Q: What’s DTC? Down To Cuddle?*
A: In this case, DTC stands for Democratic Town Committee. We’re here to guide and enact the policies and principles of the Democratic Party in New Canaan. This means we help nominate candidates for office, recruit and recommend appointees to town boards and commissions, organize campaigning in New Canaan on behalf of all Democratic candidates, and make sure that our party’s values and positions are a vital part of the governance of our town, state, and nation. Sometimes, this is easier said than done, but we’re hopeful for New Canaan’s future, and grateful to our Republican and unaffiliated neighbors and colleagues who are willing to work together in our community’s best interest.
*Some of our members may be down to cuddle, but since we’re the party of consent, please ask first.
Q: Wait. There are actual Democrats in New Canaan?
A: Yes! 3,391, as of July 11. We’re the minority party in a town with over 6,000 registered Republicans and 4,000 unaffiliated voters, but our numbers are growing. 53% of New Canaan voters voted for Clinton in 2016, and we flipped 3⁄4 of our town’s state legislative representation from Republican to Democrat in 2018.
Q: We elected Democrats? OMG the sky is falling!
A: We elected Democrats very specifically to keep the sky from falling, in a number of ways. Without new thinking in Hartford, we were concerned that the state’s financial outlook would never improve. We needed representatives who are truly concerned about the environment, vigilant about gun control, and have new ideas to grow Connecticut’s economy. Representative Dathan and Senators Haskell and Bergstein have done an incredible job in their first session, and we look forward to the ideas they’ll bring to Hartford next year.
Q: But Democrats want my kids to go to school in Darien or something.
A: When it comes to news from Hartford and Washington, it’s a good idea to do your fact-checking with real news sources, not Facebook groups. The school regionalization bills, all three of which our local representatives did not support, were voted down. The New Canaan DTC supports the outstanding work that the New Canaan School District does every single day in educating our children, and we support the district and Board of Education’s right to continue acting independently in the interest of the town. We’re all very proud that our schools are the best in the state, and while we do wish that every child in Connecticut had access to such spectacular resources, we didn’t approve of the school regionalization bills. Period.
Q: Evil Democrats are making my real estate investment lose value.
A: We don’t love the name-calling, but since many of our heroes, including Abraham Lincoln, Barack Obama, and Megan Rapinoe have been called evil, at least we’re in good company. Real Estate valuation is a complicated calculus, depending on supply, demand, and external market forces. There’s really no way to credibly pin our real estate values any given day on one person or
political party. One way we know we can increase New Canaan’s appeal to interested homebuyers is by improving both the train schedule and our commute time to New York City, which has lengthened steadily since the 1950s.
In truth, our mill rates are far lower than those in Westchester County and New Jersey, so we can’t say that taxes are the only factor that keeps people from buying or staying in New Canaan. And when it comes to real estate taxes, we don’t blame our Republican First Selectman for them. We pay our fair share, and work to improve and support the many services we receive in exchange for them. We’d like to work across the aisle in New Canaan to ensure that the uniqueness, warmth, and charm of our town comes across to more people so we can see demand rise for our community again. When everyone understands how wonderful and worthwhile this town is, we’ll all feel better about our home values.
Q: But... MAGA!?
A: As Democrats, we do believe in greatness. We know there is a greatness that America has yet to achieve, one that’s more inclusive, tolerant, fair, environmentally sustainable, and economically viable. We strive towards it. Every. Single. Day. However, most of us have concluded that greatness is not something that can happen under this corrupt, disastrous, embarrassing leadership-- it can be objectively said that greatness doesn’t put children in cages.
All we’ve seen for this “greatness” are rising taxes on everyone except for big corporations and the ultra-wealthy, more jobs moving overseas, and real wages for American workers remaining stagnant for the past two years. Yes, this is New Canaan, and as a community with a high per-capita income, we know there are people who just want to preserve their wealth. There are high-earning Democrats among us, too, and we simply don’t see the value in paying lower taxes when it comes at such great human cost.
We do allow everyone a right to their own opinion, and we look forward to some earnest conversations about the right way forward in 2020. For us, it doesn’t include Trump.
Q: [repeatedly posts a picture of the flag of the former Soviet Union}
A: Not sure what to do with this. We thought Russian bots were more... subtle. If you want to truly learn the difference between progressive policy circa 2019 and the underlying principles of the Soviet Union (which looked a lot more like the cronyism of the Trump administration than the Green New Deal, just sayin’) we suggest you audit some history classes at the best school district in Connecticut.
Q: You guys seem fun. Do you ever have parties?
A: Why, yes! Our next event is our annual fundraising barbecue, to be held on September 15th at 3PM at the Carriage Barn Arts Center. Tickets can be purchased online at https://donorbox.org/2019-dtc-barbecue-tickets, or at the door on the day. See you there!
Q: Can we be friends?
A: We would love that! Please follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and be sure to sign up for our newsletter - you can do so on our website, NewCanaanDems.info. See you around!