called the shots just wanted to get elected and had no intention of ever actually delivering on those promises.

This time around, I have no illusions of grandeur. Tim has demonstrated that he’s just an ambitious politician, and he has his sights set much higher than Trumbull, and he will do anything he has to in order to reach his goal. This time around, I’m not making a ton of promises about what a new administration will do. I’m supporting someone who certainly is not an ambitious politician, but a community leader, volunteer, mother, wife and a genuinely good person. I am supporting someone who I stood next to at the food drives for the Trumbull Food Pantry and talked for four hours about something other than politics. I am supporting someone I know cares about Trumbull and has no aspirations of higher office, and believes in doing the right things for the right reasons. Regardless of what happens at the polls in one month, I am a better person for getting to know this wonderful person and her family.

Thomas Kelly
Republican
Board of Education