September 18, 2020

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The Greenwich Weekly Newspaper, where we celebrate our hometown with Greenwich news, people, and events.

September 18, 2020

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Answering Your Questions This issue of the Greenwich Sentinel is sponsored by Greenwich Hospital, the First Bank of Greenwich , and The Greenwich Sentinel Foundation. It is being delivered to every household in Greenwich (over 24,000) this week for free as a gift to the community.

Following are answers to questions we are asked all the time.

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The Greenwich Sentinel is a weekly paper.

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Greenwich and its mission is to cover local issues, town government, local politics, The Greenwich Sentinel reaches over schools, etc. in a positive way whenever 37,000 people every week via print and possible that builds community. digital platforms. The best way to be Q. I think that I still receive the Sentinel included in all of those is to go to our website in the mail, but not every week. Why is at www.GreenwichSentinel.com and fill out one of the forms there which feed directly that? into our content management system. You Occasionally, The Greenwich Sentinel can submit events, obituaries, photos, mails out free copies to help spread the family milestones, weddings, engagement word, get the news out, and offer residents announcements, press releases, letters to a chance to discover the paper if they have the editor, opinion pieces, etc. not already. These papers are sponsored by Q. My mom or dad cannot see very well businesses, non-profits, or The Greenwich anymore. Is there a way they can still get Sentinel Foundation, which pay for the extra the content in the paper? printing and delivery.

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Charity Calls To Action

Greenwich YWCA is looking for volunteers for Walk the Walk Against Domestic Violence. Please follow link for the volunteer form: ywcagreenwich.org/get-involved-2 Greenwich Alliance for Education is looking for Turkey Trot sponsors: greenwichalliance.org/wp-content/ uploads/2020/09/TURKEY-TROT-2020-SPONSORFORM-8_31.pdf St. Joseph’s Parenting Center is looking for parenting virtual class facilitators. Email mdelmore@sjpcenter. org if you can give time Monday mornings or Tuesday/ Wednesday evenings. www.sjpcenter.org/how-to-help

Grieving or Grievance?

ANNOUNCEMENTS Weddings & engagements; promotions, achievements; births; letters to the editor; obituaries. These are free.

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STORY IDEAS Publisher@ GreenwichSentinel.com COLUMNISTS Columnists and community impact. Jenny at CommunityImpact@ GreenwichSentinel.com JIM KNOX info@beardsleyzoo.org TOP 5 THINGS TO DO IN GREENWICH: www.greenwichsentinel. com/community-event/ LETTERS Editor@GreenwichSentinel. com CORRESPONDENCE PO Box 279 Greenwich, CT 06836

The 1936 Herreshoff ketch Ticonderoga, of Greenwich, crosses the finish line, under full sail, during the annual Indian Harbor Classic Yacht Regatta this past weekend. Long and sleek, she stretches 72 feet from her gently curving bow to her graceful, rounded stern. Ticonderoga, famous for her beauty and for her speed, remains one of the world's most admired racing yachts. (Photo by M.A. Fisher.)

See page 5 for local news coverage and page 11 for our candidate profiles.

POLO: 2020 East Coast Open

Illustrated by Wajih Chaudhry

By Liz Leamy

SPORTS Paul@GreenwichSentinel.com ADVERTISING Peter@GreenwichSentinel. com; call 203-4850226; or buy online at GreenwichSentinel.com/ Advertise

The Spectacular Classic Regatta at IHYC

By Jill S. Woolworth, LMFT Grieving is f luid and moves into acceptance and action on our unique timetable. No one can rush it.

Grieving is normal for a year or more after a major loss. Feeling sad, bargaining with fate, waves of anger, and periods of depression are common experiences.

Accepting the new normal takes time. Sometimes we hide from our friends or act out in uncharacteristic ways when we’re grieving. There is no right way to grieve.

A grievance, on the other hand, grows inside us like a tumor, toxic to body and spirit. When our grieving becomes a grievance, our grievance defines our life.

Grievances harden around us and suffocate our potential for experiencing hope and joy.

Mackenzie is an unhappily married woman who comments routinely about how difficult her life is because of what she perceives her impossible husband does or doesn’t do. Her friends have given up trying to help her.

When asked how her life would be different if he weren’t so difficult, she can’t even consider the question. She resumes her litany of complaints. Her huge list of grievances strangles her creative thinking.

Greenwich resident Jill Woolworth is author of the book, The Waterwheel available locally at Diane's Books (203-869-1515 or info@dianesbooks.com) or at Amazon.

Th is past mont h has certainly been a golden time at the Greenwich Polo Club as many of high-goal polo’s most decorated players and ponies have convened at this storied town-based venue to battle it out against one another in hopes of clinching the coveted 2020 East Coast Open Championship title, regarded to be one of t he most pr e st ig iou s and celebrated marks of distinction of the sport.

Over the past several weeks, the GPC has provided an ideal stage for this famous and historic The famous Perry Cup, designed by the noted American sculptor, Oscar L. Lenz sports tournament, as five with the silversmith being the Rhode Island-based Gorham Manufacturing formidable 20-goal teams Company, which goes to the victor of the 2020 East Coast Open, held at the hailing from all over the Greenwich Polo Club. (Photo by John Ferris Robben)

“Some of the best players in the country and also the world, along with their exquisite equine athletes are here playing at this tournament and it’s incredible,” said Ellie Briana Molyneux. "This is one of very few places that can host a tournament of this level and it’s very exciting.”

Eastern United States, have series of playoff matches classic t rophy de sig ne d I s l a n d - b a s e d G o r h a m gone head to head against i n t hei r q ue st to cl i nch by Oscar L. Lenz with the Manufacturing Company. one another in a dramatic the famous Perry Cup, a silversmith being the Rhode See POLO page 2

Page 2 | Greenwich Sentinel

Let There Be Lights on Greenwich Avenue!

By Julia Lucey After a challenging year with many months of uncertainty, one thing will without a doubt feel familiar this holiday season: holiday lights will illuminate Greenwich Avenue once again.

Many Greenwich residents have known and enjoyed the festive lights along Greenwich Ave, a practice originally organized by the Greenwich Chamber of Commerce.

Unti l 2014, the Cha m ber of Commerce made the decorations possible with help from private contributions, but the project eventually became too expensive to maintain. In 2015, following a dark year on the Avenue, Greenwich Green & Clean created Light Up Greenwich, an organization made up of local businesses, individuals,

POLO

From Page 1 As this tournament begins to wrap up, the two top teams left standing who victoriously made it to the final round include White Birch, the powerhouse Greenwichbased troupe that triumphantly clinched the East Coast Open title in 2016 and Black Hound DE, the fierce New York City area-based conti ngent t hat has made a n indelible mark in this tournament.

These two Teflon-tough teams are slated to go up against one another at the GPC on Tuesday, September 15th and ought to stage a final that should be one for the books, considering the astonishing experience, talent and skill of the players and ponies as a whole.

Collectively, White Birch and Black Hound DE feature some of the most famous masters of the sport, as well as polo’s rising stars, renowned rock-solid players and most beautiful and powerful horses around.

This, coupled with the fact that this much-anticipated showdown will be held at the GPC, one of the most beatific and renowned polo venues in the sport, makes this a win-win for all parties involved, including the town of Greenwich, a place known to be a crown jewel of the New England and the New York metropolitan areas due to its staggering beauty, history and energy.

“Some of the best players in the

and community members, in a successful but short-lived effort to bring the lights back.

In 2018, Greenw ich Green & Clean stepped away from this re sp onsi bi l it y, sh i f t i ng t hei r focus to other projects. At that time Greenwich resident Alyssa Keleshian took on the task of raising enough money to fund the beloved holiday lights, collecting the necessary funds in just a week from local businesses. Unfortunately, fundraising was not as successful in 2019, leaving the Avenue once again without its beloved lights.

While the lack of lights last year came as a disappointment to many, this winter we can once again expect the holiday spirit on Greenwich Avenue. Several Greenwich residents have taken charge of the event, dubbed “Let

There Be Lights,” to organize funds in order to light up the Avenue for the 2020 holiday season, raising money from Greenwich residents and businesses.

L ead i ng t he ef for t now is Sebastian Dostmann of Sebass Events & Entertainment. “The holiday season has always been about enjoying one another and bringing our community together with celebrations before the year comes to a close,” Dostman n commented. “It feels incredible to take part in this yearly tradition and be a part of bringing a sense of togetherness this holiday season, especially when we need it the most. We hope our community enjoys the Let There Be Lights season a nd feels t he joy a nd brightness we felt when organizing and preparing for this season.”

country and also the world, along with their exquisite equine athletes are here playing at this tournament and it’s incredible,” said Ellie Briana Molyneux, a proprietor of Vakiano, renowned Argentine craft providers and cultivators who is an accomplished polo player from the New York area. “I’m so grateful this opportunity has been made possible by the [Greenwich Polo Club], which is the perfect home base for this event. This is one of very few places that can host a tournament of this level and it’s very exciting.”

The first semi final, played on the expansive main field situated in the center of the classic wooden GPC grandstand with its tents and tables on the sidelines, featured White Birch and Altaris, another formidable Greenwich-based team, in a high-octane faceoff with the former prevailing over the latter, 12-10.

This scorcher of a showdown was all about speed, skill and lightning-quick ball maneuvering as White Birch, whose roster included Christopher Brant, its patron and number one player, Peke Gonzalez and Pablo Llorente, the powerf ul A rgentinian si x goalers and Mariano Aguerre, the famous Argentinian eight goaler regarded to be one of the greatest players ever of the sport and star WB player who has wowed the crowd for many years, turned on the heat.

C e r t a i n l y, t h e p r e s e n c e and star power of Aguerre was palpable as he f lew around the

f ield in his usual high-octane fashion, demonstrating why he has achieved so much success throughout his career, which includes having been inducted into the Museum of Polo Hall of Fame in 2017.

“I’m excited to watch Mariano (Aguerre). He’s a fantastic athlete and embodies everything a true athlete is all about,” said Frank Boccanfuso, whose reputable high goal team, Phoenix, was part of the GPC high-goal roster for several years. “He is at a level above even being a great polo player and does a lot more than hit the ball. He does all the things many might not know or necessarily see. He is an incredible strategist who sets up the game for others so they have an opportunity to win, scores when he needs to and delivers when it’s real high-pressure go time.”

For Aguerre, it is always a privilege to have the opportunity to play polo, something he has said he loves doing more than anything.

“It was great to be out there today and it was good game,” said Aguerre. “I think we’re all very fortunate to do what we love and I’m looking forward to the final.”

Aguerre, along with his colleagues, Gonzalez (whose father, Mario, is a decorated six-goaler and has been a marquee GPC player for years and whose stunning charge, Ramona, was named Best Playing Pony of this match), along with Llorente and Brant, seemed to work gracefully and powerfully with one another, with props for this dynamic being given to their

In addition to being part of a longstanding and meaningful tradition, the holiday lights are a beautiful display for the customers of dozens of local businesses on the Avenue. “Lighting our downtown area trees during the holiday season is an annual tradition that brings joy to our residents while creating a festive atmosphere that encourages shoppers and diners to come out and support our businesses,” says Keleshian, a lifelong resident and business owner. “The downtown lights will further create an environment that welcomes residents to come out, dine, shop or simply stroll,” she adds.

Another instrumental figure in this process has been Rick Kral, owner of the Greenwich Water Club, returning this year with his support

for the project. Kral emphasized the community-based nature of this project -- it isn’t supported by the Town of Greenwich. Rather, it relies on donations from Greenwich businesses and residents to bring it all together. After a season without the Avenue’s holiday lights, Kral hopes 2019 be registered in the history books as the last year in the dark. Dostmann similarly pointed out the community support that makes the event possible: “Fundraising is a huge part of making this event come to life and without our donors or partners we wouldn't be able to make it happen.

We welcome any donation big or small and thank everyone for their involvement in bringing the lights back to this community.”

T h e e ve n t ’s we b s i t e , gwchavenue.com, recently went

l ive to accept donat ion s a nd partnerships from individuals and businesses in town. The site offers photos of the illuminated Avenue in years past and makes a tax deductible donation easy.

Sponsorships of different levels are listed online and offer different benefits, including logo placements on the Greenwich Avenue banner and on the event website.

The lights’ return to the Avenue is sure to bring with it a sense of community and normalcy. “This winter season will be more vital than ever to our dow ntow n,” Keleshian commented. “We wanted to be sure our downtown — our wonderful community — created a spirit of comfort and joy. Now more than ever, people seek the traditions that remind them of our togetherness.”

SUMMER STAND OPEN FOR THE SEASON FROM THE FIEL H S E D FR

ESCAROLE

From the top: (1) Toro Ruiz, the electric Argentinian seven goaler regarded to be one of high-goal polo's rising stars who is a member of the Black Hound DE squad, focus down the field while playing in last Sunday's East Coast Open semi final playoffs. (2) Mariano Aguerre, the famed Argentinian eight goaler and longtime star Greenwich Polo Club player, helps lead White Birch to a 12-10 victory against Altaris last Sunday at the 2020 East Coast Open semi finals. (3) Matias Magrini, the renowned Argentinian seven goaler and popular marquis player at the Greenwich Polo Club, sets up to hit the ball in Sunday's East Coast Open semi final to help his team, Black Hound DE, score a 13-11 win over Gardenvale. (photos by John Ferris Robben)

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dedicated team patron.

“I like watching Chris Brant out there,” said Boccanfuso, who lives in the Greenwich area. “He’s a quiet gentleman who is focused and driven and he leads the team well.”

Altaris, meanwhile, played at full throttle and put up an incredible f ight against its opponent through to the end of the final (sixth) chukker.

The Altaris roster featured Kris Kampsen, the mighty six goaler from Wellington who has been a popular player at the GPC for several seasons now; Joaquin Panelo, the solid A rgentinian six goaler, Lerin Zubiaurre, the dynamic Argentinian eight goaler named Most Valuable Player of the match and Jamal Nusseibeh, the troupe’s mercurial patron.

“We knew going in that White Birch was a very tough team and this was an intense match,” said Kampsen. “They had some great plays today.”

The second semi-final, held at the Peter J. Orthwein field next to the main GPC polo playing ground,

was as thrilling at the first one, with Black Hound DE thundering past Gardenvale 13-11.

Black Hound DE, whose roster featured Will Tomita, its ever-steady number one player; Toro Ruiz, the up and coming Argentinian seven-goal polo star; Matias Magrini, the renowned Argentinian seven goaler who, like Aguerre, has been a star attraction at the GPC for many years; and Lucas Diaz Alberdi, the steadfast and quick Argentinian six goaler, played with a high-adrenaline style that put them at the top of the leaderboard, something they seemed delighted about.

“I’m very excited,” said Alberdi, who has been a marquee player at the GPC for several seasons. “It was a good match and I’m really looking forward to playing in the final. I love playing here. The fields are amazing and the people are great.”

His teammates agreed.

“It was a good game,” said Magrini, who has been a big draw for the GPC over the years. “I can’t wait to play in the final.”

Ruiz, Magrini’s talented 22 year-old nephew known for his astonishing athletic excellence, shared similar sentiments.

“It’s always great to play here and it’s very nice to come back,” said Ruiz, who is a big GPC crowd favorite. “It was fun being out there today with the whole team and I can’t wait to get out there again to play in the final.”

Without a doubt, the powerful b o n d a m o n g t h i s c l o s e -k n i t crew was both infectious and heartwarming as they could be seen hug g ing a nd g iv ing one another words of congratulations after the match.

Gardenvale, a formidable force throughout this tournament, put up a fierce fight against Black Hound DE throughout this match, leading in points against them through the majority of the first half.

Gardenvale’s roster featured Shane Finemore, its ever-steady patron, Felipe Viana and Pedro Falabella, the two exceptional A r ge nt i n i a n si x go a le r s a nd Christian (Magoo) Laprida, the esteemed Argentinian eight goaler.

Page 3 | Greenwich Sentinel

The 2020 Sentinel Awards, and a Little History

By Anne W. Semmes In 2016 The Greenwich Sentinel launched The Greenwich Sentinel Foundation to work proactively building community. Each year since its 2016 launch, the Sentinel Fo u n d a t i o n h a s h o n o r e d a Greenwich individual who most exhibits that spirit of community building it strives to support in its pages with the Greenwich Sentinel Award. This year the honor goes to Pam Pagnani, as previously announced. With this issue the Sentinel celebrates Pam Pagnani and her 2020 Award as it is unable to host the festive award night event due to the pandemic.

“Traditionally, Police Chief Jim Heavey presents the Award,” shares Sentinel Publisher Beth Barhydt. “Chief Heavey was our first Award recipient so he has been wonderful about continuing to present the Award every year.

“Pam Pagnani embodies what we believe Greenwich is all about,” says Barhydt. “She celebrates other people's victories with as much enthusiasm as her own. She almost never says no when someone asks her for help.

She rarely complains, and most importantly, she loves Greenwich.

“Pam is ver y hands-on, w h e t h e r i t ’s h e r w o r k w i t h Greenwich Academy, or her work with the Greenwich Riding and Trails Association or her work with her church, or Neighbor to Neighbor. It’s a lifelong pursuit for her. This is something she has been doing since she was a teenager. Pam also does something else. She’s a person who shows up with the casserole when there’s a death in the family. It isn’t just the work that she does for charities a nd non-pr of it s , she c a r r ie s forward the idea that we take care of our neighbors, that we care for

Chief of Police Jim Heavey, first Greenwich Sentinel Awardee of 2016 passes on the honor to 2020 Sentinel Awardee Pam Pagnani. its first recipient, Police Chief Jim Heavey. “Jim Heavey was our very first subscriber. When we started the paper and called to ask for his opinion and advice, he was very willing to talk with us and tell us what he thought.

"We wanted to put forward a Sentinel awardee, someone who watches over Greenwich, somebody who is involved in the community, an example that we can all emulate.” Beth Barhydt.

We like to have people from the Award recipient’s life, perhaps asking a daughter or son to speak, or maybe some other person who knows them well.”

each other in ways that are very personal. That we support people when they're down.”

The inspiration for the Sentinel Award, says Barhydt, came from

We knew we wanted to do some k i nd of a r e c o g n it ion aw a r d event as a f undraiser for the Sentinel Foundation. We wanted a community event that celebrated

Greenwich.

“We specif ically wanted to celebrate an individual with the following criteria: it had to be somebody who had not previously been celebrated or previously received a big award of any kind.

We wa nte d it to b e some one who does not necessarily serve as the president of boards or commissions. It needed to be somebody who volunteers and in a working capacity - someone who has hands-on work that they do on a regular basis.

“Chief Heavey, we learned, is involved in everything. He finds the time. He had a Boy Scout Troop he took on a trip to Arizona.

He’s done overnig ht camping trips with the kids. He wanted us

to know about particular events that were going on with the Boy Scouts. He asked us to cover the Glenville Fire Department’s getting a new fire truck because he was intimately involved in raising the money for it. He was very proactive with the paper in all of those ways and more. He met all the criteria. He was the example that we wanted to put forward of a Sentinel awardee, someone who watches over Greenwich, somebody who is involved in the community, someone that we can emulate.”

But this year the Sentinel added a second 2020 Sentinel Award for another age g roup entirely, for teen recipients, two Greenwich High School seniors,

Caitlyn Hone and Nicole (Nikki) Wa l ko. “We a n nou nced their Award in our special Graduation Issue sponsored by the Greenwich Athletic Foundation that was d e l i v e r e d t o w n w i d e ,” s a y s Barhydt. The two high school friends had worked for two years to bring their girls’ rugby team to prominence and succeeded in transitioning the team from a school club to a varsity sport, with the team placing fourth in the state playoffs in its inaugural season. “ We h a d n o t p l a n n e d t o have a high school award,” says Barhydt, “but my editorial team was inspired to create one.” Hone a nd Wa l ko were com mended for their “leadership, work ethic, community service, and their absolute commitment to their peers.”

The Sentinel Award for High School students comes with an engraved gift, and a scholarship of $1,000 for the recipients to put toward college expenses. This fall Hone is attending St. Lawrence University and Walko is attending Trinity University.

“Caitly n and Nik k i have demonstrated all of those qualities we look for in our adult recipients,” Barhydt told. “They are fierce in their support of others, ready to step in and help without thought of rewards or titles. They are as excited for the success of others as they are for themselves.”

Celebrating 2020 Sentinel Pam Pagnani “virtually”

By Anne W. Semmes Pam Pagnani is the 2020 Greenw ich Senti nel Awa rd w inner announced in early June. She is the fifth Greenwich indiv idual to receive the Award since its founding in 2016. Traditionally, Pagnani would have been presented with her Award by Police Chief Jim Heavey, the f irst Award recipient, at a celebratory event held before the July 4 weekend, but for the pandemic. Pagnani, instead, is being celebrated in these pages.

Over the last three months, Pagnani, as Senior Vice President of Sotheby’s International Realty, has been demonstrating in her work and in her volunteering those qualities seen in her empathetic embrace of her community that has won her the 2020 Sentinel Award.

We reached out to Pagnani to ask what message she sees in her being given this Award?

“Strange that of all days you should ask this question,” she replied. “I just led a virtual book club with about 80 of my agents in Greenwich, the Hamptons, and Palm Beach. The book, ‘The Go-Giver’ is a mindset, of the way you can actually improve your business with the idea that you are of service to others, and how that value is more important than the bottom line.

At the end of the day it’s those acts of service, and the way that you interact with people that helps you to achieve success.”

“So,” she concludes, “When I look at what the Award does to recognize things that I've done in the community, and things of that nature, I think that’s somewhat natural to me to act in that fashion. I run my business with the idea that the

more you give, the more you live. Because what you give does come back and you're not looking for it to do that, it just does by the law of nature.”

Early in the pandemic a group of Pagnani’s agents spearheaded a supportive visit to the Greenwich Hospital to show appreciation for the health workers. “They had to get the First Selectman’s permission, the Hospital’s permission, and the Police Department. We went to the garage where the health workers change shifts. We went out with the pots and pans and the bells.

Every one of our service agents was there, but we didn't put anything up that we were Sotheby's agents. We weren't trying to do it because it was about us - we were trying to do it for them. And then the hospital workers would blow their horns. It brought tears to our eyes.”

O t her t ha n her day job, Pagnani manages to serve on a number of boards: Greenwich Land Trust, Greenwich Riding Trails Association, and most actively during the pandemic with the Bridgeport based Inner City Foundation for Charity and Education.

“We have a weekly meeting for emergency funds,” she says.

She describes the Foundation with its reach across Fairfield County as “k ind of like the United Way,” giving grants to organizations. “Before we give money, we visit their facility. We go through their financials. We interview the executive director just to make sure that they're legitimate and that their need is legitimate. It isn't as sexy if you will. But at the end of the day it feeds people and educates people, and it gives them an opportunity to integrate into

Donna de Varona visiting organizations the Inner City Foundation for Education and Charities support. L to R Richard Matteis, Karen Schwarz, Jane E.Ferreira, the Mercy Learning Center President & CEO Dean Gestal, Icy Frantz, Pam Pagnani, Donna de Varona, and Rich Stone.

“What you give does come back and you're not looking for it to do that, it just does by the law of nature.” Pam Pagnani

Setting up centerpieces for last year’s Inner City Foundation Gala are Lyle Gestal McGrath, Icy Franz, Pam Pagnani and Jacqueline Wetenhall. Centerpieces are food so that they can be donated after the event to Neighbor to Neighbor.

our country or our city in a safe manner.”

I n h e r f r e q ue nt t rave l s Pagnani has found Greenwich dif ferent from other towns.

“There isn't this community spirit that we have here, where e ve r y t h i n g yo u to u c h h a s been involved with volunteers.

Whether it ’s a garden club or t he Br uce Mu seu m , t he Greenwich Land Trust or the Landmark Preservation Trust, people are committed, and they want things to happen. Instead of g r ipi ng a bout it t hey do something about it. That makes ou r com mu n it y f r iend ly, it helps people to make friends for relationships. And that's how you get that good feeling.”

“It's a culture,” she cites, “Like I build a culture at my firm. It's a work in progress, and it doesn't happen overnight, but it does happen. And I think Greenwich, certainly not by me but by all of our forebears, has always instilled this community spirit, this community i nvo l ve m e nt . Eve n o n t h e sidelines with soccer coaches. It starts very young, and you don't have to be smart to volunteer.

You just have to be able to give up your time and have a good attitude”.

S o, when t he p a ndem ic began, Pagnani had opened her door to host her New York City family of daughter, son-inlaw and two granddaughters, n o w t w o a n d f o u r. W i t h t hat welcome has come a n unexpected gift. “They have just signed a contract and bought a place here in Greenwich,” she tells, “It’s a silver lining to this pandemic.” And perhaps, d ow n t h e l i n e , t h e r e ’ l l b e that opportunity to be on the sidelines as a soccer coach to those grand kids.

Page 4 |Greenwich Sentinel

Column

Column

102 Year Old Back to the Future - And I Love It! COVID-19 Survivor Millions of creative and entrepreneurial restaurateurs converted restaurant dining to “curbside pickup” – takeout with a twist – offering much the same fare at much the same price.

By Patricia Chadwick It’s an understatement to say that the coronavirus has turned life as we once knew it on its head, with experiences ranging from truly life shattering to frightening to exasperating.

In the realm of what can only be considered an inconvenient – rather than a critical – fallout of the pandemic has been the upending of that favorite American pastime – eating out.

Whether grabbing a quick bite at a fast food joint, or frequenting a local restaurant with friends, or reveling on a special occasion at a fine dining establishment, there’s something about getting out of the house for a meal that turns monotony into variety – the “spice of life”.

During those frightening early weeks of isolation, when staying huddled in the house seemed like the only safe existence, millions of creative and entrepreneurial restaurateurs converted restaurant dining to “curbside pickup” – takeout with a twist – offering much the same fare at much the same price.

The summer months have brought back some semblance of normalcy, with accommodations by cities and towns across the country that have allowed outdoor d i n i ng to i mpi nge on space s normally dedicated to vehicular

traffic. And it’s been salutary for our mental health to be able to dine out once again.

Now, as su m mer tu r ns to fall and fall rolls into winter, we face a dilemma – at least in New England where I live – because no number of gas heaters will be sufficient to make outdoor dining a pleasurable experience. We’ll soon be reverting to sparse (at best) inside opportunities for dining, and restaurant proprietors and managers will once again resort to the creativity they adopted in the early days of the pandemic by offering “curbside” service.

In my family, while we availed ourselves of curbside service a few times, I found that I got far more psychic satisfaction from making meals at home – from scratch.

There was almost a frenzy in my domesticity, as though I was the mother bird (or a Mother Superior, or just a plain human mother), making sure the nest (or convent or home) was safe and sound and perfect.

In the beginning I’d make a single weekly trip to the grocery store. Usua lly on a Saturday morning, I’d rise in the night black ness at 5:30, a nd – u nshowered and hastily dressed – I’d arrive at the supermarket a few minutes before the magical hour of 6 o’clock to participate in the luxury of “Senior Shopping Hour,” that precious 60 minutes dedicated to those of us who were considered to be “seniors”, a term I deplore but will use to my advantage.

When I’d get a few sideways g la nc e s f r om m a ske d fel low “s e n i o r s ,” I to o k t h e m a s compliments – did I look too young to be shopping at this ungodly hour? I could have shown my driver’s license as proof of my legitimacy, but we all know that fake ID’s are a dime a dozen – at least that’s what our children tell us.

F r e sh ve g e t a b l e s , f r u it s , greens – cilantro, endive, and radicchio in particular – and all varieties of fish and meat filled my cart. Once home, I’d go online to f ind exotic recipes and then spend hours in the kitchen. My vichyssoise became my husband’s f avor ite , p a r t ic u la rly onc e I realized that putting it through the (inexpensive) blender made a far superior soup to one that went through the (expensive) Cuisinart.

Meal after meal, day after day, week after week – and I never got bored!

T h at 19 5 0 s st yle l iv i ng – long before eating out became a symbol of American culture – is now a permanent part of the life of my family, with one meaningful change since March. Instead of rising before dawn and shopping in a giant supermarket, I now head out each afternoon to an array of small shops, sometimes with an already planned menu, but more likely with an open mind to pick whatever tickles my fancy. It’s reminiscent of a time a few years ago when my husband and I spent some time in Provence and we observed the local townspeople coming to market each day.

Te ch nolo g y ha s pr ov ide d extraordinary benefits to billions of people worldwide during this pandemic – the ability to work without having to go to the office, to visit the doctor without having to leave the house, to receive a vast array of products simply by ordering online – and all of that has saved lives as well as time, energy and the environment.

Knowing that I can always rely on technology when I need it, I’m now able also to revel in life as it was lived 70 years ago, and I’m planning to live this way for a long time to come.

Patricia Chadwick is a businesswoman and an author.

Her recently published memoir, Little Sister, the story of her unusual childhood growing up in a cult, is now available in paperback. She is currently working on her second book, about “growing up” on Wall Street. www.patriciachadwick.com

By Bobbi Eggers Ruth Wilson is a sharp, vivacious 102 years old. When I called her last week, she was just finishing up with an outdoor pedicure in her backyard. She is bright and alert and sharp as a tack, but still a bit wobbly, she says. Ruth has just recovered from 3 months of suffering through COVID-19 and is still having to learn to walk again. “It is the disease from hell.”

A Cos Cob native, Ruth has been living in her home for 95 years.

Some readers may remember Mrs. Wilson as their kindergarten or first grade teacher at Cos Cob School. 200 people attended Ruth’s 100th birthday party at the Cos Cob Firehouse. More than 75 of the guests were previous students.

Born in 1918, she grew up near Rinaldi’s Deli, which was Bennett’s Grocery Store back then. As a child, she remembers women selling door to door, walking through the neighborhood with large baskets full of fresh vegetables on their head. The Ice Man would come to make deliveries and she and her friends would chase the truck down the street to get chips of ice.

As a young woman, Ruth married her husband, Edward, at Christ Church Greenwich, and has two children, Janet and Bob. For those of you who love to hear memories of Greenwich, Ruth used to take her children to watch the trucks and paving as I-95 was being built. Back in the day, local construction was often a source of small adventures with children. They watched the Maher House being moved from Putnam Hill by rolling it on railroad ties along Route 1, to the location where it stands today, as Kids in Crisis, One Salem Street.

Ruth contracted COVID-19 from a caregiver that regularly comes to her home to help out.

The caregiver had a second job in an assisted living facility and,

unfortunately, brought the illness to Ruth. She became violently ill on her daughter’s birthday when she was visiting from Chicago with her daughter, one of Ruth’s granddaughters. Three generations of Wilsons caught COVID-19 that day, which varies greatly case by case. I recently spoke with a man in his fifties whose entire family caught it. His 98 year old mother tested positive in her nursing home, but was totally asymptomatic while her son was horribly ill for over a month in April, and still has no smell and cannot taste anything.

Ruth spent the worst of her illness in Greenwich Hospital for two weeks. “Thank God for the nurses at Greenwich Hospital who took care of me or I never would have gotten better. It was because of them. They pulled me through it.” After two weeks, she was transferred to physical therapy for ten weeks because the illness had severely impacted her legs, making them swollen and unable to move.

Thankfully, she is regaining her strength.

D r. A l l i s on O st r of f i s t he Director of the Stamford Health G er iatr ic A ssessment Center located in Greenwich. “Several older adults, even centenarians, have been lucky enough to survive a COV ID-19 infection. This is likely multifactorial, perhaps fewer underly ing conditions, perhaps a genetic factor that also contributing to such longevity, perhaps underlying physical fitness and nutrition. Either way these people, including Ruth Wilson, are remarkably lucky and we all must remain vigilant in our fight against this virus.”

While we struggle through this pandemic, I asked Ruth if she has any message she would to convey to others. She immediately said, “Be careful. I would feel so badly if anyone I know would get it. It is simply awful.”

Page 5 | Greenwich Sentinel

First Selectman's Corner

Update on News from Town Hall with Fred Camillo

By Richard Kaufman Housing Authority of Greenwich Gets New Name The Gr e enw ich Hou si ng Authority has been renamed "Greenwich Communities." The change was made official last week at a gathering outside the new townhouses at Armstrong Court.

First Selectman, Fred Camillo, said this week it was time for a change. " T h e o l d n a m e Ho u s i n g Authority harkens back to a different era. Right now, there's a different philosophy when it comes to public housing, and you can see that in the work of the now Greenwich Communities, wher e it lo ok s d i f fer ent , it feels different, it is different," Camillo said. "They've not only worked to change that image and that feel, but also they've erected more housing units in the last several years than I can ever remember in my lifetime. They've done a really good job under the leadership of [Executive Director] Anthony Johnson and [chair of Greenwich Communities Board of Commissioners] Sam Romeo and all of the commissioners there.

It's a great success story, and the name change I think fits with their mission and their goals."

BET Approves Appropriation for Police Body Cameras Last week, the Greenwich Board of Estimate and Taxation approved a $359,298 appropriation for the purchase of body cameras for the Greenwich Police Department. The money will cover 160 cameras, charging stations, batteries, software, and mounting hardware. The appropriation is part of phase 1, in what will be a f ive year p r o g r a m to i mp l e m e nt t h e cameras in the department.

On July 31, Gov. Ned Lamont signed a sweeping police reform bill, which mandates that all municipalities in Connecticut must equip its officers with body cameras.

"We want to stay ahead of this. Our police department hasn't had these issues that we've seen around the country.

Certainly I think body cameras will not only protect the public, but protect the police. In a lot of cases, the police get accused of things they never did. This will help bring clarity to allegations t hat a r e m ade eit her w ay," Camillo said. "I think it certainly is a plus for our town. This can clear up lawsuits, too, and even has the potential to save money in the long run for the town."

The appropriation will now go to the Representative Town

In this week's update from Town Hall: the new name for the now former Greenwich Housing Authority, police body cameras, and the preservation of the Thomas Lyon House as well as issues on Edgewood Drive, and an update on a possible Mill Pond beautification project.

Meeting likely on Sept. 21 for parking lot near the Dorothy H a m i l l R i n k du e to s a fe t y final approval. concerns and parking issues.

Thomas Lyon House But with the rink scheduled Preservation to be replaced, the Trust decided L ast we ek , t he Boa rd of to move the house slightly in Selectmen approved a gift of place and develop reasonable $2 6 ,0 0 0 to b e put tow a r d s parking and safe access. e m e r g e n c y r e p a i r s fo r t h e "It's a rg ua bly t he oldest Thomas Lyon House. This is house in Greenwich, and it's the second approval of funds fallen in disrepair so we're trying for emergency repairs; the first to stave that off," Camillo said. approval came last month in the "Eventually, the Preservation amount of about $5,000.

Trust is going to try and raise Paul Pugliese, who is from a lot of money to not only f ix the Greenwich Preservation everything so it doesn't continue Trust, said last month that these to deteriorate, but also to place repairs are needed before a full money into an endowment." restoration project can begin.

The latest funds will now go The Greenwich Preservation to the RTM for their approval.

Tr u s t or ig i n a l ly w a nte d to Town Looking at Issues on move the house, which is the Edgewood Drive oldest unaltered colonial home The Off ice of the First in Greenwich, from its current location at 1 Byram Road, to the Selectman, the Greenwich Police top of the hill adjacent to the Department, and the Planning

and Zoning Commission are tr ying to come up with a resolution for a decade's old issue on Edgewood Drive.

Currently, Edgewood Drive is the only loading and unloading zone for all 11 car dealerships on the western side of town. The zone routinely gets tied up for hours if a tractor trailer comes to pick up a car from a dealership that's farther away. Then other trucks come in behind it, and sit in a no parking zone which is on a blind turn.

The GPD traf f ic section's proposal to fix the issue is to take nearby Edgewood Avenue -- the one way por tion that comes in from West Putnam -and convert it into a no parking, loading/unloading zone with a 30 minute limit.

Camillo left the matter open at last week's meeting, as the GPD conducts an updated traffic count for Edgewood Avenue.

"When I came into off ice, one of the neighbors reached out, and I promised to work out a resolution. Our police department and our Planning a nd Z on i ng Com m i s sion i s really working hard to come to some kind of solution, as is the Office of the First Selectman.

There will be more on that in the coming weeks," Camillo said

Update on Mill Pond Beautification Camillo has long been a pr op onent of b e aut i f y i ng and en hancing the Tow n of Greenwich, and using public/ pr ivate pa r t nersh ips to get projects done. With Mill Pond in Cos Cob, both can be accomplished.

The Junior Leag ue of Greenwich would partner with the town to clear overgrowth and low hanging branches that have blocked out the view of the pond. Camillo said there would be some strategic plantings, and benches for people to sit and enjoy the view, like a village green.

Because it's near the Post Road a nd there a re a lot of jurisdictions to deal w ith - - n a m e l y t h e D e p a r t m e nt o f E n e r g y, E n v i r o n m e n t a l Protection, and the Department of Transportation -- extra details need to be ironed out. " We' r e m a k i n g s u r e a l l of our T's are crossed and i's are dotted. We're hoping to get everything in place so the project can start in the coming weeks," Camillo said.

Stay Up tp date. Check back here each week for alternating updates from the BET and the First Selectman.

Local News Briefs EDUCATION

National Merit Scholarship Program T h e 2 0 2 1 Nat i on a l Me r it scholarship Program has announced its semifinalists and thirteen Greenwich High School students are among them.

They are: Meredith Blanchard, Chelsea Cleary, Claire Dobbins, Samuel Florin, George Gilfond, Joseph Hirsch, Anjali Kishore, Skyler McDonnell, Genevieve McQuillan, Wyatt Radzin, Iris Shi, Artemis Shung, and Colin Speaker. The Board of Education w ill be formally recog nizing them soon.

New Fields Approved for GCDS

means that the public has more input on any proposed changes to this loop of roads around t he p a rk i n Old G r e e nw ich .

Community members will be notif ied about any new construction or infrastructure projects and w ill have an opportunity for ongoing input into the process.

HEALTH

Greenwich Hospital Receives Donation

G r e e nw i c h H o s p i t a l h a s recently received a $14 million don at ion f r om Ly n ne a nd Richard Pasculano to be used to establish the Pasculano Radiation Oncology Center at the Smilow Cancer Care Center.

RTM Openings The hospital announced that The Representative Town the donation will be used for the Me e t i n g c u r r e nt ly h a s fou r construction of the care center vacancies that they are planning pavilion and healing garden. on filling over zoom on Thursday, Septem ber 17. Distr ict 1 has West Nile Virus in one vacancy, District 5 has two Town vacancies, and District 11 has one vacancy. More information The Connecticut Department c a n b e f o u n d a t h t t p s : // of Public Health notif ied the w w w. g r e e nw i c h c t . g ov/ 7 2 1 / Greenwich Department that a Representative-Town-Meeting- resident from Greenwich tested RTM. positive for West Nile Virus. The individual became sick in late Recycling Program August, was hospitalized, and is recovering. This is the fourth Updates case reported in Connecticut in Over the course of the last 2020. three months, the amount of food scraps dropped of f has Closer to Free Event risen from 450 lbs to almost a Closer to Free is an event ton. There have also been more than 300 starter k its sold at where hundreds of bicyclists Holly Hill for residents to start to b i k e a c r o s s C o n n e c t i c u t to compost their own scraps. The s u p p o r t Ya l e N e w H a v e n other recycling program that the Health System’s f ight against town has recently started, the cancer. This year, however, it textile collection bins, has also was held virtually due to the been successful with 4,400 lbs Covid-19 pandemic. Greenwich

Planning & Zoning has approved the improvements for Greenwich Country Day School’s playing field at their new campus on Stanwich Road. The proposed c h a n g e s i n c l u d e r e n ov a t e d playing fields, stadium seating, a new field house, a new storage building, and additional parking.

The changes come after GCDS added upper grades this past year and now has a high school.

Ther e wer e concer n s a b out traffic, congestion, and parking, so the approval came with many of donated materials in August. conditions to help alleviate these There has been positive feedback concerns. from residents about both the scrap recycling program GHS Interim Pupil food as well as the textile collection Personnel Services program.

Admin Matthew Hartigan has b e e n ap p o i nt e d t h e I n t e r i m Pupil Personnel Services (PPS) Administrator for Greenw ich High School (GHS) for the 2020-21 school year, effective immediately.

Mr. Hartigan replaces retiree Carleen Wood.

M r. H a r t i g a n w i l l b e r e sp on si ble for t he PP T/ I EP process, suppor ting students within the Academic Lab cla s s e s , RT I /SAT pr o ce s s to ensure consistent application of interventions and data collection, social and emotional le a r n i n g , s upp or t i n g at r i sk students, and collaboration with GHS Leadership, including the Principal, Assistant Deans, D i re c tor of St udent L i fe a nd Director of Guidance, on various programs and student activ ities. Most recently, M r.

Hartigan served as the Interim Special Education Prog ram Administrator for the District and a Special Education/Resource Room Teacher at GHS.

Hospital teamed up with Equinox of Greenwich to host a spinning event in the hospital’s Community Garden. Equinox don ate d te n spi n bi ke s a nd instructors who held 30 minute sessions for the participants who took classes in shifts this past Friday. Since the Closer to Free event started in 2010 they have raised $19 million dollars for the fight against cancer, $25,000 of which Greenwich Hospital is solely responsible for raising and this year Greenwich Hospital raised a record $8,000 for the team. You can donate through the end of September at www. rideclosertofree.org, just search for Greenwich Hospital Freedom Riders.

POLICE DEPT.

GPD Awards

BEST OF THE GOLD COAST WINNER 2020 FASHION BOUTIQUE CREATIVE MENU AT CAFE 47

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

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SPORTS

CIAC Updates on Sports

Governor Lamont recently stated that the decisions with regards to interscholastic football wou ld b e t he lo c a l d ist r ic ts TOWN GOVERNMENT decision. This comes af ter a protest on the steps Binney Park Scenic massive of the State capital against the Route CIAC decision to cancel and not Binney Park has been given reschedule the season. Among a scenic road designation by t h e m we r e m e m b e r s o f t h e Greenwich Planning and Zoning Greenwich football team. commission. This designation

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exhibition of the 2020-21 season, Material World, which will run from September 10 to October 28. The exhibit will feature three artists - Leeah Joo, Stephanie Serpick, and Jennifer Davies.

There will be 44 pieces of art featured and all except three pie ce s w i l l b e for s a le . The gallery will be open to three people at a time by appointment from Tuesday through Saturday 11am-3pm. You can learn more at https://flinngallery.com/ and can watch a virtual tour of the gallery on Youtube by searching Finn Gallery 2020 Material World.

Although the first 500 yard signs which read "Proudly S up p o r t i n g O u r G r e e nw i c h Police" were all distributed, another shipment arrived to The Greenwich Sentinel Foundation on Tuesday.

These are available through The Greenwich Sentinel Foundation with support from Edward Dadakis. If you would l i ke to plac e a sig n i n you r OTHER NEWS yard, please email Beth@ GreenwichSentinelFoundation.

Connecticut org online or call 203-485-0226.

Utility Shut-off Moratorium Hawkwatch Season Ends October 1

R aptor mig ration is upon us. Their migration takes place f rom Aug ust to Novem ber and will be at its peak in a few weeks. One hotspot for watching the migration is at Greenwich Audubon Center. You can f ind more information at https:// ct.audubon.org/hawkwatch

Tw o m e m b e r s o f t h e Greenwich Police attended the annual MADD Award Ceremony, Sergent JD Smith and Off icer Frank Solomon, at Mohegan Sun to receive awards. Sergeant Peter Scmitt was also awarded but wasn’t able to attend. Sergeant Schmitt and Officer Solomon led Finn Gallery at the department with its DWI Library enforcement and Sergeant Scmitt received a five-year recognition The Finn Gallery located on award. the second f loor of Greenwich Main Library has its f irst

Hazardous Waste Day Greenwich has postponed hazardous waste day until further notice, but New Canaan’s is open to Greenwich residents. The event will take place on Septem ber 1 2 f rom 8am - 2pm at the Wastewater Plant at 394 Main Street, New Canaan. A list of what can b e b r o u g h t a n d w h a t c a n ’t can be found at https://www. newcanaan.info/departments/ public_works/transfer_station. p hp # :~: te x t = S e p te m b e r % 2 0 12%2C%202020%20 %2D%20Household%20 Hazardous,no%20cost%20 to%20the%20residents.

CHARITY WORK

The susp ension of water service disconnections will end on October 1. Aquarion Water Company encourages customers with unpaid balances to contact its Customer Service Center to determine a payment solution that best meets their needs.

Customers can learn more about this by contacting Aquarion customer service at 1-800-732-9678, Monday through Friday, between 8:00 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., or by visiting www. aquarionwater.com/assistance.

SILVER SHIELD ASSOCIATION INC.

“An Organization of Professional Police Officers�

TELEPHONE (203) 869-9519

P.O. Box 1123 Greenwich, Conn. 06830

FAX (203) 869-7554

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE SEPTEMBER 15, 2020

Greenwich Police Union Officially Weighs-In on 2020 Election, Formally Endorsing Kimberly Fiorello, Republican and Independent Candidate Running for State Representative of the 149th District GREENWICH, CONN. - For the first time since our founding in 1958, the members of the Greenwich Police Department's Silver Shield Association have voted to endorse a political candidate. We did not take this step lightly, as we have always preferred not to weigh in on political matters but rather concentrate our efforts to serve best the many partnerships, organizations, youth, and folks of our wonderful Town.

I am proud to announce that the Silver Shield Association, which represents almost onehundred-fifty active members, from Police Officer to Lieutenants, is endorsing Kimberly Fiorello for State Representative in the 149th House District.

Over the last several months, the downward spiral and negative impact of Connecticut politics are of serious concern for those of us who swore, no matter the cost or personal sacrifice, to an oath to "protect and serve" the public.

H.B. 6004 "An Act Concerning Police Accountability" puts both the hard-working, lawabiding citizens and families of Greenwich, and the line-of-duty men and women of law enforcement at greater risk. It has become a matter of urgency for us to take a vested interest in our representation in Hartford, and today we weigh-in for the first time.

To us, the Bill was rushed through the State House and Senate with no input from police officers, police Chiefs, unions, and other stakeholders who are directly impacted by this knee-jerk reaction to an out of control national anti-police climate. No evidence whatsoever was presented to show the needs for such drastic changes, and there's no doubt in my mind that our Connecticut law enforcement community feels deceived and betrayed by these actions. We can no longer stay silent when politicians threaten the integrity of our profession and place unnecessary risk and harm to all police officers. Make no doubt about this; these changes are life-altering not just to the police officers, but to the communities we serve.

Kimberly Fiorello demonstrated her commitment by learning about our strengths and needs so that we can best serve our amazing Greenwich community. Over recent months, Kimberly has expressed her concerns publicly through multiple op-eds and videos with subject matter experts.

We trust that Kimberly will not falter in representing us, unlike the many elected officials who have. Out of all of our local state legislators, including those challengers running for office, Kimberly was and is the only person who asked us for our opinions before the Bill was voted on. When the Bill became law, once again, Kimberly was and is the only person taking their time by talking to us and others in the law enforcement community on effective strategies to correct this horrible Bill.

If there was ever a time to endorse a candidate, it is now. Police officers are in an almost defenseless position to advocate for their profession and long-standing body of work and dedication that only a police officer would know and understand. We trust that Kimberly will justly represent the needs of the men and women in law enforcement, not just in Greenwich, but the entire State. We are confident that she will go to the Connecticut Legislature and proceed with caution when confronted with reactionary bills, will do her due diligence when she doesn't know the answers, and continue to ask questions to strengthen legislation and thereby get the best results for her district.

The Silver Shield Association is proud to endorse Kimberly Fiorello, candidate for State Representative for the 149th House District.

GreenwichPoliceSilverShield.com

www.kimberlyfor149.com

This campaign is not funded by taxpayer dollars.

Paid for by Kimberly Fiorello for 149,Treasurer Ben Bianco. Approved by Kimberly Fiorello.

PUBLISHER Beth@GreenwichSentinel.com Elizabeth Barhydt EDITORS & COPY EDITORS Editor@GreenwichSentinel.com Peter Barhydt, Daniel FitzPatrick, Stapley Russell, Anne W. Semmes

An Open Letter to 2020 As we look over the next few months, I would like you to know that we have cancelled Day Light Savings this year. There is no point in giving you any more time, not even one more hour.

I plan on staying up well past midnight this New Year’s Eve. Not to welcome in the new year, but to make sure you take your leave.

Yes, there have been some silver linings to this year; after six months of talking through masks, I can finally understand what Charlie Brown’s teacher is saying.

We also got to see and truly be with our kids every day. We have the most amazing kids and they have handled their f irst pandemic (hopefully not of many) with far more grace and patience than I have. I am just not sure when we got the cat?

Our youngest is back in school taking Latin and learning how to read facial expressions only through people’s eyes. He still comes home and says, “Best day ever!”

BUT! I have not stood in front of a microphone and live audience in months. For someone who normally gives six or seven speeches and roasts during the spring and early summer this can be painful. I miss it, I admit it, I really, really miss it, making people laugh or at least trying to. I know, I am whining.

Editorial Page

COLUMN: ON MY WATCH

Did a Black-capped Chickadee rescue a Golden-winged Warbler?

By Anne W. Semmes DA curious event in nature involv ing t wo bird species witnessed recently at Tod’s Point has intrigued a number of birders, nature lovers, and naturalists of note. Captured on camera by a Greenwich birder/photographer, Jim Muchmore, is a very rarely seen G olden-w inged Warbler (GWW) with his head stuck in a leaf, struggling to free himself, when a chickadee lands on him.

Birder Jim is startled by this action, exchanges his camera for binoculars to v iew this action. “At first I thought it [the chickadee] was attacking it or being defensive,” he writes. “Then I realized that the chickadee was actually freeing the GWW - once it was free the birds went their separate ways peacefully, making me realize that the chickadee had come to the rescue.”

Spoiler alert: there is scant history of one bird species helping another bird species.

But Jim continues his heartening message of the event as sent out on Facebook: “It might be one of the most interesting things I've witnessed as a birder. It would be great to hear if anyone else has witnessed two different species help each other to safety. Humans need to be more like chickadees!”

It was my Ithaca, N.Y. wildlife photographer daughter, Melissa G r o o w h o a l e r te d m e to t h e Facebook posting: “There is so much we don’t know,” she wrote.

“Check out this example of what looks to be a kind of interspecies a lt r u i sm . Ch ick ade e he lp s a Golden-Winged Warbler. Great work, James Muchmore!”

Jim Muchmore lives in the Milbrook area of Greenwich where the streets have bird names. And it turns out it’s a bird rich area.

His back yard he has found to be a “migrant trap” or corridor for birds. Since moving out of New York City two years ago with his young family, Jim has identified 1 2 5 species in his back yard.

“I’m looking crazy at 5 a.m. with binoculars. The sun hits those trees first,” he points, where he’s spotted a Cape May Warbler, a n Ora nge Crow n Wa rbler, a Black Throated Green Warbler, a Chestnut-sided Warbler, a Hooded Warbler, a Cerulean Warbler. four Scarlet Tanagers, and so many Red Eyed Vireos. He’s recorded them all on e-bird. “I don’t think people would believe me,” he tells.

But back to that interspecies rescue as Jim sees it. The responses to his Facebook were intrig uing and impressive.

“Extremely interesting,” posted ecologist/ author Carl Saf ina.

“It makes sense to me that a chickadee would do something like this,” posted Ellen Morosoff Pemrick. “Other birds seem to follow them to food sources.”

The itch came to reach out to bird experts for their take on those “rescue” photos. “An amazing story!,” replies Patrick Comins, who heads up the Connecticut Audubon Society. “It really seems like the chickadee is helping the warbler. Some think that the markings of GWW are a mimic of chickadees to assist with them mixing in with the foraging flocks in migration. Who knows if that hypothesis is valid.”

Patrick attaches an intriguing scientific paper that investigates, “Is the Golden-winged Warbler a social mimic of the Black-capped Chickadee? “The study shows how the two birds have “an extensive overlap in range and in habitat.”

The warbler obtains much of its food as does the chickadee from buds, but the warbler’s slender bill

is more successful at probing than the chickadees stubbier bill. But no word of one bird feeding another or any interspecies rescues!

Daughter Melissa then directs me to the Cornell Laborator y of Or nitholog y bird behav ior specialist, Kevin J. McGowan, Ph.D. for his take: “Bird behavior is complex, and everything is not what it seems to be from our verybiased human perspective…So. With these photos, what do I see and what do I think? Chickadees and warblers gain nothing or only very little from their association, except protection from predators in mixed species foraging flocks.

G olden-w inged Warblers and Black-capped Chickadees actually forage in much the same way and probably compete for the same foods, so I’m not thinking they’re great friends in these f locks. In fact, one might suspect that they would be more competitive, and therefore less friendly than other chickadee/warbler matchups…

“Therefore, my first reaction i s t h a t t h e c h i c k a d e e s aw a mostly immobile Golden-winged Warbler that it felt hostile about.

It landed on it, and it didn’t f ly away. Odd. So the chickadee flew away, perhaps still clutched to the warbler (something chickadees don’t normally do; they don’t carry anything in their feet), and the warbler was dislodged. They separate and no further interaction occurs. No ‘thank you’ or ‘let’s forage together now.’”

The opinion I received from an even more august bird behavior exper t Bernd Heinrich spoke to that same self-centered, selfpreservation bird behavior. “It certainly looks like the GWW has its head through a hole in the dried leaf- likely had been checking for any of a number of insects or spiders hiding in such places. I

don’t see the helping part.”

“Certainly,” he continued, “the warbler could have gotten out easily. The chickadee is fluttering about, investigating. Chickadees are interested in alarm calls, even those of other birds, and come to investigate- its curiosity- they find out what might be dangerous.

Chickadees also routinely check out such leaf curls for caterpillars, pupae and /or spiders they contain.

Maybe, it presumed the warbler was extracting one and wanted to get it first.”

B u t t h e n , t h e r e ’s J i m Muchmore telling what he s aw. “ T h e G o l d e n-w i n g w a s panicking. In my eight years of birding experience I’ve never seen anything like what this felt like. This chickadee has landed on another bird and is holding on. And it is pulling the warbler back. I’ve never witnessed a bird landing on another bird. I’ve seen them fight each other but never seen a songbird do that. This was something different in bird behavior. It felt different. In this time of Covid everyone is trying to be a team player. To do the right thing. That’s what the chickadee was doing. Helping out the entire team.”

My daug hter Melissa gets the last word. “I think there are definitely scientists out there like Carl Safina, who commented on my Facebook post, who might argue that why not consider that such an altruistic act would also enhance survival of the chickadee.

As that paper mentions that you shared, the chickadee depends on the more proficient bill of the warbler to open up buds. The survival of the warbler can help the survival of the chickadee. So why not that explanation for an altruistic act?”?

Round Hill Community Church

I am looking forward to mask-less smiles, hopefully before the mask acne on my face becomes a permanent feature.

My Family is tired of my jokes, the dogs won’t come when I call them, and worst of all? Even I am getting tired of me! When I walk into a room and say to whichever family members are there, “Did you know….” They know a joke is coming, make up excuses and head for the door. I have never seen my daughter do laundry before, so why does she need to get it out of the dryer now?

Did you know I finished Netflix today? All of it.

Normally, I believe in living in the present, but this is too present for me. I am looking forward to mask-less smiles, hopefully before the mask acne on my face becomes a permanent feature. I am looking forward to not lurking around a door like some film noire character wondering if it’s safe to enter.

Sp e a k i n g of R ay mond Ch a nd ler…wer e we? Sure. One of his quotes has been rattling around my head lately. “The streets were dark with something more than night.” I am looking forward to a new year with abundant sunlight that we can enjoy everywhere without fear or concern, other than the normal ones. And hugs!

A year with lots and lots of hugs.

I never thought the expression, “I wouldn’t touch him with a six-foot pole” would become national policy, but here we are. I think it is time to wrap this letter up. Another great Raymond Chandler quote from his book “The Long Goodbye” says it best: “You talk too damn much and too damn much of it is about you.” I think this pandemic is getting to me.

So, if we can hurr y up and get to your expiration date, 2020, that would be totally awesome. Don’t worry, we won’t forget you. We will be talking about you for years to come.

Round Hill Community Church offers two ways to worship on Sundays: Visit us at Round Hill TV at 10:00 a.m. to find our Sunday service and to catch up on previous services. Or, Pre-register to join us outside for an inperson service at 10:00 a.m. Go to our website, roundhillcommunitychurch. org, to pre-register, find links to online services, resources, and other information, including children’s and youth messages.

Whitby School Welcomes Trustees and New Families Whitby's doors opened on August 26 for the first day of in-person learning. Joining returning students and faculty are our 2020 Whitby Trustees Merit Scholarship recipients, all of whom are enrolled in Middle School Grade 6: Maya Narendula, Owen Black, and Nikoleta Samios. A ll three students distinguished themselves among other candidates from the Fairfield/ Westchester area. Not only are they strong academically, but they demonstrated leadership skills and a commitment to follow their passions outside the classroom. In ref lecting on her decision to join Whitby f rom Long R idge School in Stamford, Maya tells us, "There are many things I love about Whitby. Coming from a very

small school, Whitby seems just big enough for me to feel independent without feeling overwhelmed. During my first visit (pre-COVID-19), I was welcomed by teachers a nd students and immediately felt a part of the school. Most of all, I love how the teachers teach the students with care and respect."

W h it by is k now n a s a n i n t e r n a t i o n a l c o m m u n i t y.

Twe nt y-n i ne new f a m i l ie s joined Whitby this fall from over six different countries, which means our student body now represents 15 countries a nd 18 la ng uage s. W hat is p a r t ic u la rly i nter e st i ng i s the number of families who r e c e nt ly move d f r om N YC and enrolled their children i n W h i t b y. P a r e n t s w e r e

impressed with the educational c ont i nuu m st a r t i ng i n t he Montessori Children's House and continuing with the International Baccalaureate program (IB) in Grades 1-8.

Mo s t i mp or t a nt , howeve r, was the healthy and safe environment created for inperson learning. For parents st i l l lo ok i ng at a lter nat ive school choices for their children, there are a limited number of openings available for the current school year in the Lower and Middle Schools.

A s s t u d e n t s , f a c u l t y, and parents settle into the new school year, Whitby is preparing for the 2021-2022 school year. Virtual Admissions events kick-off on October 8, but arrangements for a virtual tour can be made at any

time. More information is at available at whitbyschool.org/ thinkwhitbyregister.

About Whitby School Located in Greenwich CT, Whitby is a co-educational independent school that provides educational continuity for children 18 months through Grade 8 i n the Fa i r f ieldWe stche ster a r e a . W h it by offers a Montessori curriculum in the Whitby Children's House a nd t he h ig h ly-re cog n i z e d International Baccalaureate (IB) program in Grades 1-8.

These two programs form the foundation for differentiated learning where students thrive and learn to think creatively and critically, preparing them as life-long learners and global citizens.

Send Us Your Letters to Editor@GreenwichSentinel.com

Our Political Endorsements

Greenwich Sentinel Endorsements for Local Races November 3rd is fast approaching, and early voting this year means voting can begin as early as October 2, just 15 days from now.

Once again The Greenwich Sentinel offers its endorsement of the local candidates we feel best deserve your vote. We do this in the spirit of providing information that will be helpful to voters as they decide who would best serve our collective common interests in the state legislature.

As we described in an earlier editorial, we’ve approached this exercise differently this year by organizing an Endorsement Board

State Senate, District 36 Ryan Fazio (Republican) Ryan Fazio is running to unseat one -te r m i nc u m b e nt D e mo c rat A lex K asser for t he p osit ion of St ate S enator r epr e s ent i ng t he 36th District, which includes all of Greenwich, most of north Stamford and a portion of New Canaan.

Fa z i o i s a n e wc o m e r t o t h e political world, but not to Greenwich.

A lifelong native and graduate of Greenwich High School, Fazio has worked in the shipping, agriculture and renewable energy industries, mostly in Stamford. He is a member of RTM District 12 and a volunteer for Greenwich United Way and Meals on Wheels. Fazio has a special interest in education; he has been an innercity school tutor for seven years and serves on the leadership committee of the Associate Council of the KIPP Schools. He is a prolific writer and author of multiple published pieces on pu bl ic p ol ic y a nd e c onom ic issues and the need for change in Connecticut state government. His campaign slogan is “Change Hartford, S ave Con ne c t ic ut .” He i s ver y clear in articulating his priorities: “Connecticut’s fiscal insolvency is the single most important long-term issue facing the state. Without solving it, every other problem gets worse.”

Fazio took the time to respond to the endorsement board’s questions w ith detailed, thoughtf ul and constructive answers, upon which he expanded further in a virtual interview with the board. The board was impressed with his analysis of the challenges facing our state, and the proposals he offered. His thoughts on the issue of pension reform were nuanced and compelling.

I n h is opi n ion, “ W hat ne e ds to happen is for the state government to alter ex isting state employee contracts on the margin to make them sustainable to the state budget and economy. That does not mean the state should break contracts in a gratuitous way. It means that there should be lower cost of living a dj u s t m e n t s , h i g h e r e m p l oye e c o nt r i b ut i o n s to p e n s i o n s a n d health benefits, no overtime spiking of pensions, def ined contribution plans, and, potentially, employee buyouts. This is the only right way to solve the problem politically and economically.” He adds: “This is the generational challenge of our state. It can be solved, but it will take the right perspective and leadership to achieve it in the face of enormous opposition.”

He is in favor of term limits for state legislators and “would likely vote in favor of amending the state constitution to create a five-term [10 years] limit in the General Assembly.”

Fazio summarized his priorities and proposed actions as follows: “To improve the economy, we need to slash income tax rates and simplify the tax code. We need regulatory refor m a nd spend i ng d iscipl i ne that will welcome job creation and investment. To improve education, we should ensure academic rigor, reduce state mandates on local districts, and oppose regionalization efforts. And to keep people safe, we need balanced public health and policing strategies that protect civil liberties but also preserve public safety.”

The endorsement boa rd was impressed w ith Fazio’s grasp of t he issues faci ng ou r st ate, h is articulation of clear priorities and concrete, thoughtful solutions, and his energy, enthusiasm, vision and passion for turning our state around.

Remarkably so, given that Fazio is only in his early 30s. But the board actually considered his relative youth an asset. As Fazio himself noted, f iscal instability is a generational challenge for our state. Fazio would bring the perspectives, concerns, ideas, energy and enthusiasm of his generation to Hartford. It would not be the first time that the contributions of thirty-somethings made political history (check out: https://slate.com/

to independently arrive at our endorsement decisions. The Board was comprised of six Greenwich residents, chosen for their dedication to Greenwich, their individual acumen, their varying demographics, varying backgrounds and spectrum of political philosophies. The Endorsement Board includes two Republicans, two Democrats, and two Independent/ Unaffiliated voters.

They gathered and reviewed a variet y of sources about all the candidates including education, responsibilities, and accomplishments in the public and private

news-and-politics/2013/08/ howold-were-the-founding-fathers-theleaders-of-the-american-revolutionwere-younger-than-we-imag ine. html).

Fazio’s opponent, incum bent Alex Kasser, made history when she became the f irst Democrat to win the 36th Senate District since 1930, defeating a f ive-term incumbent by a little more than 600 votes.

Notwithstanding that promising start, and the advantages of a Democrat controlled House and Senate, and a Democrat governor, it was not clear to the endorsement board, based on information it reviewed, exactly what accomplishments she has made, or what specific actions she has taken, personally, to address the serious issues facing our state identif ied a nd d isc usse d a b ove; a m isse d opportunity that in these dire times cannot be repeated.

For these reasons, The Greenwich Sentinel endorses Ryan Fazio for election as State Senator representing the 36th District.

State Rep., House District 149 Kathleen Stowe (Democrat) Kathleen Stowe is running for the seat long held by Livvy Floren, who announced in April that she would not be seeking another term. Her opponent is Republican Kimberly Fiorello. A first-time candidate for statewide off ice, Stowe has made significant contributions to the work of the Greenwich Board of Education since her election in 2017, particularly by leveraging her two decades of experience in the financial industry to help manage budgetary issues. Selfidentifying as a fiscally conservative Democrat, Stowe plans to leverage that experience and those skills in helping to grow our state and local economies.

The endorsement boa rd was particularly impressed with Stowe’s balanced, moderate and creative approach to issues, and her collaborative style, all of which will be a welcome breath of fresh air in the midst of the current partisan ra ncor. R a ise d i n a D emo cratleaning household and identifying as a moderate politically while also advocating for fiscal responsibility, Stowe readily acknowledges that that mix comes with certain challenges.

She explains: “That sometimes feels like a lonely position in the hyperpartisan world we seem to inhabit, but I believe it is the right place for me. I often felt Livvy voted not based on party, but on her ideals, and I think you will find I am quite balanced on all issues, but identify more closely with the Democratic Party today on social policies from public education to the environment and individual rights.”

Stowe has proven her ability to work “across the aisle” to get things done. Board of Education chair Peter Bernstein has said that her skills have “truly aided” the board as it has had to work with tighter and tighter budgets. “She has a firm grasp on the need to find efficiencies and make an impact by doing more with less,” Bernstein, a Republican, said. “This is demonstrated regularly by her ability to see both the forest and the trees; she can take a large amount of data and distill it to the important points.”

Stowe’s opp one nt , K i m b e rly Fiorello, is likewise new to state politics. The endorsement board w a s i mp r e s s e d w it h F i o r e l l o’s clear articulation of her views as a solutions-focused advocate for limited government, free market economics, reduced taxation and individual liberty, and her decision to reject funds from the state’s public campaign finance program (“I want to earn the financial support of people who support me”). Born in South Korea and educated at West Point and Harvard, Fiorello worked on Wall Street and was a reporter in Hong Kong for The Wall Street Journal. A 7-year Greenwich resident, she is a

sectors, news articles, op-eds by the candidates, voting records, candidate profiles by third parties from previous elections, campaign websites and social media pages and campaign literature. The Board also prepared a list of questions for the candidates and conducted socially distanc ed inter views with those individual candidates who chose to participate.

The Board met (virtually) multiple times over the per iod f rom Au g u st 26 throu gh September 14. The ground rules were that the endorsements were to be made on people, not part y, and by unanimous consensus or at

member of the RTM and helped found the Charter Oak Leadership Program.

While neither candidate has had statewide political experience, the endorsement board felt that Stowe’s leadership experience on the Board of Education and record of bipartisan collaboration gave her candidacy the edge.

A c c o r d i n g l y, h o p i n g t o a d d another voice of reason, civility, and collaboration to the legislative process in Hartford, The Greenwich Sentinel endorses Kathleen Stowe for State Representative serving the 149th District.

State Rep., House District 150 Joe Kelly (Republican) Longtime Greenwich resident Joe Kelly is running to unseat oneterm incumbent Democrat Steve Meskers for the position of State Representative serving the 150th District. “Coach” Kelly, as he is often referred to, is a businessman and entrepreneur with a real estate and finance background and a long histor y of direct involvement in developing young people. A member of the Greenwich Board of Education, Kelly coached youth soccer for 18 years, coached the Greenwich Youth Football Program, and for nine years coached the “outrageously successful” Greenwich High School rugby team.

He has the reputation of being an effective and high-energy team leader, a good listener who can work well with others to achieve common goals, and a hands-on contributor to the Greenwich community as member of the Amogerone Volunteer Fire Co. No. 1 (the oldest fire company in Greenwich), the Mead Point District association (P resident) a nd the Windrose Way Association.

The endorsement boa rd was i mpr e sse d w it h Kel ly ’s energ y, enthusiasm and entrepreneurial approach to solv ing problems and driving change. His principal legislative objective is to drive greater f isca l responsi bi l it y a nd b et ter resource management at the state level. He is up-front about the need to address the elephant-in-the-room issue of municipal pension reform; his personal business experience turning around distressed businesses in need of restructuring leaves him no illusions about the difficulty of achieving that goal, but also gives him the insights, experience and skills to lead the charge. Concerned about the negative consequences of political careerism, Kelly supports term limits with a recommendation of four terms (8 years) for state representatives.

Kelly’s opponent, Steve Meskers, is also a longtime Greenwich resident with a family history of hard work and giving back to the community, including a decade of service on the RTM where he served on the education (vice chair) and public works committees. During his term as state representative, Meskers sponsored 24 bills concerning senior citizens’ quality of life and voted against the 2019 state budget because of concerns over the additional highend property sales tax that would pa r ticu la rly i mpact Greenw ich.

He has consistently expressed his concern over the state’s lethargic g row t h a nd its over rel ia nce on Fairfield County as a revenue source.

Un for tu nately, not w ithsta nd ing the opportunity provided by the combination of a Democrat majority in both the House and Senate and a Democrat governor, Meskers and his party were unable during his term to make progress addressing those issues and the other very serious issues facing our state.

The endorsement board appreciates and values Mesker’s c ont r i but ion s du r i ng h i s ter m , but in choosing to endorse Kelly, it felt that it would best serve the constituents of the 150th District to choose a candidate who would be more free to challenge the majority party in Hartford on pressing issues and existing policies that have been

least supermajority (i.e., 5 out of 6). Members brought open minds, thoughtful questions, in sight f ul analysis, and a light touch of humor to the task. The Endorsement Board was a small group of people coming together with complementary knowledge, skills, and experience – a real team.

All of the following endorsement decisions were made by the Board either unanimously or by supermajority vote, and each member of the Board fully supports them all. While it may seem cliché to say that all the candidates are exemplary, the Board felt that they truly are.

holding Connecticut back over the past number of years.

A c c o r d i n g l y, T h e G r e e n w i c h Sentinel believes that the combination of an entrepreneurial drive which pushes ha rd to ach ieve desi red goals in spite of opposition, and the collaborative and inspirational skill set of a highly successful coach, makes Joe Kelly the right player to put on the field in Hartford.

State Rep., House District 151 Harry Arora (Republican) Harry Arora is running for reelection to the position of State Representative serving the 151st House district, hav ing won a special election in January to fill the remaining term of Fred Camillo, who had been elected Greenwich First Selectman. His opponent is Democrat Hector Arzeno.

A naturalized American citizen, successful businessman and investment manager for over 20 years, Arora is very clear about his political philosophy and plans for the future: “I believe in small effective government, fiscal discipline, lower taxes and continued investment in education and transportation.” Arora favors creating a more businesssupportive environment which can encourage business investment in the state, versus what he describes as a “hostile regulatory and fiscal regime” characterized by “red tape and a high tax burden” which has contributed to the exodus of businesses from Connecticut. He fought hard to defeat the effort in Hartford to take control of local property taxes and regionalize schools, and he advocates for the safe reopening of schools in the face of union pressure to keep them closed.

A rora supports inclusiveness and the need “to ensure that the opportunity to succeed and grow is provided to every individual in our community.” His background and personal story as an immigrant from India who created a successful life for his family in this country, gives him the inspiration and credibility to pursue that objective. A rora supports school choice and the option of outsourcing to turn-around failing schools, and better vocational training and two-year college degree options to supplement the traditional fouryear residential college experience as means of enhancing opportunities for success in today’s economy. He argues forcefully that Connecticut “has a spending problem” overseen by a “bloated bureaucracy” that actually encourages spending that is “inefficient and wasteful.” Like Joe Kelly, A rora is not af raid to a c k n ow l e d g e a n d c o n f r o nt t h e principal drivers of our state’s fiscal

instability – “It is no secret that our state employee benefits and pension systems need to be reformed” – and he is adamantly opposed to solving that problem by increasing taxes, which has long been the practice in Hartford. He favors intelligent solutions to environmental issues, improvements to our transportation s ystem (a nd it s f i na nc i ng) a nd serious attention and changes to our energy infrastructure. He also favors limiting state representative terms to 8 years.

Arora’s opponent, Hector Arzeno, is also a long time Greenw ich resident and member of the RTM who describes himself as a “big defender of public schools.” His mission statement explains that he is a “Candidate for State Representative for the 151st because Greenwich needs a strong, fiscally responsible, compassionate leader in Hartford.”

Arzeno brings signif icant f inance experience from a 40-year career in banking and an intimate knowledge of Greenwich – he has been active in the community since 1987, all four of his children attended Greenwich High School, he previously coached town youth soccer and he volunteers a t b o t h G H S a n d t h e To w n o f Greenwich Conservation Department.

He is a tr ustee a nd executive committee member of the Institute of International Banks in New York and a cofounder of the Inter-American Financial institution.

W h i le b ot h c a nd idate s of fer signif icant talent and sk ills, the endorsement board felt that Arora’s articulation of his policy priorities and proposals was clearer, and that as an incumbent he had the advantage of more familiarity with the legislative process and the workings of Hartford, which is a critical element in the successf u l ach ievement of rea l, constructive change.

A c c o r d i n g l y, T h e S e n t i n e l supp or t s H a r r y A rora’s bid for reelection and his f ight to bring greater discipline and accountability to our state government and its finances.

An i nfor m e d c it i z e n r y i s be st equipped to secure its future. Whatever your personal political point of view m a y b e , Th e Gre enwic h S ent i nel encourages you to exercise your right to vote.

Endorsement Board Members Anthony Turner, Co-Chair Daniel FitzPatrick, Co-Chair Stephanie Dunn Ashley Emma Whitney Barhydt Patricia Chadwick Peter C. Negrea

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Children and Education

Feature Column

By Gordon Beinstein I f you h a d t h e ‘p l e a s u r e ’ of tuning into the last couple of Greenw ich Public School’s Board of Education meetings, you likely left with the impression that the school ad m i n ist rat ion a nd te ach i ng sta f f cou ld do not h i ng r ig ht.

The sp e a kers a nd t he Boa rd discussions, with a few n o t a b l e e xc e p t i on s , fo c u s e d on ever y t h i ng we d id not do o r d o n' t h ave a s a r e s u l t o f reopening during a global pandemic. The parental grievances and Board debates ranged from class size to the e l e c t i ve o f f e r i n g s a n d e ve n touched on who is sitting next to whom in French class. I'm not suggesting that their concerns aren't very real for those who shared out, but considering this pandemic has cost hundreds of thousands of lives and millions mor e t hei r j ob s , we ne e d to t a ke p e r s p e c t i ve . T h e fo c u s shouldn’t be on what you did not get but rather what we did provide....SCHOOL!

Column

By Dr. Dan Villiers

Something to Celebrate We are the only district in t he a re a t hat has op ene d its doors for 5 days a week, for 6 plus hours every day for every child g rades K-8 who w ishes to attend. In addition, for those for whom ‘in-school’ education wasn't right for their families, the district is operating a c o mp l e te l y s e p a r ate r e m o te learning elementary experience a nd has prov ided t he mea ns for all children in grades 6-8 to stream into their scheduled classes f rom home. A s you might expect, considering the scope of these efforts, this work has not gone of f se a m le ssly, but we a r e i mpr ov i n g d a i ly.

To get your k ids through our doors sa fely some sacr i f ices had to be made. A s one who had to make many of these decisions, I can tell you I took n o j oy i n c o mp r o m i s i n g t h e schooling ex per ience for our k ids. However, I wou ld do it again because the schedule we created, while imperfect, gave your children real-life school.

T h e wo r k we d i d t o r e o p e n schools for all allowed parents

In the coming weeks, as our world continues to spin quickly in directions we are unable to predict, I hope the bedrock of honesty and kindness can keep us grounded—and keep us in school! to go back to work , prov ided the structure k ids need to thrive and a sense of normalcy in a challenging time. This is something to be celebrated not denigrated.

As a middle school principal, I saw f irst hand the negative i mpac t of t he shutdow n t h is past spring. Through calls to DCF and the GPD, home visits, and parental communications, I w itnessed the extent of the suffering our children endured by not being in the building.

I'm not referring to a loss of a few months of math or Spanish instruction. I am talking about de ep s o c ia l- e mot ion a l s c a r s that, unlike any academic losses,

will not be easily rectif ied. It is also important to note that, w h i le t h i s p a nde m ic a f fe c t s e ve r yo n e , i t d o e s n o t d o s o equally. I have heard it said we are all in the same boat. We are not! We are in the same storm, but there are those weathering it in luxury yachts while others a re ba rely hold i ng on to t he sides of their ding hys. Our neediest children go w ithout food, emotional suppor t, and family ‘wrap-around’ services when we are not there for them.

Schools work to fill these voids and bridge the opportunity g ap . W it h o ut u s , t h e c h a s m grows. This is why we NEED to be in school regard less of the temporary impact on some

aspects of our programming.

To b e t r a n s p a r e n t , t h e decision to return to school full t i me w a s not m i ne to ma ke , but it is one I support for the reasons outlined above. My job was to make it work. Now, twoplus weeks in, I k now we did the right thing. I know because ever y day I see our k ids and staf f connecting, teaching a nd le a r n i ng. Tha n k s to t he herculean efforts and expertise of our teachers, when I walk my building it looks and feels like school. I also know because I have had more than 25 students who initially sig ned up for remote learning who have returned to ‘live’ school in fewer

t ha n 10 school days. W hen I inquire as to why, inevitably, t he a n s we r l ie s i n how wel l they hear we are running our buildings and how much their k ids m iss the staf f and their friends. I also know because my colleagues and I have received numerous communications from parents thank ing us for doing what was necessary to open the buildings for all.

These parents ARE appreciative of what they have. They understand that difficult choices had to be made, yet they trusted that those who made them did so in their child’s best interest.

If you missed that message in the community comments and subsequent discussions at the Board of Education meetings, you are not alone.

This is already and will continue to be, an incredibly challenging school year. I am hopeful that we can come together as a community with an understanding that schools will be imperfect for a while, but that these changes, while n e c e s s a r y, a r e t e m p o r a r y.

How To Help Your Anxious Teen

Like many teenagers, Jeremy Lancaster, age 17, took advantage of the early weeks of quarantine.

Instead of scrambling to f inish homework, cramming for tests and navigating hallway jiu jitsu with his eleventh-grade peers, Je r e my b e g a n h i s che r i she d summer routine -- a f ull two months early.

“Even though I was stuck at home, I could basically do what I wanted during the day and still

keep up with all my friends on TikTok,” Jeremy laughs.

B ut a s s u m m e r wo r e o n , and the realization set in that distance learning would return in the Fall, his attitude shifted. In fact, much of his daily attention has become consumed with the endless news cycle of impending d o o m . Fo r J e r e m y, t h i s h a s started to overwhelm his day-today ability to function.

With 80% of Americans owning a smartphone, it is hard for a nyone to t u r n dow n t he volume on the constant warnings about the pandemic, wildf ires, hurricanes, social unrest, and political outrage du jour. “There i s a n e m e r ge nc y eve r y t i me I lo ok at my phone ,” Jer emy shrugs.

A n Aug 14th CDC repor t fou nd 3 0.9 p ercent of you ng adults said they had symptoms of anxiety or depression. Even mor e d i s t r e s s i n g , t h e s t udy

found that one in four young adults between the ages of 18 and 24 say they've considered suicide in the past month because of the pandemic.

As parents, this study brings into sharp relief how a constant barrage of disaster news can ex acerbate a n a l r e ady ten s e situation for many teens. While anyone can be susceptible to c at a s t r oph ic t h i n k i n g , or unintentionally fixating on worst possible outcomes, teens are particularly vulnerable.

O u r r ole a s p a r e nt s i s to help our children feel safe, yet informed; yet how exactly do we do this when real threat is st re a m i ng l ive i n A L L C A PS through the f irehose of social media? Here are three parenting strategies proven to be effective for teens.

Consume news together Digesting global news can seem overwhelming because we

often feel incapable of responding i n a me a n i ng f u l way. One of the most effective responses is to directly reduce how much news your child consumes, and what they access. With teens, consider avoiding the sensational news outlets, and discuss how boundaries can serve their well being.

For i nst a nce , set t i ng reasonable time limits and ensuring that devices are turned off before bedtime are extremely h e l p f u l fo r k i d s o f a l l a g e s .

Take an active approach and text them appropriate articles you a r e enc ou nter i ng . M a ke opportunities to discuss events together. This creates a space for you to discover what your child already knows, assess how they are coping, and keep the conversation line open.

Care, But Do Not “Fix” A s you m a ke t i me to a sk questions and learn about your

teen’s state of mind, it can be tempting to promote your own personal viewpoints. After all, you most l i kely have a more mature understanding of the different factors at play. Resist the urge. Your efforts can easily be misinterpreted by your child as “there is something wrong with me.” Instead, work to build trust and open-mindedness by mak ing your child feel heard and understood. Reg ularly communicate that you are available for them and interested in whatever they want to talk about.

See Both Sides and Take Action If an event is not being presented fairly, spend some time w ith your child look ing for opposing angles. Help your child realize the importance of looking at different perspectives, even if you disagree with them.

Your primary goal is to guide

them away from passive despair.

Brainstorm together - are there ways we can get involved locally? Is it possible to turn this troubling news into a positive good for their communit y?

Even when global issues seem unsolvable, teaching your child to ta ke sma l l steps towa rd a positive cause, can help them to feel less vulnerable and more hopeful.

Since the pace of unsettling news shows no sign of abating anytime soon, developing these communication practices are more important now than ever.

One of the nation’s leading interventionists, Dr. Dan Villiers is co-founded the Anxiety Institute, a Greenwich-based organization offering outpatient and intensive day treatment for adolescents and young adults. More information c a n be fou n d a t h t t ps://www. anxietyinstitute.com.

Greater Good

By Jenny Byxbee The Greenw ich Sentinel Foundation has exciting news! We are pleased to announce a new addition to our team.

As a founding member of the Greenwich Sentinel foundation it is with so much joy and privilege we welcome Kate Noonan-Glaser.

She brings with her an extensive back ground in philanthropy, advocacy and education. It is with her guidance and leadership, we are going to help Greenwich be a little more connected to each

Column

By Lucy Langley This issue of the Greenwich Sentinel marks just over six months since the WHO officially announced a worldwide pandemic, an event that has changed our lives and the world in which we live. The permanent changes wrought by COVID-19 will likely not be fully known for quite some time to come. That it has already caused huge changes is all too evident in the ”new normal” that is now the landscape of our lives.

At f irst, as businesses and schools closed, and we went into lockdown, it was not very different for The Undies Project as Laura and I already worked from home. We had no idea how we were going to have to adjust and adapt to working under COVID-19 in the coming months.

Laura and I established The

Welcoming Kate Noonan other, a little more loved, and as one.

Kate a long time Greenwich resident comes to us as a recent Yale Divinity School graduate. She was a teacher at the Canterbury School in New Milford, CT and spent 10 years teaching Social Studies in Westchester County a nd up s t ate New York . K ate served our local faith community as the Pastoral Associate of Faith Formation at the St. Catherine of Siena and St. Agnes Parish.

Previous to her time at the newly merged Parish Kate was Pastoral

The Greenwich Sentinel Foundation has exciting news!

Associate at St. Agnes, where she served as a lay minister, event planner and community builder for the families of St. Agnes Parish.

Kate embodies the ideals of the Greenwich Sentinel Foundation.

K ate is passionate a bout t he intersection and possibilities born out of local involvement and

service which nurture empathy and wholeness in community.

When Kate is not here at the Sentinel Foundation she can be found at Greenwich Chaplaincy Services serving as the newest Chaplain Associate.

As a community we celebrate together, we mourn together, we

support each other. It is important n ow, m o r e t h a n e ve r i n ou r digitally connected world where human interaction becomes more and more limited, that we look up at each other instead of down and caught up in a digital world. We as a community need to practice ever yday ph ilanth ropy and actively and intentionally, connect, love and care for each other.

For me this is the essence of the Greenwich Sentinel Foundation, giving us opportunities to look up for the change we want to be and see not only in the world, but right

here in our beloved town.

The Greenw ich Sentinel Foundation is a non-profit 501 c3 that supports our Faith Pages, Greater Good Section, Education Fe at u r e s , " 5 t h i n g s to do i n Greenwich, and our Community Calendar. In essence helping us be a little more connected for those doing greater good.

To l e a r n m o r e a b o u t The Greenwich Sentinel Foundation or to get involved, please contact us at kate@ greenwichsentinelfoundation.org.

Laughter Is The Food Of Life Undies Project in 2015 as a result of identifying that underwear is the most under-donated item of clothing, but the most needed. For those who are homeless, living in shelters or on low incomes, new underwear not only provides hygiene and physical comfort but also dignity and selfesteem. For many underwear is a necessity, not a luxury. The mission of The Undies Project is to provide new underwear to men, women and children in need to improve their lives.

We had already decided to host an online fundraiser in April.

The timing could not have been more fortunate. As people were being furloughed and losing their jobs, there was a rapidly growing need, yet, no in-person donation drives could take place. Thankfully, as the pandemic worsened, we were in a good position to extend

Easy

the campaign deadline. With the additional monies raised, we were able to place a larger wholesale order of underwear.

COVID-19 had other plans for us though. What soon became apparent was that half of the 25 agencies we support were no longer able to accept clothing donations for the time being. On top of that, we were unable to have volunteers come to our homes to help process the order. The information about what was, and what wasn’t, safe to do changed weekly, if not daily.

Fortunately, we had almost completed our Mardi “Bra” drive at the end of February/early March, had collected most of the donations of new and gently used bras and been able to get the items out before the lockdown. As the days went by it became apparent however that it would be unlikely that we could

Easy

hold our May “Undie Sundays” collection drive through local houses of worship. This was a blow as in recent years “Undie Sundays” have helped fill the donations gap during that time of year.

As time went on and we got used to the “new normal” we felt we could purchase a reduced quantity of underwear and handle it with just two volunteers practicing selfdistancing and using protective gear.

We would have those organizations still accepting donations either pick up curbside or we would drop off curbside. We managed to get over 16,800 pairs of underwear out to those in need.

And then came the next biggest decision that we had not anticipated: we realized that it would be a long time before there was a return to normalcy. Should we pivot our annual fundraiser, Cocktails &

Hard

Comedy, to virtual, or not hold the event at all? We very quickly decided that the latter was not an option. Our mission is too important not to hold it. Cocktails & Comedy accounts for over 80% of our annual fundraising income. Without these funds, our 25 partner organizations would be sorely lacking in underwear donations for the rest of the year, and even more organizations are now needing our help.

In past years our “live” event has been an evening of comedy and cocktails, accompanied by passed hors d’oeuvres, live music and a vibrant silent auction. We quickly decided to go virtual, another steep learning curve for us, as for nonprofits everywhere. We will have a fabulous virtual program with hilarious comics Jane Condon and Kelly MacFarland, a superb online auction and delicious food that can

be pre-ordered from Aux Délices.

We are so thankful for event sponsorship by First Bank of Greenwich, Aux Délices and Katie Creighton Landscape Designs.

It is heart-warming that local businesses, despite hurting from COVID-19, are so willing to support local charities like us and donate to our online silent auction. Without their support, we would not be able to continue to fulfill our mission. We thank them all from the bottom of our hearts.

We invite you to “Laugh for a Cause” and join us on Saturday, October 10th at 7 pm from the comfort of your home.

Laughter is the food of life!

Tickets a nd mea ls ca n be purchased at undiesproject20. g ive sm a r t .c om . For mor e information email us at info@ theundiesproject.org.

Hard

Page 11 | Greenwich Sentinel

Voting & Candidate Profiles

Q&A on How to Vote: What You Need to Know Answers from Fred DeCaro, Registrar of Voters assigned to clean the polling places. We have • Sign the inner envelope.

Q. What is important for people to know who are voting in person?

All our traditional polling places will be open the normal voting hours of 6AM-8PM. When you vote in person, your ballot is immediately counted by the tabulator. And if you make a mistake, the ballot is immediately returned to you and you can fix it with a fresh ballot.

If you are voting in person, please read and understand the state-issued guidance around voter ID. A poster (https://www.greenwichct.gov/ DocumentCenter/View/5248) issued by the State of CT can be found at every check-in table explaining CT’s rules. Bringing the proper ID expedites the voting process. If you do not have an ID with you, you can still vote by filling out an affidavit.

Please check your registration prior to coming to the polls. There is an excellent Voter Lookup Tool on the Town of Greenwich website at https://www. greenwichct.gov/1191/Voter-Information-Lookup The tool will confirm you are an active voter, confirm your voting address, remind you of your polling place.

Hint: If you didn’t get an absentee ballot application in the mail, you may not be registered to vote. Please use the Voter Lookup tool to check.

If you are not registered to vote, or if your address is not correct, now is the time to fix this. If you have a valid CT driver’s license, you can register to vote paperlessly by visiting https://voterregistration. ct.gov You can also use that same link to change your address. Fixing these items is much harder on Election Day. Please do it now.

Registering to vote is not a long process. But it becomes more involved if you don’t do it ahead of time and instead register at Election Day Registration in Town Hall on Election Day. If possible, please use the online tool. If you would prefer a paper form, please email vote@greenwichct.org and we will send you one.

Q. How are you making sure that it is safe to vote at the polls?

The safety of voters A N D poll workers is paramount. For the primary, we added plexiglass barriers, hand sanitizer, and free gloves. Per the Governor’s orders, all voters should be wearing a mask. We will happily provide you with a mask if you need one.

For the November election, we continue to increase our safety protocols by having extra staff

acquired extra voting booths so we can clean them in-between voters. We will have tape on the floor showing six-foot lengths when waiting in line. We also encourage voters to bring their own book or clipboard to write against and bypass the privacy booths entirely. You can also bring your own ballpoint pen (blue or black ink, please) if you like. Do not bring a sharpie-type permanent marker. We will be sanitizing the markers we provide throughout the day.

Of those voters who answered our survey about their in-person voting experience in August, 94% said they felt either “very safe”, or “extremely safe – as safe as possible.”

Q. Absentee ballot applications will soon be arriving? What do we need to tell people about requesting an absentee ballot?

Absentee ballot applications should be arriving right about now. If you are planning on voting with this method, please take the proper steps to receive your ballot expeditiously.

• Promptly complete your application.

• Follow all directions carefully and return the application to Greenwich’s Town Clerk.

• Either mail it using the included postage prepaid envelope or drop it in one of Greenwich’s new Ballot Boxes.

• The Ballot Boxes are located outside Town Hall near the visitor parking lot in the former parking meter kiosk and in the lobby of the Police Station.

If you return your application promptly, the first batch of absentee ballots will be mailed on October 2. Please be patient while the post office delivers the ballots.

You can use the Voter Lookup tool to check the status of your absentee ballot application and ballot.

The voter lookup tool (https://www.greenwichct. gov/1191/Voter-Information-Lookup) will show you one of the following statuses regarding your absentee ballot.

• Your application has been received • Your ballot has been issued • Your ballot has been received back by the Town Clerk.

Q. Is there anything particular about voting absentee that people should know?

Please follow all absentee ballot instructions exactly – failure to follow instructions may invalidate your vote.

• Put the ballot inside the inner envelope.

• Only put one ballot in the return envelope.

• Most importantly, don't delay – late arriving absentee ballots cannot be counted.

Deposit your ballot in one of Greenwich’s ballot boxes which are available 24/7 up to 8 PM on Election Day November 3. Or mail your ballot as soon as possible. CT law states that it is the receipt of the ballot by the Town Clerk, not the postmark, which determines if it will be counted.

Q. Can I help my friend or neighbor with their absentee ballot?

There may be a desire to help others with the completion or return of their absentee ballot. When in doubt, avoid the running afoul of the strict laws about handling absentee ballots.

The Secretary of the State has published very clear guidelines about assisting others and handling ballots. Below is just a small excerpt of the rules.

Please read them at https://portal.ct.gov/SOTS/ Election-Services/Voter-Information/AbsenteeBallot-Fact-Sheet and avoid the Class D Felonies listed as part of the guidelines.

Regarding the absentee ballot application process: • If you complete any portion of the absentee ballot application for someone else, sign the form as the “Assister” and print/type your name, residence address, and phone number.

• Remember, you must sign the application form if you assist with a ballot application!

Regarding assistance with completing or returning the ballot: • If you are not a “designee” don’t take possession of a ballot or deliver a completed ballot!

• Only the voter’s immediate family member or healthcare provider may assist the voter as a “designee,” so if you are neither, don’t assist with/be present when the voter completes their ballot.

• A “designee” is: o A person caring for the applicant due to applicant’s illness or disability; o An applicant’s family member, designated by the applicant, and who agrees to act as a designee; o Or, if no such person consents or is available, a police officer, registrar of voters, or assistant or deputy registrar of voters in applicant’s town/city of residence.

• These are criminal violations It is a class D felony: • for any person not authorized by law to possess the official absentee ballot of an applicant to whom it was issued; • for any candidate or agent of a candidate, political party or committee to knowingly be present when absentee ballot applicant executes an absentee ballot; • to commit a false statement in absentee balloting; Q. What should we know about obtaining the results of the election?

Because of the high volume of absentee ballots, it is unlikely results with any certainty will be published on Election Night. The legislature has effectively extended the time to report results until the Monday after the election. While we do not expect to use all the time allotted, there is no way to properly give totals when absentee ballots are still being dropped off in drop boxes around town at 8PM. You can sign up to get notified when results are published by visiting https://www.greenwichct.gov/ vote and scrolling down to the section “Sign Up to Get Turnout Reports and Election Night Results”. An email will be sent out within minutes of the results being published to the State of CT’s Election Results Reporting website.

Q. Any final thoughts?

In 2016, Greenwich had the highest turnout of any large municipality in CT. Over 85% of registered voters came to the polls. The Secretary of the State awarded us with the Democracy Cup in honor of this achievement.

In 2018, Greenwich turnout, while still high, was not as good as West Hartford, and we had to relinquish this honor.

In 2020, it’s time we bring the Democracy Cup back to Greenwich. You can help make this happen simply by casting your vote in November!

Learn more about the Democracy Cup and our local award, the Greenwich Turnout Trophy, at: https://www.greenwichct.gov/1690/Bring-Backthe-Democracy-Cup online

VOTE!

In Depth Profiles on This Year's Candidates

By Foster Steinbeck

149th Kim Fiorello Aims To Bring Ideas Of Limited Government To The 149th Seat In her campaign to represent Con necticut ’s 149th House District, Republican candidate and long-time Greenwich community member Kim Fiorello has made it a p oi nt to not t a ke f u nd s f r o m t h e s t at e ’s p u b l i c campaign finance program.

Fo r F i o r e l l o , f i n a n c i n g political campaigns isn’t the government's proper role.

“I don't want to take taxpayer dollars. I want to earn the financial support of people who support me,” Fiorello said. “I don't

have any judg ment on anyone that participates in the program. It's just for me personally, I have that philosophical perspective.”

A f ter an extensive professional career across many industries and seven years of being active in the G r e e nw i ch c om mu n it y, Fiorello wants to bring the ideas of limited government and individual liberty to Hartford if elected.

Whether on education, economic or zoning policies, Fiorello said her formula for prosperity is to promote individual freedom.

“Every policy I pursue,” Fiorello said, “I will look at through the lens of, ‘Does it protect individual liberty,’ and ‘Is it the proper role of government.’ Its role is to protect our persons and our private property.”

Policy Positions Fiorello said she is running in order to stop families from feeling they should move away f rom Con ne c t ic ut a s a r e su lt of bad state government

policies.

A n example, Fiorello said, would be the reforms t o t h e s t a t e ’s l a n d u s e laws as out l i ne d by t he organization Desegregate Con ne c t ic ut , wh ich a r e up for debate in the state’s next legislative cycle. The organization said the state’s former and current zoning laws perpetuate racial segregation.

D e s e g r e g a t e Connecticut has proposed these reforms rang ing from eliminating the “character” consideration in housing applications, to standardizing the p er m it t i ng a nd he a r i ng procedures statewide, to further racial and economic equity.

Fiorello said she would fight against the reforms if elected. Although agreeing with its “well-intentioned” goals, she said the reforms wou ld d i m i n i sh c ou nt y governments’ local control over its local park ing requirements and other reg u lations a nd ex pa nd

the purview of the state government.

Fiorello also said the “character” consideration in housing application refers to the area’s uniqueness and disagrees with the premise behind the proposed reform.

Desegregate Connecticut states that arguing against a housing application because it ’s i nc on si ste nt w it h a community’s “character” has sometimes become code for racism and classism.

“We all want housing fo r e ve r yo n e ,” F i o r e l l o said. “The idea that the government can only provide low-income housing is ridiculous … The market wou ld prov ide fa ntastic choices of housing for all types of demands.”

After moving to Greenwich in 2013, Fiorello and her family bought a house which was originally built in 1903. After three years of renovations, the Greenwich Historical Society later plaqued their house in recognition of its historical value

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“I want people to know that I understand the

preservation of character,” her over as she drove her Fiorello said. ch i ld r e n to t he W h it by B e f o r e m o v i n g t o School in Greenwich from Greenwich, Fiorello said See page 13 Connecticut charmed

Page 12 | Greenwich Sentinel

Hope in the Waiting?

Column

By Heather Wright

What are you waiting for? If you are like me, there is a lot you may be waiting for. The world is waiting for a vaccine and a cure for the coronavirus. We wait on the resolution to social unrest and wonder when racial justice and healing will come. We wait for economic stability and an enough of an upturn that will mean better times are ahead. We wait for an end to political divisiveness and rancor. As parents, we wait and wonder if our children, staff, and

teachers will stay healthy and be able to continue going to school. I feel the weight of waiting. It can seem too heavy a load to carry on our end.

In the midst of the waiting, we look for signs of hope. A few days ago, my husband and I were at the kitchen window and watched our first school bus go by in six months. It felt like an olive leaf for Noah on the ark when the dove brought back proof of dry land. In both cases, there may be hope even if we can’t see it yet.

When my hope wanes, and I feel the pressure of u nc er t a i nt y a nd lack of control pressing in, I go to something solid and timeless.

It is a place that grounds me in the chaos, as it does for many. I pick up my Bible. For those that read Scriptures as a life resource, often a familiar text can sound very different depending on our circumstances. The words a r e l i t e r a l l y n e w e ve r y morning. Whether it was

Let your heart take courage. Be strong. Wait. a planned reading or found randomly, often what I read there, speaks to my heart.

I want to share with you two verses that have been life-giving words recently.

Perhaps they will speak to your heart as well.

In Psalm 27:13-14, we find, “I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living!

Wait for the Lord; be strong, a nd let you r he a r t t a ke courage, wait for the Lord!”

Psalm 27 starts with God being our light and salvation, the stronghold of our lives, so whom shall we fear. Despite dangers, the Psalmist asks God to show him his face, to lead him on a level path, to provide protection, and to raise him up on a rock.

Having lost our first f loor to Hurricane Sandy back in 2012, I am sensitive to language about being raised up, our house was 6’ higher

when we repaired our home, and about the need for a solid foundation. We all know the floodwaters of life will come, so the Psalmist invites God’s spiritual care and protection.

In the faith journey we need to have hinds’ feet on high places, to be able to traverse the heig hts w ith n im ble footing. There are times that are scary, risky, and everything seems to be at stake. What are we to do to see God’s goodness in the land of the living? We are told to wait for the Lord as the final two verses of Psalm 27.

Verse 13 is about believing in G od’s goodness being made real or visible this side of heaven. It is about hope. Verse 14 is where it all comes home for me: Wait shows up twice as bookends for this verse. That tells me, in and while waiting, it takes strength and hearts

of courage, to have hope.

We get both strength and courage from our connection to a power g reater t ha n ourselves. We are reminded to wait for God, his will, plan, direction, leading and guiding. Then we will see the goodness of God while we still have breath.

To personalize this text for where you are right now, I have three questions for you to journal, think or pray through, or discuss with a friend.

1. What are the worries that crowd your heart and mind that make waiting so difficult?

2. What areas in you feel like weaknesses where you have no strength left, and are at the end of your rope?

What would it be like to give that to God? How might the joy of the Lord be your strength right now?

3. What might it mean

to act with courage in some place in your life that you know you are not moving towards?

In this season, I pray to grow in the spiritual fruit of patience. I am learning to wait in all that remains u na n s wer e d a nd g ive it back to God. I realize I need God’s strength in me to take heart and be en-couraged. I cannot conjure it up on my own. As a Christian, I look to Christ who promises peace, despite our circumstances or outcomes. That peace, i mp a r te d to u s t h r oug h God’s Spirit, transcends all understanding and guards our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Jesus said, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world, you will have tribulation. But take heart, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Let your heart take courage. Be strong. Wait.

Heather Wright is a pastor with Stanwich Church.

Worship Services Information ASSEMBLIES OF GOD

www.stmichaelgreenwich.com

project, contact jjacullo@optonline.net.

Harvest Time Church 1338 King St., 203-531-7778 www.htchurch.com

Sunday Mass: 7:30, 9:30 & 11:30am, in the parking lot (make a reservation: signupgenius.com/go/ stmichaelgreenwich). All Masses and Adoration will continue to be livestreamed.

Sunday Worship & Church School ONLINE Sunday, August 23, 2020 10:00am | JackRabbits Summer Camp for Kids (Week 2) Monday, August 24, 2020 - 8:30am | Art Studio -TEMPORARILY POSTPONED Monday, August 24, 2020 - 1:00pm

In-Person Worship Services: Sundays: 8:30, 10 & 11:30am (tickets will be made available each week via Eventbrite.

Virtual events: Sunday Worship available at htchurch.com & social media outlets. Walking with The King: Mon, 8pm. Find Freedom: Tue, 8:30am, via Zoom. Pray with the Pastors: Thu, 8pm. HTKidz Worship – a weekly Bible story and simple activities parents can do at home to reinforce lesson (bit.ly/ HTKidzList). ‘GriefShare’ online weekly meeting (credentials to participate will be supplied upon registration).

BAPTIST First Baptist Church 10 Northfield St.; 203-869-7988 www.firstbaptistgreenwich.com Sunday Servings: 11:30am, Facebook Live or for Devotion: 11-11:25am (Dial in 701-802-5355, Access code 360922).

Greenwich Baptist Church 10 Indian Rock Ln; 203-869-2807 www.greenwichbaptist.org Online Worship - Sunday, 11am, streamed through Facebook and website (greenwichbaptist.org/livestream).

Sunday Morning Prayer: Sun, 8:309:15am, via Google Meet.

CATHOLIC Sacred Heart Church 95 Henry St.; 203-531-8730 www.sacredheartgreenwich.org In-person Mass: Mon-Fri: 7am (in Chapel); Sat: 4pm (Vigil); Sun: 7:30, 9:30 & 11:30am (in Sanctuary). (Only by registration - call or text: 203-559-9256 or email: sacredheartgrn@optonline.net).

Sacrament of Reconciliation (Church) by appt.; Sacrament of Baptism: Sun, 12:30pm (call the parish office in advance).

St. Catherine of Siena and St. Agnes St. Agnes: 247 Stanwich Rd; St. Catherine: 4 Riverside Ave; 203-6373661 www.stc-sta.org Daily Mass under the Tent: Mon-Fri, 5:15-5:45pm (sign up through homepage).

Virtual Daily Mass: Mon-Fri, 7-7:30am, (sign up through homepage). Virtual Mass via Zoom: Sun 10:30am & Wed 1:30pm (Daily). Virtual events: Rosary: Mon, 1:30pm; Prayer and Conversation: Tue & Thu, 1:30pm; Stations of the Cross: Fri, 1:30pm. The priests of the parish will celebrate Mass privately for your intentions. Parish Partners Hotline: 203-637-3661 x375. Parish Partners in Prayer: pray silently wherever you are: 8am & 8pm.

St. Mary Church 178 Greenwich Ave.; 203-869-9393 www.stmarygreenwich.org Public Mass: Mon-Fri, 12:05pm (no reservations are needed - limited to 50 people). Sat: Vigil, 4pm; Spanish (call 203-912-0246 for reservations), 7:30pm.

Sun: 9, 10:30am & 12:15pm, (must make reservation in advance by calling the Parish Office, Thu or Fri, 9am-3pm and speak to the receptionist). Confessions: Sat, 2:45-3:45pm, on the patio. Summer Rosary: Sun & Tue, 7:30pm, via YouTube Live. Virtual Daily Mass: Mon-Sun, 12pm, with Fr. La Pastina on Facebook.

Visit EWTN.com for daily Mass at 8am with encore at 12pm.

St. Michael the Archangel 469 North St.; 203-869-5421

St. Timothy Chapel 1034 North St.; 203-869-5421 Outdoor public celebration of Mass: Mon-Sat: 7:30 & 9:30am, St. Timothy’s Chapel. Sun: 7:30, 9:30 11:30am, St. Michael’s Church. Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament: Wed, 10am-4pm & Sun, 12-1pm. Confessions: Wed, 1011am & 3-4pm, St. Timothy’s chapel (make a reservation: signupgenius.com/ go/stmichaelgreenwich). All Masses and Adoration will continue to be livestreamed.

St. Paul Church 84 Sherwood Ave.; 203-531-8741 www.stpaulgreenwich.org Public Mass Celebration: Mon-Thu: 9am; Sat: 4pm (Vigil); Sun: 7:30, 9:30 and 11:30am (Reservation is required only for Sunday Mass by visiting the homepage or by calling 203-531-8741, ext. 4). Online daily Mass at EWTN. com, 8am with encore at 12pm. Daily Mass also available on Bishop Robert Barron’s website at wordonfire.org/dailymass. Confessions by appointment only – call 203-531-8741, ext. 2.

St. Roch Church 10 St. Roch Ave.; 203-869-4176 www.strochchurch.com In-person Public Mass: Mon-Fri, 7:30pm; Sat, 5pm (Vigil); Sun, 7:30am, 10:30am & 1pm (Spanish), sign-up (signupgenius. com/go/strochchurch). Mass - via live streaming: Mon-Sat 8am (Latin), MonSat 9am (English), Sun 7:30am (English), [Concelebrated for Previously Scheduled 7:30am & 9:30am Mass Intentions], Sun 1pm (Spanish) [Concelebrated for Previously Scheduled 11:30am & 1pm Mass Intentions]. The Church will be open as follows (for private prayer): M-F 10am-8pm, Sat 3-6pm, Sun 9am-12pm.

Eucharistic Adoration (silent): M-F 7-8pm, Sat 5-6pm, Sun 9am-12pm.

CHRISTIAN SCIENCE First Church of Christ, Scientist 11 Park Place; 203-869-2503 www.christiansciencect.org/ greenwich Sunday and Wednesday services via live tele-conference: 203-680-9095, code is 520520*.

COMMUNITY First Church of Round Hill 464 Round Hill Rd.; 203-629-3876 www.firstchurchofroundhill.com Worship services are cancelled until further notice. The office is also closed until further notice. (If you need to reach Rev. Leo W. Curry, pastor, or any other personnel, call 203-629-3876 and leave a message or email fcroundhill@outlook. com). The church will re-open for worship on Sunday, Sept. 13.

Round Hill Community Church 395 Round Hill Rd.; 203-869-1091 www.roundhillcommunitychurch.org In-person Public Outdoor Worship: Sun, 10-10:30am, registration is required (signupgenius.com/ go/70a084aafa72aa0f b6-inperson).

Virtual events: Sunday Worship & Church School - Online: Sun 10am, youtu.be/CNjyLHzsRlI. Face Masks for BGCG: for more information on this

CONGREGATIONAL The First Congregational Church 108 Sound Beach Ave; 203-637-1791 www.fccog.org Online Worship Service: Sun 10am, through live-streaming on YouTube and broadcast on WGCH (or tune to AM1490 or FM105.5). Virtual Community Hour: Sun 11am, via Zoom (meeting ID: 909 415 108, password: 003930). Connect during the week: Monday: Music on Mondays (sent by Craig Symons); Wednesday: Wisdom on Wednesdays (sent by Rev. Patrick Collins); Thursday: Faith Formation at Home for All (sent by Rosemary Lamie); Fridays on Facebook (live @ 3pm with Rev. Patrick Collins).

North Greenwich Congregational 606 Riversville Rd.; 203-869-7763 www.northgreenwichchurch.org Online Worship Service: Sun 10:30am, via Zoom. Please email Rev. Halac at Pastor@northgreenwichchurch.org any day and at any time until 9am on Sunday and you will receive an invitation link.

Second Congregational Church 139 E Putnam Ave.; 203-869-9311 www.2cc.org Services available online, details at 2cc. org. Contemporary Worship: Sat, 5pm.

Traditional Sunday Service: 10:30am.

EPISCOPAL Anglican Church of the Advent 606 Riversville Rd.; 203-861-2432 www.churchoftheadvent.org Service: Sun, 9am, Holy Eucharist.

Sunday School during academic year.

Christ Church Greenwich 254 E. Putnam Ave.; 203-869-6600 www.christchurchgreenwich.org Outdoor Worship: Sun, 9am, Tomes-Higgins-Front Lawn (during Summer weather permitting), registration is required, akryzak@ christchurchgreenwich.org.

Virtual Worship Service: Sun: Holy Eucharist, 10am, livestream. Sunday Forum via Zoom, 11:15am. Morning Prayer: Weekdays, 8am, on Zoom. Evensong: Thu, 5pm, livestream. Morning Prayer live-sessions: 7 & 9am at dailyoffice. org. Prayer of the Cloud Meditation via Zoom: Mon, 7-8pm. Organ Recitals: Fri, 5:30pm, Facebook Live.

St. Saviour’s Episcopal Church 350 Sound Beach Ave; 203-637-2262 www.saintsaviours.org In-person Outdoor Service: Sat, 11am & Sun, 11am. Online Worship Services available on Youtube.

JEWISH Chabad Lubavitch of Greenwich 75 Mason St.; 203-629-9059 www.chabadgreenwich.org Services available via Zoom. PJ Library Zoom Storytime: Mon-Thurs, 3pm & Fri, 2pm.

Congregation Shir Ami 1273 E. Putnam Ave, PO Box 312, Riverside; 203-900-7976; Shirami. info@gmail.com www.congregationshirami.org All services, programs and celebrations are available online via Zoom.

Greenwich Reform Synagogue 92 Orchard St.; 203-629-0018 www.grs.org Online programs streamed virtually on Zoom.us: Tot Shabbat with Rabbi Gerson and Cantor Dunkerley, Fri, 5pm.

Shabbat services with Rabbi Gerson and Cantor Dunkerley, Fri, 7pm. Jewish meditation and text study with Rabbi Gerson, Tue-Fri, 12pm. Storytime for Kids with Rabbi Gerson, Tue-Thu 5:30pm. Kids Sing Along with Cantor Dunkerley, Mon-Thu, 10am.

Temple Sholom 300 E. Putnam Ave.; 203-869-7191 www.templesholom.com Services – live-streamed: Fri 6:30pm; Sat 10am; Sun 8:30am. If you have an emergency and need to reach a member of the clergy, dial 203-869-7191 ext. 3.

Limited in-person Friday night Shabbat service, pre-registration is required, lori. baden@templesholom.com.

LUTHERAN First Lutheran Church 38 Field Point Rd.; 203-869-0032 www.firstpaul.com Indoor service held jointly at St. Paul through Labor Day weekend.

St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran 286 Delavan Ave.; 203-531-8466 www.firstpaul.com Indoor service: Sunday, 9am. Bible Study: Sunday, 10:15am.

METHODIST Diamond Hill United Methodist 521 E. Putnam Ave.; 203-869-2395; www.diamondhillumc. com

Live and Virtual Morning Prayer: Sun, 8-9 & 10-11am (signupgenius.com/ go/4090e4aadac2ea3ff 2-sunday1).

Virtual Coffee Hour: Sun, 10:45am.

Online Worship followed by a time of Fellowship, 10-11am, via Zoom (us02web.zoom.us/j/635272316?); via phone: Dial-in: +1-929-436-2866 US (NY), Meeting ID: 262 529 082. ‘What Happened to the Disciples?’, Wed, 7:30pm, via Zoom (or Dial-in: +1 929 436 2866 US. Meeting ID: 940 2222 0303, Password: 516742).

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church 200 Riverside Ave.; 203-637-2447 www.stpaulsriverside.org

First United Methodist Church 59 E. Putnam Ave.; 203-629-9584 www.fumcgreenwich.com

Mass on the Grass: Sundays, 9:30am.

Service on the Meadow: Sundays, 9:30am. Virtual events: Online Morning Prayer: Sun, 10:15-11:15am. The Book of Common Prayer is available online in PDF format: stpaulsriverside.org/ online-worship-resources. Faith At Home - crafted devotional materials for families and individuals available at dofaithathome.org.

Virtual Sunday Worship, 9:30am, via Zoom (203 629 9584). Virtual Daily Gathering: Mon-Fri, 3pm, Zoom. Talking with Your Hands, Mon 3pm. Reading this World as a Christian, Tue 3pm. Back to Rock – music with Mr. Bruce, every Tue, 3pm, via Zoom. Reading the Shape of Scripture, Wed, 3pm, via Zoom. Spring Bible Study, Thu, 3pm, via Zoom. Tea & Talk, Fri 3pm, via Zoom.

St. Barnabas Episcopal Church 954 Lake Ave.; 203-661-5526 www.stbarnabasgreenwich.org

Bethel African Methodist Episcopal 42 Lake Ave.; 203-661-3099 Worship via teleconference: Sun, 11am and until further notice (Dial-in number: 425-436-6380, Access code:​​612220).

NONDENOMINATIONAL Revive Church 90 Harding Rd., Old Greenwich (Old Greenwich Civic Center) www.myrevive.org Online Sermons available on Facebook (facebook.com/ myrevivechurchgreenwich) and on Youtube. All groups are online. Direct any prayer needs to the prayer chain at 203-536-2686 or revivecfm@gmail.com.

Stanwich Church 202 Taconic Rd.; 203-661-4420 www.stanwichchurch.org Online & Outdoor Worship Service 10 AM starting September 6th. Register at https://stanwichchurch.org/ Kingdom Come Prayer Study- Mondays starting September 14th at 7 PM. Register Online Alpha Online Zoom Class- Tuesdays starting september 15th at 7 PM. Register Online Following Christ in an Election YearWednesdays starting September 16th at 7 PM on Facebook Live-Stanwichchurch Outdoor Worship Night - Friday, September 25 at 7 PM. Register Online ONGOING Prayer Hour: Wed 6:30 AM, Dial 515606-5410, access code 119748#)s The Albertson Memorial Church 293 Sound Beach Ave; 203-637-4615 www.albertsonchurch.org Sunday Services and all church activities have been cancelled until further notice.

Trinity Church 1 River Rd.; 203-618-0808 www.trinitychurch.life Online Sunday Services: 9:45am, youtube.com/c/TrinityChurchLife/ live. Digital Devos (a 30-minute ‘dropin’ devotional and prayer via Zoom call: Tue & Fri, 11:30am; Thu, 7pm, TrinityChurch.Life. Alpha (online): Tue, 7:30-8:45pm. Give and receive help during Covid-19 – join the Covid-19 Crisis Care Team or request help and support, visit TrinityChurch.Life.

PRESBYTERIAN First Presbyterian Church 1 W. Putnam Ave.; 203-869-8686; www.fpcg.org Online Worship: Sun 10-11am at fpcg. org/live. Sunday School online, 10:1511am. Email info@fpcg.org with questions. Beginning June 3: Summer Wednesdays (Online) - Join Ellie and Tara on Zoom every other Wed, 4:305:30pm, ages 4-4th Grade, email ellie. strathdee@fpcg.org (a Zoom link will be sent out bi-weekly).

Grace Church of Greenwich 8 Sound Shore Dr., Suite 280 203-861-7555 www.gracechurchgreenwich.com Worship is cancelled indefinitely.

Sermons available on the website.

Living Hope Community Church 38 West End Ave; 203-637-3669 www.LivingHopeCT.org Worship Service online: Sun, 10-11:15am (YouTube or Facebook). Coffee and fellowship: Sun, 11:15am-12pm, via Zoom. Wednesday Prayer: Wed, 8:309am.

Drew Williams Featured Speaker at United Nations Bishop A ndrew Williams, known to Greenwich residents as Drew Williams, addressed members of the United Nations this week at the United Nations a n nu a l P r aye r B r e a k f a s t o n S e p te m b e r 1 5 a s t h e Un ite d Nations celebrated seventy-five years of global service.

The President-elect of the General Assembly, Volkan Bozkır, was in attendance and spoke, toget her w it h The Secreta r y General, António Guterres and the US Ambassador Kelly Craft who was confirmed by the United States Senate on July 31, 2019 (all pictured below left to right).

Bishop Andrew will be introduced

by Hungarian Ambassador, Her Excellency Katalin Bogyay. Bishop Andrew commented, “It was a great honor to be with the UN delegates in December 2019 at their annual Christmas Dinner, hosted by the Christian Embassy. I was delighted that they invited me back!”

Given the current climate, the Prayer Break fast was virtually relayed to heads of state, ambassadors, and diplomats from all around the world.

His speech follows here: INTO THE STORM… It was a joy to be w ith so many of you, last year, at the Christmas dinner. It is my great honor to join you for this annual Prayer Break fast, in this the United Nations’ 75th anniversary year. I stand with the world in giving thanks for, celebrating and saluting your enduring self less service.

How do you recall the early days of your diplomatic service?

Diplomacy on the world stage cou ld never b e de sc r i b e d as straightfor ward or w ithout challenge - but looking back – was it just a little bit easier? Looking back over my own ministry, I can see that authentic leadership, the kind of leadership that endeavors to make a significant and lasting difference for the common good by necessity, is a magnet for pain.

PROFILES From Page 11

their old house in Scarsdale, N.Y. “Every time I was driving across the border to bring my children to the Whitby School. It almost felt like the air changed,” she said. “I just fell in love with Connecticut.”

After her first child was born in 2006, Fiorello became a fulltime stay-at-home mom. After moving to Greenwich with no professional obligations, Fiorello st a r te d volu nte er i ng i n t he Greenwich community. She later served as the Whitby School’s Chair of Benefits for two terms, from 2012 to 2013.

Fiorello also has attended and volunteered at the Grace Church of Greenwich since late 2013. Gale Hartch, a friend of

You have audaciously pledged to sustainable development goals that constitute the blueprint for a better and more sustainable future for all. You have courageously c ove n a n t e d t o f a c e h e a d o n the greatest global challenges, including poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, peace and justice.

You have committed to pursue a global partnership, in such a way, that no one gets left behind.

But there can be no real progress without change and no change without pain. “Diplomacy…it’s a living martyrdom!”

A nd a long t he way, i f t he challenges to your work were not already signif icant, it has gotten not a little stormy. In the midst of a global pandemic we are witnessing increased global instability, fear and unrest. Do you fe el l i ke you a re row i ng against swirling global currents?

Attempting to find your way with the wind and rain unceasing and hard pressed against you? And what is perhaps, at f irst sight, unsettling is that God knew about this storm when he asked you to get into this diplomatic boat and make this trip with Him. I have been in this role for about eighteen months as the Anglican Bishop of New England I am still working out what I need to be doing on a fair day! Let me be candid, when I was signed up, I did not see Global pandemic in the small print! We are not, however, the first ambassadors for God’s work, who have struggled with this tension. That is the tension of God setting us up to sail into the oncoming storm.

HOW DID THE DISCIPLES FIND THEMSELVES IN THIS STORM? Jesus is already in the boat.

He has been using it as a pulpit all day to teach the crowd. His voice has been amplified by the natural amphitheater of the bay but now He is exhausted. From within the boat, some time before He falls asleep, Jesus says: “Let us go across to the other side.” Mark

Fiorello’s, also volunteers at the Grace Church and said Fiorello volunteers and helps around the Church in a very cheerful manner.

From seeing Fiorello volu nte e r, H a r tch s a id she believes Fiorel lo’s outgoing nature and ability to organize makes her well-equipped to represent the 149th.

“She's intelligent, and she's informed,” Hartch said. “She has, I think, very strong good ideas for what's right for the government, for the town, for the state, for the country, and I think she would be a hard worker.”

As a representative, Fiorello said she will advocate for freema rket econom ics, reduced taxation and limited government involvement in several areas, including the state’s energ y sector and education policy.

In response to Greenwich’s

Drew Williams Addressing the United Nations Annual Prayer Breakfast being taken for peace and human flourishing. Storms are inevitable whenever we push out with God’s agenda and leave the security of the shoreline. When we obediently follow Jesus, into deeper waters, we should expect it to get a little THE SEA AS A CHARACTER choppy!

IN THIS STORY. HOW COULD JESUS SLEEP? Biblically, the sea is often How could Jesus sleep in the portrayed as a symbol of chaos: all that opposes the advance of middle of the storm? “But He God’s Kingdom – the advance of [Jesus] was in the stern, asleep God’s great restoration movement on the cushion.” Mark 38a And, of peace and human flourishing. notice Mark’s little dig at Jesus, In this account, this movement “asleep on the cushion…” there is of G od’s peace is about to be only one cushion on this boat and extended - to the place of the Jesus is asleep on it!

It had to be that Jesus’ security Gentiles – and the sea rose up to oppose Him. Jesus is fulfilling and peace came from someplace the prophecy: to be “a light to other than the weather. He knew enlighten the world.” And He is He wa s s a fe b e c au s e a l l H is – taking them with Him. He is security and conf idence came leading them into the eye of the from the Father. Of that security and peace, King David could write, storm.

Very deliberately Jesus has “In peace I will both lie down called us into the boat and taken and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, us with Him into the storm. This make me dwell in safety.” Psalm has been and continues to be a 4:8 A security, an assurance and season of great turbulence that has a profound conf idence that it tested and stretched us beyond allowed Jesus to lie down in the the depths of our experience and boat and sleep. the breadth of our service. But if WHAT DID THE DISCIPLES Jesus is any example here, He is showing us that, there will always WANT JESUS TO DO? If you are a f isherman and be resistance when new ground is

your boat is filling with water – what do you do? You BAIL out the boat. They want Jesus to get off His cushion and help them to bail out the boat. Because He is not, they presume He does not care about them! Isn’t this how it feels when we are in a storm and Jesus is apparently NOT answering our frantic prayers? In those moments, we might conclude that God does NOT exist or perhaps more often that He simply does not care. C. S. Lewis put it this way: “Not that I am (I think) in much danger of ceasing to believe in God. The real danger is of coming to believe such dreadful things about Him. The conclusion I dread is not “So there’s no God after all,” but “So this is what God’s really like. Deceive yourself no longer.”

energ y problems with its monopolistic power provider, Eversource Energ y, Fiorello called for more free-market based solutions to drive energy costs down. Fiorello would fight against poll taxes, increasing the property tax and any other taxes in the state legislature, saying the state needs to make spending cuts.

Fiorello said she supports these positions as they would curtail government involvement and result in more money and options to the taxpayers. “I do believe in limited government, not because I'm conservative per se. I believe it because I know that it honors each individual life’s potential, and that is what the American Dream is,” Fiorello said.

Greenwich First Selectman Fred Camillo first met Kim at one of his constituent forums at the St. Lawrence Club back in

Fiorello said she started longing for a more normal college experience.

Fiorello resolved to apply and get accepted to no other school but Harvard College, or continue h e r s t u d i e s at We s t Po i nt .

Thanks to her academic record, she received her acceptance letter in the spring of 1994. After a gap year of teaching English in South Korea, Fiorello graduated w ith a bachelor ’s deg ree i n economics in 1997.

“I’m greedy, I [wanted] to see if I [could] climb that hard mountain,” Fiorello said.

After Harvard, Kim recruited to complete a f i xe d i ncome trading analyst training program w it h t he now- def u nc t Wa l l Street investment bank Salomon Brothers.

Follow ing her husba nd’s f inance job, Fiorello enrolled in night classes at Hong Kong University where she studied

4:35 The “other side” was the place of the Gentiles. Having ministered exclusively to the Jewish people, this boat trip across the lake, is the very first venture into non-Jewish territory.

2013, when he served as the 151st House District Representative.

He remembers how Kim asked him good questions about public policy.

“What I'm really impressed by w ith her is her focus on solutions, which I think is a good thing,” Camillo said. “It’s one thing to have an opinion and not listen to anyone else, but Kim does listen, and she likes the discussion of and debate on public policy which is critical.”

“Harvard or Bust” At 10-yea rs-old, Fiorel lo moved from Seoul in 1985 to Reston, VA, on the outskirts of Arlington, as her dad’s work transferred him to the Pentagon, where he worked as a civilian accountant.

After graduating high school, Fiorello enrolled at the United States Military Academy.

However, after completing basic training and one academic year,

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WHAT DOES JESUS DO? He awoke and spoke directly to the storm: “He…rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace!

Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.” Mark 4:39 The Word that spoke order out of chaos, the living Word that hovered over the face of the waters and said “Let there be light,” the same voice that spoke to the chaos of the waters and spoke into being ocean and dry land…The same

voice – now speaks to the fury of the storm. In the Amplif ied translation of the Bible we find this moment rendered with the phrase, “Hush!” or “Be muzzled.” And the wind ceased. And there was great calm. The funny thing is, the disciples are still afraid!! So, Jesus asks them: “[He said to them], “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” Mark 4:40 I n other words, “You just wanted me to bail you out of the storm. I want you to know the power of God to carry you through the storm.”

Fe a r ve r y o f t e n s e e k s to push God aside and take over responsibility for my comfort, care and protection all of which God has said He will faithfully provide.

T he L or d ve r y e mph at ic a l ly says, “I, I am he that comforts you!” (Isaiah 51:12). And yet fear barges in and tries to take over the role of protector, guide and comforter. It’s as if fear climbs up on God’s throne and presumes to say, “Don’t do that; You could get hurt!” I think for the first time I saw clearly that fear has the most toxic capacity to set limits on our obedience to God. When you think about it, isn’t it often the case that we serve the one we fear?

LET ME OFFER THIS FINAL THOUGHT: Yes, Jesus led them into the storm – but He went with them.

He was never absent – not for a moment. In the heat of battle, in the eye of the storm, God looks us right in the eye and levels with us.

And this is what he says: “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).

Let me unpack the unusual force of this statement: Not once in the past 75 years and at no point in the next 75 years and beyond, not ever; never, never, never, in any circumstance whatsoever, will God fail you.

For more information or to see the speech as it was delivered, you may go to: h t t p s ://a d n e . o r g / n e w s from-the-diocese-1/ qv92q5yk91yqt0pxohew0tped5rckh

journalism. She later interned at Far Eastern Economic Review, later becoming a staff reporter for the Wall Street Journal’s Hong Kong Bureau.

Her husband’s job took the pair to Manhattan in 2004. In preparation for motherhood, Fiorello took a job over the course of 15 months and learned to cook at Wallsé, a high-end re st au ra nt ser v i ng mo der n Austrian fare.

From her time across va r ious industr ies, Fiorello said she has learned she loves throwing herself in “the middle of great situations” and feels blessed to have worked in those places.

Fiorello said she’s not afraid of hard work, and she loves that high throwing of herself at challenging tasks. Confident she can do it with a smile on her face, she is focused on the next challenge - winning an election.

Obituaries, for which there is never a charge or fee of any kind, may be submitted with photos to Editor@ GreenwichSentinel.com.

Stuart Reider Stuart E. Reider died on August 25th at 84 years of age from natural causes after nine days at Greenwich Hospital.

Mr. Reider was predeceased by his parents, Lillian and George, a sister, Sylvia Siskin, and a brother, Jerry Erik, all of whom liked to call him Trudy. He has two nieces, Ronnie Vitale and Jerrie and several grand nieces and nephews.

Stuart had his early education in the public schools of Yonkers, New York after which he was granted a study-living opportunity in Switzerland with the esteemed Experiment In International Living Program based in Vermont. Stuart earned a degree at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania and later graduated from the London School of Economics.

What really shaped his pursuits in his life was time in Switzerland with the Experiment. For decades he spoke of epistolary friendships, as well as others supported by modern media in diverse locations, such as: Hong Cong, India, Tai Wan, Switzerland, Japan, England, Mexico and all the Northeastern states. Many times he was invited to wedding in exotic places where head had worked or traveled.

Mr. Reider’s professional life included: Banker’s Trust at locations of Asia and the United Kingdom and Liaison Officer with the Japanese School in Greenwich. In recent years, he was a dedicated member of the Appointments Committee and Representative Town Meeting in Greenwich and an active member of the University Club in New York.

The somewhat enigmatic Stuart Reider was loved and admired by many. Recently, his neighbor, Delores, expressed her family’s respect for his friendliness, which was seldom experienced in their earlier residences in England and Westchester. Stuart particularly enjoyed collecting Asian artifacts, enter tain ing f r iends, ma k ing new friends while traveling and sharing his contacts with others. A memorial gathering will be held in October.

Frank Frasca William D. Merkle, son of the late Frank P. And Leona V. Merkle of Evanston, IL. Dartmouth College, Class of ‘51, New Trier High School, 1947. Served in the US Army 19521954, stationed in Chateauroux, F ra nce, e a r n i ng a n overse as discharge and remaining employed as a civilian in Verdun. Bill met Gertrude M. (Trudy) Hunziker, a journalist from Geneva, Switzerland in Paris, marrying there in 1954.

Their three sons were born at the base hospital and the family relocated to the US in 1958. Bill then completed his MBA at the Tuck Business School at Dartmouth and embarked on his successful career in Human Resources and organizational development. In 1963, the family moved permanently to Old Greenwich, CT, where they added three lovely daughters.

In 1976, he founded William Merkle Associates, consulting i n orga n i zat ion development and providing skills training for corporations across the US and Canada. After retiring in 1991, Bi l l a nd Tr udy ser ved i n the International Executive Service Corps, assisting business leaders in the post-Soviet era as developing countries sought to convert their economies to competitive, open markets and participate in the global economy. Bill advised on improving business processes, establishing consistent management practices and developing organization culture.

They spent from one to six months in Russia, Romania, Bulgaria, Tunisia, and Egypt, to name a few.

Bill was a wonderful storyteller and these assignments provided amazing fodder for learning, laughs and wonder about how different and similar we all are in the world.

Bill worked hard and loved sailing, skiing, and the outdoors and passed this legacy to his family.

Pepabileman, a 26’ sloop, was named for the six children. In 1982, Bill took delivery of a Whitby 42 ketch, Merritime. For two decades Bill thrilled his extended family and friends, sailing the ketch up and down the East coast, to Bermuda and the Bahamas, welcoming them on different legs of the voyages.

He was an accomplished ukulele player, taught himself the banjo and also enjoyed playing piano. He instilled in his family the importance of working together and playing together, and family reunions with

Obituaries

cousins focused on sailing with plenty of laughter.

Bill was preceded in death by both of his siblings, F.P. Merkle Jr. (Pete) (1927-1996) and Barbara Patteson Hartman (Bobby) (19252005). He is survived by Trudy, his loving wife of 65 years, and their six children: Peter F. Merkle, MD of Deerfield, FL, Patrick G. Merkle, Esq. of Washington DC, William L. Merkle, P.E. of Elizabeth, IL, Lee Merkle-Raymond of Palo Alto, CA, Mary Merkle-Scotland of Madison, CT, and Annie Merkle-Ward of Guilford, CT. Bill and Trudy also have sixteen grandchildren and two great grandchildren.

There will be a limited celebration of Bill’s life on September 18 at 10 am at St. Clement Church.

I n l ig ht of cu r rent COV I D -19 restrictions, friends are asked to register in advance with the family.

Lila "Loly" Garber Loly Garber (formerly Weiss), passed away peacefully in Delray Beach, FL on September 7, 2020.

She was two months shy of her 95th birthday.

Loly was born on November 19, 1925 in Brooklyn, NY. She had so much pride in her Brooklyn roots.

She attended public school and went on to The Cooper Union to pursue a degree in art. She worked in the textile business, where she met her first husband before moving to Greenwich, CT and starting their family.

Loly was so proud to have worked on the Betty Boop and Popeye car toons, long before cartoons became digital. She then began focusing on her own personal art, which was loved by family, friends and perfect strangers. She leaves a legacy with her beautiful paintings that continue to adorn the walls of many near and far.

Loly moved to Florida in 1987, where she met her late husband, Stan, and began their life together.

They loved socializing, dancing, and traveling the world. Loly spent the majority of her days living life to the fullest. She was known around the Indian Spring community for constantly being on the move. She would ride her bike to go workout at the fitness center before playing tennis, followed by water aerobics, and would occasionally fit in a round of golf the next day.

Loly was predeceased by her loving husband of 23 years, Israel "Stan" Garber; two sons, Dougie Weiss and Gregory Weiss; and sister, Rita Welch.

Family was everything to Loly.

As much as she loved her world travels, she was happiest when she was surrounded by family, no matter where that was. She is survived by her loving children, Randall Weiss, Dawn & Michael Horton, and David

Weiss & Paige Windle; and her cherished grandchildren, Camber Weiss, Kyle Horton, Jason Weiss and wife Jillian, Marina Weiss, Brittany Root and husband Daniel, Bailey Horton, and Lauren Weiss. She was also very lucky to have three wonderful step-daughters, Sandy Arostegui, Geri Goldstein, and Donna Coon; as well as many other beloved extended family members, and the friends that she held as close as family.

A celebration of her beautiful life will take place at a later date.

Those wishing to honor Loly with a memorial contribution are asked to consider The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, 555 Long Wharf Drive, New Haven, CT 06511 or a charity of your choice.

Angeline Rosa A ngel i ne Ro s a , a l i felong resident of Greenwich, passed away Wednesday, September 9th. Born November 10, 1937 in Sanford, North Carolina to Pietro and Ernistine Fadda. Angeline was affectionately Known to her friends as Angie and her family as Nina, moved to Greenwich at a young age where she remained a lifelong resident and a graduate of Greenwich High School.

Angie married her husband Frank Rosa and together grew their family and business, Rosa Carpentry. Angie was a phenomenal cook, loved the water and boating with her family and a true animal lover. She leaves behind her beloved husband Frank Rosa; her loving children Steven (Wendy) and Diane; her cherished grandchildren Daniel (Maureen), Christopher, Jessica, Olivia, and great-granddaughter Cecilia. Angie is also survived by her dear sister Mary Genova and many nieces and nephews. To honor her life, family and friends will gather Sunday from 2 p.m. – 6 p.m. at COXE & GRAZIANO FUNERAL HOME, 134 Hamilton Ave., Greenwich (203) 869-5968. A Mass of Christian Burial took place at St. Roch Church; interment followed at St. Mary's Cemetery, Greenwich. For more information or to place an online condolence, www.coxeandgraziano. com.

Emily W. Gibbons Emily W. Gibbons (April 21, 1933-Sept.3, 2020) was the youngest of 8 children born to George and Sarah Nee Wolfert in Greenwich, CT. A lifelong resident of Greenwich, she married her first husband, John J. Stelling, (died 1988), in 1951. They had five children: Gary (died 2003), Kathleen, Michele (died 1974), Lori Ann and John J. She was a child care provider for many years. In 1968 she joined AA, where she met her second husband, Patrick Gibbons, (died 1988). Emily enjoyed her 52 years of sobriety and the many

relationships it created and grew.

She is survived by 3 grandsons, Aaron and Craig Zeranski and John D. Cappiali; and 2 great-grandsons, John Paul Zeranski and Jack Aaron Zeranski .Emily was predeceased by her 7 siblings, George, Dorothy, Marion, Warren, Robert, Grace and Peter.

Elizabeth Ewing Elizabeth (Carey) Ewing of Lake Placid, FL, died peacefully on September 8th, after a brief battle with leukemia. She is survived by the love of her life, Michael Ewing, to whom she was married for 40 years, and her beloved son, Braden Ewing, of Orlando, FL. Born to William and Catherine (Moore) Carey, Elizabeth was raised in Saratoga Springs, NY. After meeting in Boston, the Ewings lived in New York, NY, Dallas, TX, and Greenwich, CT, before moving closer to their son in Florida. Besides her husband and son, she is survived by her sister and best friend, Linda Carey Keith of Dedham, MA, and her brother, William Carey and his wife, Barbara (Ashton) of Ipswich, MA, as well as her adoring nieces and nephews and their families - Kristin Keith of Dedham, MA, Erin (Keith) Epker of Dedham, MA, Meghan (Carey) Frank of Vancouver, BC, William Carey of Durham, NH, Jonathan Keith of Milton, MA, Caitlin (Carey) Garzoli of Hamilton, M A, and Andrew Carey of Boxford, MA. She will be greatly missed by her large extended family including her treasured Moore and Carey cousins and a younger generation of great-nieces and nephews whom she showered with love. Elizabeth attended St. Peter's Academy and studied at Trinity College in VT. She had a successful advertising sales career at Boston radio station, WHDH, and continued in New York at Katz Communications and Nickelodeon Television. She later turned her energies to raise her son, and lent her many talents to Braden's schools and local nonprofits where she made an infinite number of friends. She volunteered at both Lamplighter School in Dallas and Brunswick School in Greenwich, where she also had a long commitment to The Breast Cancer Alliance. Elizabeth was a faithful Catholic, a voracious reader, gourmet cook, frequent hostess to friends, and the mastermind behind every family Thanksgiving and Christmas celebration. She traveled extensively and loved long road trips and vacations by the sea, especially August on Cape Cod. But more than anything, her greatest joy was family. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at a later date in Saratoga Springs, NY. In lieu of flowers, expressions of sympathy can be made in memory of Elizabeth Ewing to the Breast Cancer Alliance,

48 Maple Avenue, Greenwich, CT and Public Administration. Later he got an MBA from Trinity College in 06830.

Hartford while he worked full time for Cigna.

Francis J. "Monti" Wayne joined the army as an Montimurro officer in the CIC in Germany where Francis J. "Monti" Montimurro, he learned to speak fluent German.

He met Hop e Hav i la nd i n age 88 of Layton, NJ, passed away suddenly on Friday, September 11th, Bermuda while on a business trip and married her in 1963.

2020 at his home.

They moved to Syracuse where Francis was born in Greenwich, they made lifelong friends many of CT to the late Anthony and Carmella (Boskello) Montimurro. He grew whom would all settle in Greenwich, up in the Chickahominy section, CT. His career in the Securities where he played football in high Industry brought him satisfaction school. A renowned kicker, Francis and success over the years. was invited to audition for the As members of the Innis Arden Dallas Cowboys. After serving in the US Navy during the Korean Country Club Wayne was an avid War, Francis attended the American tennis player.

Their life in Greenwich was Academy McAllister Institute and Fairleigh Dickinson University. full enjoying their many Golden Francis was immensely proud of Retrievers, horses, investments, his career as a licensed funeral antiques, and paintings.

He loved resea rch ing a nd director at Frank E. Campbell's, investing in the stock market Walter B. Cooke, Riverside, and Williams Funeral Homes prior to his and being part of several horse retirement in 1984. He chronicled partnerships. He had the golden his time in the industry in his book, touch.

He and Hope enjoyed 54 years Provolone in the Casket. Following retirement, Francis settled in of marriage until her death in Layton, NJ, where he owned and 2017. He leaves his sister-in-law, operated the Layton Store and Priscilla Passas and her husband, worked as a permanent substitute William. A brother-in-law Theodore teacher at the Sussex County Haviland III and wife, Patricia.

Technical School. He always had a Way ne's nephews a nd n iece; funny story to share and he will be Stanton Barker, and wife Janet and 2 children, Jessica, and Matthew; missed by all who knew him.

Predeceased by his wife, Joan David Haviland and wife Kate and (Fuller) Montimurro; sister Marie their 3 children David, James, and Ledda; and brothers, Joseph and Theodore; Anne Haviland Cullen Lawrence Montimurro, Francis is and husband Barry and children survived by his daughter, Melissa John, Sarah, and Richard.

His fathers' second marriage, Montimurro and her husband Raymond Loevlie; son Mark and half-sister Linda Reddington and his w ife Sandra Montimurro; husband Tom. 1st Cousin Jeff Webb g randchildren A lex, A ndrew, and wife Sandy, and a cousin on his and Aaron Tirpack and Aidan mother's side, Mary Ann Duvall.

Like a family member was their L oevl ie; g reat-g ra ndch i ld ren Dylan and Madison Tirpack; and devoted family friend of 71 years, brother Anthony and wife Cathi Serena Luberti who took meticulous Montimurro; as well as many nieces care of every detail of their homes making their life memorable and full and nephews. of love.

Donations to the Sunshine Wayne Leizear Golden Retriever Rescue Wa y n e D . L e i z e a r d i e d organization, SGRR, PO Box 247, peacefully at Greenwich Hospital on Port Washington, NY 11050 instead August 27, 2020. of flowers are encouraged.

Born an only child on March 9, 1933 to Palmer Dudley Leizear and Amelia K. Turek Catherine V. Duvall in The District Amelia 'Millie' K. Turek was of Columbia, the family moved to Laurel, MD, horse country where born April 25, 1923 in New York he developed a love for horses and City She left this earth on August 23, 2020 to join her loved ones in sports.

As a young boy, he attended an Heaven, parents Stefan and Sofia all-boys military school, McDonough Krawczuk, husband Thomas Turek, School in Owings Mills, MD. As a brother Benjamin Krawczuk and student at Laurel High School he granddaughter Kendall Turek. excelled at academics as well as Mary K. Petrizzi baseball and football. He graduated with high honors and received Mary Petrizzi, a Greenwich many sports awards. He went on to resident for over 70 years, passed study Economics at the University away peacefully on September 12th of Maryland, where he received a at the age of 92, surrounded by scholarship and graduated with high family. honors from the College of Business

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134 Hamilton Avenue Greenwich, CT 06830 (203) 869-5968

Page 15 | Greenwich Sentinel

REAL ESTATE DASHBOARD FEATURED OPEN HOUSES

REAL ESTATE DASHBOARD MASTHEAD

Data Compiled by Rob Pulitano [203] 561-8092

DASHBOARD EDITOR

Mark Pruner | Mark@GreenwichStreets.com | mark@bhhsne.com

DASHBOARD CONTRIBUTORS

Robert Pulitano | RobertPulitano@bhhsne.com Cesar Rabillino | CesarRabellino@bhhsne.com Pam Toner | PamToner@bhhsne.com

NEW LISTINGS

Data Compiled by Cesar Rabellino (203) 249-9866 Address

List Price

7 River Road Slip-B12 102 Valley Road 19 20 Church Street B11 5 Putnam hill Road 2C 132 Henry Street 1 Idlewild Manor 337 Valley Road 11 River Road 120 50 Church Street 7 29 Hassake Road 21 Nicholas Avenue 7 Essex Road 2 Ridge Road 72 Pond Place 84 Hunting Ridge Road 13 Linwood Avenue 180 Round Hill Road 67 Circle Drive 3 Indian Knoll Place 88 Birch Lane 103 Husted Lane 14 Indian Chase Drive 16 Lia Fail Way 153 Elm Street 12 Long View Avenue 10 Frost Road 11 Lighthouse Lane

$75,000 $575,000 $655,000 $759,000 $799,000 $825,000 $895,000 $899,000 $1,075,000 $1,225,000 $1,249,000 $1,250,000 $1,265,000 $1,325,000 $1,525,000 $1,650,000 $1,750,000 $1,999,999 $2,300,000 $2,450,000 $2,795,000 $3,000,000 $3,249,000 $3,295,000 $3,750,000 $3,900,000 $3,995,000

635.5 Steamboat Rd 5 Crossway 27 Khakum Wood Road 32 Grahampton Lane 30 John Street

Price/SqFt

SqFt

AC

$575 $481 $584

1,000 1,362 1,300

0 0

$307 $561 $740 $708 $596 $486 $429 $473 $484 $427 $504 $621 $536 $456 $312 $709

$642 $1,053 $726 $785 $956 $988 $801

2,606 0.1 1,470 0.12 1,210 0.51 1,270 0 1,805 2,521 2,910 2,640 2,616 3,100 3,026 2,657 3,268

0 0.17 0.14 0.22 0.2 0.27 4.58 0.22 1.08 4,386 0.45 7,373 4 3,454 1.02

4,351 1.38 2,848 1 4,476 4,200 3,922 3,946 4,986

2.97 0.14 0.31

2.34 0.28

BR

FB

Area

0 2 2 2 5 3 3 2 3 4 4 5 4 4 5 4 4 5 5 4 4 4 5 4 6 5 5

0 1 2 2 3 2 1 2 2 2 4 3 3 3 3 3 3 4 5 3 3 2 4 5 5 4 5

Cos Cob Cos Cob South Parkway South of Post Road Byram South of Post Road Cos Cob Cos Cob South Parkway Old Greenwich South Parkway Glenville Cos Cob Cos Cob North Parkway Riverside North Parkway South of Post Road North Parkway South Parkway South Parkway South Parkway Cos Cob South of Post Road Riverside South Parkway Old Greenwich

$4,200,000 $4,295,000

$1,346 $1,166

3,121 0 3 3,683 0.31 4

4 South of Post Rd 3 Old Greenwich

$6,995,000

$833

8,400 2.48 5

5

South Parkway

$9,350,000 $47,500,000

$982 $3,560

9,518 2.53 7 13,344 22.39 6

8 8

South Parkway North Parkway

Address

Area

Price

Day/Time

Broker

149 Weaver Street

Greenwich

$2,350,000

Sat 12-3 PM

Berkshire Hathaway

20 Shore Road

Old Greenwich

$1,775,000

Sun 1-3 PM

Berkshire Hathaway

137 Clapboard Ridge Road

Greenwich

$2,595,000

Sun 1-3 PM

Berkshire Hathaway

233 Overlook Drive

Greenwich

$3,250,000

Sun 1-3 PM

Berkshire Hathaway

18 Lower Cross Road

Greenwich

$7,495,000

Sun 1-3 PM

Berkshire Hathaway

18 Circle Drive

Greenwich

$2,150,000

Sun 1-3 PM

Coldwell Banker

123 Valley Drive 102 Valley Road #19 18 Leonard Avenue 27 Linwood Avenue 77 Taconic Road 107 Perkins Road

Greenwich Cos Cob Riverside Riverside Greenwich Greenwich

$3,295,000 $575,000 $1,000,000 $2,650,000 $1,850,000 $3,400,000

Compass Connecticut Sotheby's Sotheby's Sotheby's Berkshire Hathaway Coldwell Banker

44 Stirrup Lane #44

Riverside

$850,000

Sun 1-3 PM Sun 1-3 PM Sun 1-3 PM Sun 1-3 PM Sun 1-4 PM Sun 1-4 PM Sun 1:30-2:30 PM Sun 12-2 PM Sun 12-2 PM Sun 12-2 PM Sun 2-4 PM Sun 2-4 PM Sun 2-4 PM Sun 2-4 PM Sun 2-4 PM Sun 2-4 PM

5 Holman Lane Old Greenwich $1,795,000 63 North Ridge Road Old Greenwich $1,495,000 27 Bayside Terrace #A Riverside $3,395,000 40 Ettl Lane #23 Greenwich $899,000 27 Evergreen Road Greenwich $35,000 27 Evergreen Road Greenwich $4,849,000 5 Bolling Place Greenwich $1,625,000 5 N Crossway Old Greenwich $4,295,000 132 Cedar Cliff Road Riverside $3,849,000

Coldwell Banker Berkshire Hathaway Compass Connecticut Sotheby's Anderson Associates Berkshire Hathaway Berkshire Hathaway Houlihan Lawrence Houlihan Lawrence Sotheby's

See the Second Section in this week's paper for more Real Estate information and Mark Pruner's column.

Deborah Ference-Gray

One Pickwick Plaza Greenwich, CT 06830

Office: 203.618.3155 Mobile: 917.584.4903

For Market Updates and Listings Visit deborahferencegray.com

deborah.ferencegray@sothebyshomes.com

PROFILES From Page 13

“Why do people climb Mt. Everest?” Fiorello asked.

“There’s satisfaction in doing hard things. Even if you fail, there’s gratification in trying to solve it and try it again.”

Kathleen Stowe Seeks To Bring Moderate Positions To 149th Seat House District 149 Democratic candidate Kathleen Stowe never considered challenging the soon-retiring Incumbent Republican Rep. Livvy Floren, saying she has tremendous respect for the 10 term representative. Stowe is now look ing to br ing her moderate positions to the seat.

“Our district needs strong, capable representation, and I did not want to see that slip with Livvy’s retirement.” Stowe said. “Our voters have not had a choice in representation in many years, and I thought they deserved that option.”

“Most of all, though, I look at the situation our state faces right now and I think we need all the help we can get in Hartford and I would like to help address our issues,” she said.

Self-identifying as a fiscally conservative Democrat, Stowe is looking to utilize her experiences from Greenwich’s Board of Education and her finance background to help grow

the local and state economy and support Greenwich’s public schools.

Stowe will face Republican c a nd id ate K i m F i or e l l o for the seat at the ballot box this November.

“I think people should vote for me because I have an established track record from two decades in the f inancial industry, with a proven ability to grow businesses even through economic downturns,” Stowe said. “I also believe my leadership role on the Board of Education has shown my ability to work with others on very important and emotional issues, especially during a pandemic.”

Stowe said she would like to help build the economy by helping businesses and f loated the idea of implementing a o n e -ye a r h o l i d ay t a x f o r new businesses. Stowe said Connecticut already has the key ingredients: a highly educated workforce; access to the I-95 corridor and should incentivize businesses leaving New York City to come to Greenwich.

Stowe was raised in a Democratic-leaning household and identif ies a moderate politically while advocating for fiscal responsibility.

“That sometimes feels like a lonely position in the hyperp a r t i s a n world we s e em to inhabit, but I believe it is the right place for me,” Stowe said. “I often felt Livvy voted not based on par t y, but on her ideals, and I think you will find I am quite balanced on all issues, but identify more closely with the Democratic Party today on social policies from public education to

the environment and individual rights.”

Stowe said she would support the community’s public schools by impacting legislation and advocating to the Governor to e n s u r e a l l s t ate a c t i o n s support Greenwich’s local school efforts.

First elected to the Board of Education in 2017, Stowe sought to use her financial background to help manage the school’s budget.

Over the past three years, Stowe led a super i ntendent search following Jill Gildea’s sudden resignation, and the search selected Dr. Toni Jones to fill the role. In light of the job’s high turnover rate for the past two decades, Stowe said she designed the contract to include a retention bonus.

A mid the COV ID-19 pandemic, Stowe and the board passed a hybrid grading system for its schools rather than a pure “pass/fail” option to satisfy the community’s various needs.

Chairing the budget com m it tee, Stowe has used her career background to find eff iciencies and meet budget deadlines. Board of Education Chair Peter Bernstein told the Greenw ich Sentinel Stowe’s sk ills have “truly aided” the board as it has had to work with tighter and tighter budgets.

“She has a f irm grasp on the need to f ind ef f iciencies and make an impact by doing more w ith less,” Ber nstein, a Republican, said. “This is demonstrated regularly by her ability to see both the forest and trees; she can take a large amount of data and distill it to

the important points.”

Balancing Constituencies Stow graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. She later worked as a banking analyst at Citibank and as International Decision Systems Board Member.

Stowe said her career taught her to balance multiple constituencies to achieve benef icial outcomes for everyone, a sk ill which her former boss — SV Investment Pa r t ner s Fou nder Nichola s Somers — complimented.

During her eight-year stint at the company, Somers said Stowe was a highly motivated, highly intelligent jack-of-all-trades who rose through the company ranks quickly. “ I n h e r r o l e a t S V I P, Kathleen was very successful in achieving f inancial results by driving the strategic and operational objectives of our b u s i n e s s e s ,” S o m e r s s a i d .

“She was also able to balance the various objectives of the businesses’ constituents; managers, employees, lenders and investors in a collaborative and productive manner.”

Stowe started working at the Financial Technology company Jordan & Jordan, saying she is building the company now with her father’s help. “I am passionate about building c omp a n ie s , e c onom ie s a nd c o m mu n it i e s ,” S towe s a i d .

“That’s the fun part.”

After living in New York City with her husband, the pair were looking for a place to raise their children and Stowe said she was

drawn to Greenwich’s beautiful environment and school system.

“What really sold us on the town and the southwest Connecticut area, in general, was the wonderful sense of community we witnessed. We’ve come to appreciate that more and more as we’ve lived here.”

Kathleen asked that we include the full answers to her qu e st ion s . Unfor t u n ately we are short on space this week so you can find them all on line at https://www.greenwichsentinel. c o m / 2 0 2 0/ 0 9/ 2 1 / k a t h l e e n stowes-candidate-questionnaire/.

150th Steve Meskers Aims To Support And Advocate For His Constituents Wanting to help Connecticut f ix its economic stag nation, incumbent State Rep. Stephen Meskers (D-150) said it was a tremendous honor to be elected t wo ye a r s a g o a s t h e f i r s t Democrat to occupy Greenwich’s 150th house seat in the state legislature in over 100 years.

The last one was elected in 1912.

“I did my best to aggressively present myself to the entire electorate. I went out and met all of the people who [were] within my district [by] canvassing and door-knocking and talking to them about the issues they were concerned with,” Meskers said. “I found an overwhelming level of support from them.”

A f ter an ex tensive Wall Street career of dealing with emerging markets and moving to Greenwich over two decades ago, Meskers began to wonder what he could do to make the world a better place, prompting his 2018 bid.

Meskers is now running again to keep his spot against Republican candidate Joe Kelly. However, Meskers isn’t approaching this election as a race between competing political ideologies, but as another twoyear oppor tunit y to make people’s lives better.

“In some cases, you talk about the arc of justice, in some cases you talk about the arc of history. I relish those issues and thoughts. But it's the idea that someone's going to bed tonight in a better position because I was able to do something to help resolve a problem,” Meskers said. “I feel that it's incumbent on me to do something to give back to my community, but also to the individual, just to [move] the needle.”

Developing Bright Spots In the light of Greenwich’s current problems w ith its monopolistic energy provider, Eversource Energy, Meskers called for the state government to review the company’s ratepay ing structure, current reg u lations a nd executive compensation plan.

T h i s p a s t s u m m e r, Eve r s ou r c e’s rate s sh a r ply increased and Greenw ich residents were critical of the c o mp a ny ’s s l ow r e s p o n s e s fol low i ng t he da mage f r om Hurricane Isaias, which left large swaths of the state without

PROFILES From Page 15

power.

Meskers expressed concern about f ining the company, fearing consumers would end up footing the bill if Eversource recovers the cost by incorporating it into their business costs.

“I think there is a chasm in their perception of their performance during the recovery period versus what the ratepayers experienced,” Meskers said, referencing the recent Public Utilities Regulatory Authority’s meetings where they questioned Eversource representatives.

Meskers, concerned by the state government’s high reliance on Fairfield county’s tax dollars, and the state’s lethargic economic growth, wants to foster more economic “bright-spots” statewide by continuing his work as the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee vice-chair.

Meskers said he would continue increasing the number of tax credits for the state’s Historic Housing Rehabilitation Tax Credit Program, which he began after assuming off ice. The program provides tax credits to use rehabilitated properties for residential use, non-residential use - such as establishing a restaurant, or a mixture of the two.

Meskers voted against the state’s budget in 2019 over concerns with the additional high-end property sales tax. Meskers felt the tax would increase the tax burden on Greenwich residents who already pay capital gains and income tax on their real estate sales.

Meskers draws his policymaking approach from his 35 years of working with emerging markets for large banking institutions.

During his six-year stint as Banco Santander's head of emerging market sales and fixed income, Meskers said it was a privilege and “an incredible educational experience” to watch American business executives, with their macroeconomists and senior portfolio managers, react to massive Latin American companies’ bond presentations.

“I was at the table with the major Fortune 500 companies of Latin America and the largest investment companies or purchasers in the United States,” Meskers said. “You sat there and listened to these beautiful presentations, and you saw keen minds rip them to shreds. ‘This is not the right business model’ or ‘you’re facing competitive threats,’ I don’t want to give you a 20-year bond because I’m concerned about your cash flows.’”

Since assuming of f ice, Meskers has cosponsored 24 bills which primarily concern senior citizens’ quality of life, such as deferring property tax for residents over 65-years-old and expanding financial benefits for grandparents raising needy children.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Meskers helped guide constituents through the complicated process of accessing unemployment benef its.

Meskers also worked with other constituents’ COVID concerns, such as where to go for COVID testing.

Meskers said he is thrilled to help constituents but didn’t initially realize how much of his time as state representative would be helping other people.

“Everyone needs help, and it's only when you're in a position where you are able to offer that help that you realize how many people are lost, or needed that help or don't know where to go, and are grateful for anything you can do to move their situation forward,” Meskers said.

Greenwich Resident Robert Van Glahn first met Meskers on May 15, seeking his help. Van Glahn’s mother, who had a broken pelvis and has Alzheimer’s disease, was sick with the coronavirus and none of the nearby nursing homes were accepting patients.

In response, Meskers enlisted First Selectman Fred Camillo and other community figures to help Van Glahn. Thanks to their combined efforts, Van Glahn’s mother was one of the first residents The Nathaniel Witherell nursing home accepted when its doors reopened three weeks later.

“He was unbelievably caring,” Van Glahn said. “I actually just went up and rang his bell in the middle of this whole emergency, and he got about four or five people involved. He would text me or call me late at night, early in the morning whenever he got news, He really cares about

his town. I wrote him a note saying, ‘I'm not a Republican or a Democrat, but I will vote for you.’”

Doing what he loves Meskers was born in 1962 in the Bron x to a work i ng- cla s s fa m i ly a nd g r ew up i n Mamaroneck, NY. Meskers attributes his work ethic to his childhood weekends spent working at his grandparents’ flower shop, making flower arrangements for funerals, weddings and other occasions.

Meskers worked his way through college as a waiter and later graduated from Fordham University with a bachelor’s degree in Economics and Spanish language and literature in 1980.

After living in New York City for a stint, Meskers and his family moved to Old Greenwich at the end of 1996 for the quality of life and its education system. He later retired in 2017.

However, it wasn’t until Meskers attended his sister Mary Hesdorffer’s award banquet that same year - Hesdorffer serves as executive director of the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation that he seriously considered a state representative bid. Meskers said he was moved seeing people get up and tell stories about how his sister had helped save their lives.

“It gave me pause to think as I finished up my banking career, what I could say about where I moved the needle or moved things forward,” Meskers said. “That's why I feel blessed to have the opportunity [for] public service.”

Meskers has now served as the district six representatives on the RTM for over a decade. He served as the RTM’s education committee’s vicechair from 2012 until last year when he moved on to the public works committee.

“I have been very impressed with the work done by Rep. Steve Meskers. He has his pulse on the community and has been very responsive to the needs of small businesses like mine,” said Sweet Blue Swim Academy Owner Cristina Teuscher. “I’ve found, in particular, that Rep. Meskers is very accessible to residents and considers all sides of an issue before making a final decision.”

If he wins the election, Meskers will continue to juggle the multiple responsibilities of serving on the RTM and as state representative. Despite the lengthy laundry list that entails, Meskers said it doesn’t feel like work.

“I guess the simplest answer is if you’re doing something you’re passionate about, it’s not work.

It’s as simple as that,” Meskers said. “It may sound trite, but if you do something you love every day, you wake up with a certain level of energy and excitement.”

Joe Kelly Aims To Motivate Peers To Affect Change In The State Legislature To Joe Kelly, the 150th district Republican candidate in the state legislature and long-time Greenwich community member, a big part of the problem with society’s current political landscape is both people and parties focus too much on their disagreements.

The solution? Taking what he’s already been doing to the state capitol — motivating others to work together by highlighting their commonalities.

“If you work together, then everyone's pulling for each other. Democrat and Republican, it makes no difference. We want to do things that are going to better the state of Connecticut,” Kelly said.

“If we both, Democrats and Republicans, talk about the things we agree, strengthen those things we agree on, and then push forward on accomplishing the things we disagree on, we can approach them in a positive, meaningful way,” he added, In his 22 years in Greenwich, Kelly has notably served as the coach of Greenwich High School’s star men’s rugby team, on the county’s Board of Education and as a volunteer firefighter. All of which, combined with his time in the private sector, will serve him well if elected, Kelly said.

Cultivated from his Wall Street career and multiple community involvements, Kelly said he wants to use his ability to motivate, paired with his blue-collar work ethic, to continue giving back

to Greenwich and its communities.

I'm an uniter. I’m an inspirer. I’m a motivator …

If I'm going to Hartford, I'm not going to go in there telling them what they're doing wrong,” Kelly said.

“I'm going to go to Hartford, try to understand how they look at things and try to talk about the things we have in common. And then once we have things in common, then we can change.”

Policy from past experience To make Connecticut’s higher education institutions more desirable, Kelly said he’d like to encourage state universities to further reduce tuition for in-state and low-income students, as well as encourage better job placements programs.

Kelly also said he would strive to divert more state education funding to Greenwich’s public schools.

Kelly said his time serving on Greenwich’s Board of Education will help him advocate for Greenwich’s public schools. Kelly said he spent a lot of time on the Board of Education striving to get unanimous support for the board’s issues in the voting sessions. If elected, Kelly said he would continue to serve on the Board.

Rather than laying off teachers in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kelly garnered support from fellow board members to use the school’s Cybersecurity operating funds to instead fund teacher salaries.

Kel ly a lso wa nts to add re ss t he st ate’s unfunded pensions liabilities through stimulating economic growth. Connecticut’s pension system is critically underfunded, as it still is paying off assets from decades ago, forcing the state to channel more money to fulfilling its pension payments, leaving less money to fund other projects and initiatives.

To stimulate such growth, Kelly said he wants the state government to better take care of its existing businesses by reaching out and asking them what challenges they face. Kelly said the state government should make contact with out-ofstate businesses and incentivize them to operate in Connecticut.

Kelly said he would like to leave the door open on specific policy points, as such businesses needs different types of policy support to thrive.

“I’m not saying I have the solution as far as what tax structure is necessary to remain competitive, but it certainly has to be addressed.

Ignoring it is 100% not the answer,” Kelly said.

“Having two businesses now and having other businesses in the state, not once did anyone ever contact me.”

Kelly currently serves as the CEO of Uranium Markets, Inc., a nuclear fuel brokerage company, and the President of Forestland Development, a real estate development company. Both companies are located in Greenwich. Kelly said he delegates the company’s day-to-day responsibilities to employees.

Kelly f irst got h is business sta r t out of college in 1985, working for R.M.J Securities as an assistant bond broker. He later became the company’s senior managing director. Before moving to Greenwich in 1998, Kelly worked at Cantor Fitzgerald, Rand Brokerage Firms and Securities and Liberty Brokerage Investment Corp.

Kelly said he learned to develop his ability to motivate people during his business years. During his time working in England at Liberty Brokerage Investment Corp. in the ‘90s, Kelly said the company struggled to break into the established market of selling European government bonds.

While other firms’ employees were on lunch break, Kelly said he motivated his employees to work through their lunch breaks by letting them order whatever they wanted on the company tab.

Kelly said the shift helped the company grow greatly.

“I found that I became more valuable to the company helping others to be more productive, by making them feel good about themselves,” Kelly said. “My skill became my ability to motivate others, which is probably the thing I learned most in my professional career. And that's the thing I'm using the most in my, in my life as a volunteer.”

Kel ly sta r ted coach i ng Greenw ich H ig h School’s Men’s Rugby Team in 2010. For the past six seasons acting as the coach, the team was invited to compete in the Boy's High School Rugby

National Championships Kelly attributed the program’s success to the players’ and staffs’ positive attitude, motivation and the town’s support of the program.

Throughout his time coaching Rugby, from 2010 to 2019, Kelly said the joy of motivating the athletes to work together to accomplish a shared goal is his favorite aspect of coaching.

“It was always fun when the parents would say ‘hey, thank you for coaching my kids’ and I turn around and say ‘hey, thank you for letting me coach your kids,’” Kelly said. “Because I got twice if not three times as much out of the experience of coaching your kids that you got by being coached.”

Zane Khader, who played on the GHS’s Men’s Rugby team until his graduation in 2020, said he has a tremendous amount of respect for Kelly.

Khader recounted one of the team’s group huddles during a Spring 2019 practice — which happened after every practice’s warm-ups — where Kelly asked Khader, who was fasting during the holy month of Ramadan, to explain the practice to him and the team.

“You don't have a lot of Muslim kids going through that program in this town, unfortunately.

A nd so, he took it upon himself to educate himself, but then also educate the team, which distinguished him because not many coaches will do that,” Khader said. “As a result, it created a deeper team connection because everyone was almost experiencing what I was experiencing vicariously because they understood it.”

Blue-collar work ethic Kelly was born in 1963 in Queens, NYC in a financially-struggling, blue-collar working family.

After losing his father to alcoholism in 1975, Kelly, the second of 6 kids, began working to support his family while attending middle school.

Kelly later attended Iona College in 1981 a nd g radu ate d w it h a de g r e e i n bu si ne s s administration, working as a janitor in between classes and as a bartender six nights a week.

Kelly f irst met Greenwich First Selectman Fred Camillo when he was a customer of one of Camillo’s recycling businesses. Remaining friends since, the men campaigned together last year as Kelly vied for a spot on the Board of Education and Camillo the first selectman’s office.

“He’s very solutions-oriented. He’s a very positive person. If there’s a problem, he’s not one to throw his hands up in the air and say ‘Oh that’s it, you can do anything about it.’ He’ll always look for a way to do it. That's why he's been very successful.”

Looking back on his professional career and volunteer commitments, Kelly said he loves taking responsibility, whether for a high school sports team or the county’s local policy.

Now, he’s aiming to extend his responsibilities to encompass his constituents’ concerns and the state’s policies.

[Taking responsibility] is something that came naturally to me because I did it at a very young age,” Kelly said. As I went into the workforce after college and after the life lesson I had of understanding that one has to work a lot, I went on throughout my career in Wall Street. I found it to be easier than I thought it was going to be, because I just outworked everybody, and I’ve always done that for my entire career.

151st Hector Arzeno Prioritizes Public Education In Campaign For House District 151 Democratic candidate Hector Arzeno, given America’s tense political climate, the upcoming elections across the nation will put candidates’ values, rather than specific policy ideas, on the ballot box.

However, he also believes what’s right and wrong doesn’t run down party lines, and admires soon-retiring Incumbent Republican State Rep Livvy Floren (D-149), calling her a role model of a legislator.

“I think that we have to learn to work more in collaboration and supporting what is right, despite the political party it comes from,” Arzeno said,

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Page 17 13 | Greenwich Sentinel

The Healing Power of Nature

By Jim Knox Tennyson’s timeless words of, “Nature, red in tooth and claw” portray the wild world and its inhabitants in a harsh, if ever honest light. Though penned more than a century and a half ago, those words ring as true today as they have down through the ages. The wild is no place for the squeamish.

That’s for certain.

Nature’s ever eff icient and perfectly calibrated functioning ensures that the world’s swiftest, most powerful, agile and resourceful creatures never go home on an empty belly. Theirs is a race—an arms race of hunter and hunted in which stealth and ambush catalyze fight and flight.

Unfolding each night and each day, the players in this drama gain and lose in boldest fashion, where life surrenders swiftly to death. The energy is expended—never lost, so that from this very death, life inexorably springs forth.

Yet all is not a binary camp of victor and vanquished. There are innumerable creatures who

feel the business end of tooth and claw, horn and maw, to stalk or flee another day. The lioness who suffers the wildebeest’s kick, the sea turtle who shrugs the shark’s bite, emerge far wiser for the encounter. “Once bitten, twice shy” begins to take on meaning beyond the figurative, don’t you think?

Mother Nature has equipped each of her creatures with the unfailing ability to conceal all but the most pronounced injury and illness from the ravenous ranks of her hunters. Yet while they are expert in concealing vulnerability, savagery invariably erupts. It is from such encounters that beasts sustain the scars of battle. Be it a broken tooth or a torn ear, none who attain ripe old age go truly unscathed. For these wild warriors, nature has remarkable strategies for survival. There is a name for this umbrella sheltering the planet’s creatures from the storming forces unleashed upon them. We k now it as healing.

This adaptive protection masks mechanisms we only partially understand.

Nature’s healing handiwork comes in many forms and they are all astounding: hyper healing capability in Great White Sharks, closing wounds wh ich wou ld spell the end of other creatures, perpetual tooth replacement in American Alligators, furnishing more than 4,000 teeth on-demand for a lifetime of battle with rivals and prey alike, and autonomy-

Nature is restorative, reaching us in ways we often can’t articulate. While it cannot heal all that we endure, nature is both shelter from, and tonic for, a weary world.

-the unfathomable regrowth of tails, limbs and digits for select amphibians and reptiles!

There are certain creatures who go a step beyond the ordinary.

Creatures who possess abilities which are seemingly impossible.

A mong them, is one fa m i lia r to many. The Green Iguana is a n i n ha bit a nt of isla nds a nd rainforests from the Caribbean to the southern edges of Amazonia, and it may just be the world’s most popular pet lizard. Attaining leng ths of up to 6.6 feet, and weights of up to 20 muscular pounds, you would think these arboreal reptiles would have few enemies. Despite their size and power, Green Iguanas represent a protein feast for any predator able to bring one down. From the moment they emerge as three-inch hatchlings, they’re on the menu.

So how does such a creature fend for itself in the ever-hungry world of the rainforest? Well, you remember “Nature, red in tooth and claw”? I know from experience that the Green Iguana

certainly possess both, and uses them extremely well. Yet the big lizard has another defense which is both unexpected and astounding.

Like certain amphibian cousins, including Connecticut’s Four-toed Salamander, Green Iguanas are equipped with a trait known as autotomy which literally means “self severing”. This gives them the ability to lose their tails in battles with predators and actually regrow them! Not only will the tail “break” along pre-set fracture points, it will move like a living creature, enticing a ravenous predator to focus on the movement and seize the guaranteed dinner twitching in its paws or jaws, while the stumpy iguana makes a dash for the safety of the nearest tree or river.

Remarkably, autotomy enables the Green Iguana to rapidly regrow the tail. Cartilage will replace bone in the regrowth area, and the texture and color will change a bit, but the tail will assume the same basic form and function as the original. What’s more, autotomy is found across the animal kingdom,

from snails and spiders, to crabs and lobsters...and at least one known mammal!

Yet nature’s healing power do e sn’t e nd t he r e . It me r ely begins. While her physical healing capabilities seem supernatural, it is Mother Nature’s ability to heal what we cannot see, that is perhaps her greatest gift to each of us. Just as no one is immune to the pain of loss, life’s journey exacts a different toll on each of us. There is no one balm for all.

A few years ago, I lost a dear friend who left us far too soon. On the heels of that loss, I reflected on the times we’d spent--growing up together--along with the fishing, hiking and wilderness camping that f illed the summers of our young adulthood.

Not long ago, I took a hike we’d planned to take together, but sadly, had never gotten around to. We were to summit Mount Wolver ine in Utah’s Wasatch Range. On a crisp late summer morning, I headed out with a small group. The valley ascent went

Your Horoscope, Suduko Puzzles Easy

Easy

Sudoku, above: each row, column, and nonet can contain each number only once.

Answers on page 10.

Astrology for Week of Sep 20, 2020 LIBRA 24 Sept-23 Oct What happens this week will set the scene for the next 12 months, so it’s essential that you give of your best and do only those things that will take you closer to your long-term goals.

Don’t let others set the agenda. It’s your future so it must be your decision.

SCORPIO 24 Oct-22 Nov You may worry you’re not doing enough in the days ahead but given how much you get through the rest of the year you have nothing to feel guilty about. In a month’s time, when the Sun enters your sign, you’ll get back in your stride. Take it easy for a change.

ARIES 21 March-20 April Some remarks that come your way this week may be hard to take but you’re sufficiently robust not to let them get to you. Hopefully, you’re also wise enough to realise there may be some truth in a few of the things others say about you. Listen and learn.

SAGITTARIUS 23 Nov-21 Dec Even if you’re that rare Sag who likes to hunt alone, with the Sun moving to focus on friendships and group activities you’ll get more out of life over the next four weeks by teaming up with people who share your aims and ideals. Together you can change a lot.

TAURUS 21 April-21 May As the Sun enters the wellbeing area of your chart you must get to grips with the dilemma of how to take on more work without damaging your health. You can either do only that which is in your interests, or delegate more. You don’t have to do it all yourself.

GEMINI 22 May-21 June You have put a lot into your work and home life recently and can now expect some kind of reward.

The Sun in Libra in the weeks ahead will do wonders for your confidence and ensure you’re in the right place at the right time to get all the good you deserve.

CAPRICORN 22 Dec-20 Jan As the Sun moves to focus on success this week you must set your sights high and refuse to settle for second best in any area. You were born to achieve and now, more than ever, you can start fulfilling your birth right. Be the best at everything you do.

CANCER 22 June-23 July You need to be pushed, and challenged, and with the Sun in a dynamic area of your chart what you need you will get. Don’t complain if life gets a bit tough in the weeks ahead as in the long-term it will do you a power of good. Think of it as your wake-up call.

AQUARIUS 21 Jan-19 Feb You will be much more adventurous in the weeks ahead but your carefree attitude won’t go down well with everyone. But were you put on Earth to satisfy others’ expectations?

Do what feels right to you and do it as well as you can. Above all, have fun.

LEO 24 July-23 Aug It is crucial that you now stay focussed and don’t get distracted by things that are exciting but trivial.

You can have fun with your friends but not to the extent that your brain and body can’t function next day. Everything in moderation – even excess.

PISCES 20 Feb-20 March You may be a bit withdrawn this week as the Sun enters an introspective area of your chart but its fine to get your thoughts together occasionally. Give yourself room to relax and unwind and you’ll soon be partying along with the best again.

VIRGO 24 Aug-23 Sept The Sun leaves your sign this week and with it go some of your more unrealistic dreams. Your courage and confidence has soared recently but the downside was that at times you forgot you had limits. What happens next will remind you what they are.

Discover more about yourself at sallybrompton.com

Hard

Hard

smoothly. At around 9,000 feet the air thinned and the gradient steepened. Though I prided myself on being prepared, sea level fitness and Rocky Mountain fitness were two different things entirely. I felt the weight of the mountain and I thought of my friend. Through high school and college, sports teams and weight training--we’d done it all together and never gave up. He was always there for me, never letting me give less than my best...and I did the same for him.

I stopped just shy of 10,000 feet when the remainder of my party turned back. I looked down briefly and then up to the summit. When I made the final push that day, I made it for both of us.

The mountain breeze wicked away the heat and dust from the effort and left me feeling fresher than when I’d started. Nature is restorative, reaching us in ways we often can’t articulate. Immersion in its soothing greens and blues quite literally lowers our blood pressure.

It clears our brains of fog and brims our hearts with hope. While it cannot heal all that we endure, nature is both shelter from, and tonic for, a weary world.

Jim Knox serves as the Curator of Education for Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo and as a Science Adviser for The Bruce Museum.

Jim has a passion for working with the world's wild creatures and for sharing his work with others.

First Bank of Greenwich Installs New Walk-Up Windows

By Richard Kaufman Si nce t he COV I D -19 pa ndem ic b e ga n, businesses around the state and the country have had to come up with innovative ways to serve customers in a safe manner.

The First Bank of Greenwich is certainly leading the way, as they are the first bank in the area to have walk-up teller windows.

T he b a n k r e c e nt ly i n s t a l le d w a l k-up windows for customers at its three branches in Stamford, Cos Cob, and Port Chester, N.Y. The inside of each branch entrance was redesigned with a window, which separates the teller a nd customer, a c a l l but ton /m icrophone system, and an electronic pull-out drawer for transactions.

"We don't know where the COVID -19 is going. For the safety and convenience of our customers and staff, we came up with the idea of installing walk-up windows," said FBOG President and CEO, Frank J. Gaudio.

If the drive-thru in Cos Cob or Port Chester gets overcrowded, customers can now park their car, and come inside where they ring the bell at the walk-up window. A teller will come over and handle any transaction.

"When you come in, you're taken care of

Retail Banking Manager, Emily Newcamp.

"It makes them feel safe, but it's still giving personal service.

Newc a mp adde d t h at t h r oug hout t he pandemic, transaction volume at the bank has actually increased.

"This isn't affecting us. We're just doing business differently," she added.

Similar to when the FBOG acted quickly on processing Payroll Protection Program applications in the spring, Gaudio acted quickly in coming up with a new innovative way to serve his customers.

The idea for the walk-up windows was created about two months ago, but a lot of research went into planning and finding the right materials, such as the electronic pullout drawer, in order to make everything work.

Each branch entrance was remodeled and rebuilt within a week.

"We're always looking to stay ahead of the curve. Proactive banking is what we do.

Because we're a small bank, we can do this quickly," Gaudio said.

Amy Huertas, Assistant Vice President & Branch Manager at FBOG, said she's looking for ward to hav ing that personal, one-onone connection that was present before the

right away," Gaudio said. "This way, you feel safer, and our staff feels safer."

Gaudio believes the windows will come in handy during the fall and winter months if the pandemic continues in earnest. The bank will also be able to remain open through the walk-up window if inclement weather causes staffing issues, or if there are problems with drive-thru service.

"This is just another avenue for us to help customers," said FBOG Vice President and

pandemic. " Si nc e COV I D, we h ave n' t h ad t he opportunity to really have a face-to-face with our customers. Being able to walk up to the window and see a customer's face, even though it's behind a mask, it just kind of brings back that personal touch that everyone's been used to over the years," she said.

The FBOG still of fers in-person appointments for customers. The bank is fully compliant with COVID protocols.

PROFILES From Page 16

referencing his support of First Selectman Fred Camillo’s decision to close local parks and beaches in March amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

After serving as an Representative Town Meeting District 8 Representative and volunteering around Greenwich in various capacities, Arzeno said he wants to take commitment to community service — fostered in him from his childhood Jesuit education in Argentina — and strong support of public education to Hartford this November.

Arzeno will face Incumbent Republican Rep. Harry Arora this November, who assumed the office earlier this year following Camillo vacating the seat to serve as First Selectman.

“I will definitely, if elected, work tirelessly to improve the governance of the state of Connecticut.

I will be defending and protecting the priorities of my district in Hartford,” Arzeno said. “I want to contribute to the improvements in any negotiation process of the state budget.”

If elected …

A banker by trade, Arzeno said he wants to use his financial background to help set the state’s budget. Arzeno said he will work to increase funding to Greenwich’s low-income housing efforts and to its public education system.

Arzeno opposed Greenwich’s Board of Estimate and Taxation’s local education funding decreases in the county’s budget this summer, brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Arzeno said the $3 million cut could have been compensated by the county’s significant reserves in its rainy day fund.

Arzeno said he believes public education is the backbone of the country. He volunteers as a bilingual tour guide at Greenwich High School, where all of his children received their high school diplomas.

“I will do my best to make sure that in Hartford we have access to all possible funds coming from the state or federal funding to try to cope with the needs of public schools have for COVID-19,” Arzeno said.

B o r n i n B u e n o s A r i e s i n 1 9 4 7, A r z e n o g raduate d f rom t he Cat hol ic Un iversit y of A rgentina w ith a Licentiate in Business Administration, later becoming an international banker for several prominent banks. He served as Banesto’s executive vice president of corporate and international banking for three years in the late 1980s, and as Banco Galicia’s executive vice president of its international division a decade later.

Before rising to the more senior position, Banco Galicia’s corporate ladder, he set-up and grow the Banco Galicia’s New York branch for seven years, starting in 1990, with his colleague, Dean Curry. Curry said Arzeno was easy to work with and very knowledgeable about the industry.

“He's not sitting there, doing what everyone has done for the past 50 years,” he elaborated further. “Hector is playing chess, he’s playing two or three moves ahead of what is going on.”

As a representative, Arzeno said he will support common-sense gun regulation, such as the creation of a permanent commission designed to implement programs and strategies to reduce gun violence, and work to strengthen environmental reg ulations. A rzeno said he suppor ts state legislation which requires more public input when permitting energy facilities which produce pollution.

He has also served on the Greenwich County Day School Sustainability Committee.

Arzeno worked to reduce and improve the

management of municipal solid waste on the RTM. He was elected to the RTM last November, and serves as a finance committee delegate and an alternate on the claims committee.

Since becoming active in the Greenwich community in the late 1980s, he has also been a member of the Parent-Teacher Association, volunteered as a youth soccer coach and at Greenwich’s conservation department monitoring program for the Mianus Pond Fish Ladder. He retired from his professional career in 2013.

“I believe in good governance. I think I should give back for what I have received from the country and the community,” Arzeno said. “And that’s why I decided to start [my career] from the bottom up.”

Working on Saturdays After graduating from college, Arzeno started his first job out of college working in 1970 for Morgan Guarantee Trust (now called J.P. Morgan Chase). In 1974, Arzeno moved to America to enroll in a one-year company training program.

Arzeno said the program has helped instill in him a financial “sixth sense” — the ability to differentiate important factors from superficial ones — which has helped him make business decisions throughout his career.

“The sixth sense of a banker is that sometimes you have to make decisions without all the facts,” Arzeno said. “Sometimes you have all of the facts and everything looks good, but you have that sense that you don’t feel comfortable with that decision.”

Arzeno first came to America in 1970 on a college-sponsored trip with other students and visited Boston, Washington D.C. and New York City. He said he was impressed by America’s political system and the Civil Rights Movement.

Arzeno said America taught him to work on Saturdays, as he remembers learning to come into the office over the weekend to spend a few hours filing recaps of last week’s activities and preparing for the coming week.

Arzeno also said working in America taught him the value of teamwork.

Gloria Palomino worked as vice president of human resources at Banco Galicia’s New York Branch and said she remembers Hector’s energetic personality and decisive nature. The pair have continued to keep in touch for the past four decades. To Palomino, Arzeno’s strongest trait is his desire to help people.

“Whatever you need, whatever problem you have, he will try to solve it,” Palomino said. “That was one of the things that I liked most about him in the bank.”

In past presidential elections, Arzeno has voted for Republican candidates like George H.W. Bush but started voting consistently for Democrats in 2004. However, despite the party switch, Arzeno’s core values, such as supporting public education, have not budged.

To him, some issues are too important to politically compromise on.

“We owe to our constituents clarity in where we stand. We shouldn’t be vague, we shouldn’t try to compromise on both sides of the questions,” Arzeno said, referencing his recent support of increasing voter access to absentee ballots. “[If] I say one thing a month ago, I will say exactly the same thing today, and I will say exactly the same thing in two months.”

Harry Arora is Serving His Constituents In his first six months as a state legislator, H.D. 151 Rep. Harry Arora didn’t spend all that much time legislating. Thanks to the COVID-19

For the safety and convenience of our customers and staff, we came up with the idea of installing walk-up windows," said FBOG President and CEO, Frank J. Gaudio.

From left to right at the new walk-up window: FBOG VP & Retail Banking Manager Emily Newcamp; President and CEO Frank Gaudio; Asst. VP & Branch Manager Amy Huertas; FBOG Teller John Cerulli; Asst. Manager Marilin Cardona.

pandemic, he spent the majority of his time helping Greenwich’s residents access unemployment benefits and addressing residents’ problems with the state’s COVID-19 restrictions.

“The big [lesson] I learned is you have to be willing to serve what our constituents and residents need, not highf lying ideas of what we think long term growth is going to look like,” Arora said.

“A lot of people do not have the luxury to look 10 years out when you have COVID or when you have short term challenges,” he added. “If you do not work on what’s on the resident’s mind right now, and let that be, then you do not have the mandate to work on long-term ideas.”

Following former incumbent Fred Camillo’s resig nation in late November, Harr y A rora assumed office after winning January’s special election to represent the district.

I n h i s s e c o n d e l e c t i o n t h i s y e a r, h i s v ision hasn’t cha nged. To promote g row th and opportunities, Arora wants to make the government more efficient, attract more business investment and make families want to stay in Connecticut.

“The goal is not a specific law,” Arora said. “The goal is [to create] much more opportunity … [The goal] is making sure everybody gets the ability to live the same dream or the opportunity to have the same dream I had. I came from nothing, and now I am very comfortable, and I feel blessed.”

Policy Plans To better incentiv ize parents to stay in Greenwich, Arora said he will fight to increase funding to the county’s public schools. Funding is allocated to school districts by the state’s Education Cost Sharing Grant, which is based heavily on a district’s financial need.

Arora criticized the current formula as “unfair” because Greenwich pays a large portion of the state income taxes.

A rora wants to promote g row th he said to solve the state’s problem with unfunded pension liabilities. The state’s pension system is underfunded, as it is still paying off assets from decades ago, forcing the state to channel more money to fulfilling its pension payments, leaving less money to fund other projects and initiatives.

To promote g row th, A rora wants to cut excessive government regulation, he said. In Arora’s estimation, Connecticut has too many government regulations on the books.

“It's not that we don't want regulation. We want appropriate regulation,” Arora said. “We cannot just overregulate things. What happens is it creates bottlenecks and it creates hurdles for businesses.”

Arora wants also he said to cut regulations and waste government spending to make the state government more efficient. He would thus push to repeal the state’s new payroll tax which was added to finance the state’s family and medical leave trust fund. Funding for such government programs, he said, can be found by making state governmental departments more efficient.

Arora also called for investing in transportation more effectively, by channeling more funds into the Metro-North Railroad and Greenwich’s local transit system. He called for creating policies that will create more private-sector incentives to protect the environment.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic worsened, Arora was developing two bills in the state legislature. One was aimed at developing highereducation scholarships for middle-class students to attend in-state institutions, funded by private donations in exchange for tax incentives. The other was aimed at reducing energy subsidies - which raise consumer prices, Arora said — by developing

utility-scale solar energy using private capital.

Earlier this year, Arora worked with state officials to adjust the governor’s executive order to better suit intellectual or developmental disability people and their families. The order prohibited family members to accompany their sick to hospitals, which was extremely difficult for individuals with an IDD and their families.

To Arora, the notion that serving as a state representative is too small of a job is not true.

“In a sense it's personal,” Arora said. “Being a state representative is one of the best ways to serve. It’s because you get to know everyone. You talk with them, you communicate with them. You know where you are. They know how you think.

It's just as real as it gets.”

Prominent Greenwich Community Member Allision “Icy” Frantz first met Arora when he was running for the U.S. House of Representatives against now-Incumbent Rep. Jim Hines. Inspired by his passion, Frantz said she later made phone calls and knocked on doors to support his campaign in the special election.

Frantz said she loves Arora’s ability to listen, citing his virtual roundtables to discuss issues and his concerns for his constituents. “It would be hard to consider Harry without mentioning a few words about [his wife] Nisha,” she said. “Nisha is smart and a real force. They make a wonderful team. To be successful in Hartford, it is critical to have your family behind you.”

Subhead No. 2 Arora was born in Gujarat, India, as the second of two kids in December, 1969. He later enrolled in the Delhi College of Engineering, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in electronics and communication engineering in 1987. In 1993, Arora immigrated to America and began his graduate studies in finance at the University of Texas at Austin.

Arora started his finance career at the soonto-be energy company titan, Enron Corp. in 1995, later working his way up to an executive management position.

After Enron collapsed in late 2001 - as a result of accounting fraud and corruption at the highest level, the company filed for bankruptcy, with over $60 billion in assets. Arora lost a substantial sum of money as Enron couldn’t pay out his deferred payments.

Wanting more opportunity, Arora and his wife relocated to Stamford in 2002 and began working for another energy trading company in Greenwich. He founded ARCIM Advisors in 2006, an investment management firm and moved into Greenwich in 2010.

“When you lose your job and your savings, you try to get the new job and move,” Arora said. “This is where the opportunity was, and I really thought it was a great place to settle down. It’s a great community.”

He later earned a master’s degree in Public Policy from Harvard in 2018. The same year, while running for U.S. Congress, Arora met Greenwich First Selectman Fred Camillo for the first time.

Camillo said Arora has done a terrific job filling his previous office.

“I thin k he’s ver y responsive as a state representative,” Camillo said. “He loves public service. He really is the American Dream success story … now he’s giving back, that’s American.”

Despite the problems facing the state government or in his personal life, Arora said he likes to have an optimistic outlook on matters.

“We can solve these problems. People say, ‘Oh, the country is going really bad’ and so on and so forth,” Arora said. “My viewpoint is ‘No, we’re the greatest country on Earth.’ We solve problems, and that's the way I think about it”

My name is Joe Kelly and with your support, I will bring a local focus to the State House, ensuring our community, our schools, our jobs, and our families are prioritized. www.JoeKellyCT.com

Vote for Coach Kelly State Representative District 150 For over 20 years, coach Joe Kelly has shown us what great leadership looks like. He has coached championship teams year after year, inspiring young people while giving them a strong foundation for success in school and life. Joe understands that these are challenging times for all families and businesses and he wants to help. Connecticut has serious financial and social problems but they can be solved. Now, more than ever, we need great leadership.

Excellence in Education

Equity & Social Justice

Fiscal Responsibility Now is not the time for divisive politics! Coach Kelly will stand up for ALL the families, businesses and individuals who call Greenwich home.

It’s time to join Coach’s Team!

He will lead CT back to its Winning Ways.

Paid for by Joe Kelly for State Rep, Treasurer Joseph L. Romano. Approved by Joe Kelly.

PAGE 3 | Greenwich Sentinel

27 24Acts of Kindness ACTS OF KINDNESS

Greenwich is home to some of the kindest people in the world, but we may need help remembering this as we reintroduce ourselves to it as restrictions lift a bit. Here is an updated list of the Sentinel's iconic Acts of Kindness that we hope will smooth the way. You know your intentions are good, others only know what you do and say.

Be nice.

Ask "How can I help?"

Say out loud to the people you love that you love them.

Let someone into your lane. They’re probably in a rush just like you.

Open a door for someone and hold the door for the person behind you.

When you grocery shop, pick up one extra and drop it off at Neighbor to Neighbor.

Remember that everyone is the hero of their own story.

Put your phone away and be an active listener.

Avoid interrupting others when they are speaking.

Say please, thank you, and you’re welcome.

Avoid gossip, especially on social media, unless it is good news.

Let the person behind you in line go ahead of you if they are in a hurry or with children.

Let the other driver have the parking space ... even on the Ave. Give flowers.

Write a thank you note, on paper.

Reach out to the elderly and those who may be alone.

Be kind to yourself and count your blessings.

If you’re shopping, try to find a way to buy locally.

Share what you have learned with others.

If you can, say YES! Jump in when children ask for donations or help with a project.

Make eye contact and smile.

Be patient with yourself and others.

Continue to always thank those healthcare workers, FedEx, UPS and USPS folks, grocery store employees and truck drivers for a job incredibly well done.

Thank all of our incredibly brave first reponders!

Thank you & have a great summer!

Cheer often and loudly for the success of other people.

When you think something GOOD, say it out LOUD.

Thank You! An anonymous neighbor.

An anonymous friend.

Real Estate Sales are Off the Chart

Even in this Market, Some Houses Are Not Selling

By Mark Pruner

Even in one of our hottest market ever 13% of our 491 listings have been on for more than a year. Of those 64 old listings that have had their birthday anniversar y, 18 of them have actually had their second birthday and 5 of them have actually been on for more than 1,000 days, so what keeps houses from selling.

INITI A L PR ICING: The biggest reason by far is overpricing the house when f irst listed. The f irst two week s of a listing is critical and if online buyers think the house is overpriced they won’t even go see the house. Even if their agent recommends seeing the house if what they see online doesn’t match up with their idea of its value they will turn down the showing.

So why do owners overprice their houses? First, it’s just human nature; no one wants to leave money on the table if a buyer would have paid more, so why not take a flyer at a higher initial price. This hope and a dream approach can set off a cascading list of issues that can

This chart, which used to only go up to 100, was modified to adjust for the redline, now well over 100.

easily leave the house on the market for a year or more and result in price well below what you might have gotten.

Second, owner’s value the unique features in their houses that were added as labors of love and money. The problem is that most buyers will only pay a little more, if any for these features.

Paradoxically, the lowest list price often leads to the highest a nd faste st sa le s pr ice , by generating the most traffic to the house.

Things like quality of construction, beautiful gardens, a n d h o m e ow n e r c a r e a n d maintenance often don’t play i nto a b u ye r ’s d e c i s i o n a s whether to see a house or not.

With the rise of the Internet, items that can be rendered as num bers have reduced the unquantifiable elements. Buyers look at square footage, price per square foot, acres, days on market and other features that they can sor t on their spreadsheets as signs of value.

PR ICE R EDUCTIONS: Every time, an owner changes the price it shows up on the Internet and each price change or lack of them have an unwritten tag line in buyers’ mind: • Price unchanged for 100 days – The seller won’t negotiate a “fair price” and may not want to sell at all, probably a waste of time to go see • A small price reduction – Seller w ill negotiate, but their bottom line is close to

their present list price so that needs to be close to the buyer’s perceived value • A series of small price reductions – Must be something wrong with the house if no one has bought it after all those price reductions and the buyer is probably desperate and will take a lowball bid.

If the buyer traff ic is not there initially, or if you had good traffic, but no offers have been made it’s time to take a major

price reduction. You also don’t want to do this more than twice so the bigger the better. Once again paradoxically the bigger the price cut the better your sales price will be. What you don’t want to get caught in is the death spiral of a dozen cuts, if you do you may end up having to reduce the price below “fair market value” to get people to come see your house.

POOR PRESENTATION: I was talk ing to another experienced agent about how much clutter and poor presentation could cost a seller and we both came to the same figure. We posited two identical older homes, but one was neat and tidy and the other cluttered and dirty. If the neat house went for $750,000 we both estimated, it would be minus $50,000 if the other house was a mess.

If you add dishes in the sink and mildew in the shower, you could take off another $25,000.

Appearance counts.

So, the things you can do that will improve the value of your house starting at street side: Curb appeal – A lot of people decide whether they like a property as soon as they see it, so trim the trees and bushes, remove fallen branches, fix the driveway, paint the mailbox and add big house numbers so the house is easy to find. Make sure the path from the driveway to the front door is a nice as you can make it; buy a new doormat with a welcoming message, paint the front door and replace any corroded door knobs and

See Real Estate page 7

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Page 3 | Greenwich Sentinel

REAL ESTATE DASHBOARD Deborah Ference-Gray

REAL ESTATE DASHBOARD MASTHEAD DASHBOARD EDITOR

Mark Pruner | Mark@GreenwichStreets.com | mark@bhhsne.com

DASHBOARD CONTRIBUTORS

One Pickwick Plaza Greenwich, CT 06830

Robert Pulitano | RobertPulitano@bhhsne.com Cesar Rabillino | CesarRabellino@bhhsne.com Pam Toner | PamToner@bhhsne.com

Office: 203.618.3155 Mobile: 917.584.4903

For Market Updates and Listings Visit deborahferencegray.com

deborah.ferencegray@sothebyshomes.com

NEW SALES SO FAR IN SEPT. 2020 Data Compiled by Cesar Rabellino (203) 249-9866

NEW LISTINGS

Last Week's New Listings: Data Compiled by Cesar Rabellino (203) 249-9866 Address

List Price

Price/SqFt

186 Putnam Park 186

$520,000

292 Delavan Avenue 1

$649,000

20 Church Street B11

$655,000

$481

28 Byram Terrace Drive

$799,000

$480

292 Delavan Avenue 2

$799,000

34 Greenwich Hills Dr

$859,000

$436

63 Byram Terrace Dr B

$915,000

$370

17 Manor Road

$1,195,000

47 Sheephill Road

SqFt

AC

BR

FB

Area

2

2 South of Post Road

0.11

2

2

Byram

1,362

0

2

2

South Parkway

1,666

0.4

3

2

Byram

0.11

3

2

Byram

3

Glenville

2

South Parkway

$569

0 3 2,470 0.14 2 2,101 0.19 4

2

Old Greenwich

$1,250,000

$364

3,437

0.31

4

3

Riverside

285 Bruce Park Ave B

$1,250,000

$567

2,205

0

3

2 South of Post Road

59 Le Grande Avenue 6

$1,250,000

$504

2,482

0

3

3 South of Post Road

51 Hidden Brook Road

$1,780,000

$818

2,175

0.33 3

2

Riverside

121 North Street

$2,275,000

$567

4,013 0.92 4

3

South Parkway

14 Widgeon Way

$2,495,000

$594

4,202 0.33 5

5 South of Post Road

20 Intervale Place

$2,595,000

$999

2,598 0.57 4

3 South of Post Road

8 Saint Claire Avenue

$2,995,000

$620

4,830 0.27 5

5

Old Greenwich

276 Riversville Road

$3,050,000

$578

5,274 3.76 5

5

Glenville

41 Overlook Drive

$3,500,000

$455

7,700 0.41 5

6 South of Post Road

22 Aiken Road

$3,985,000

$552

7,219

5.46 5

6

North Parkway

42 Birchwood Drive

$3,995,000

$622

6,423 2.04 6

5

South Parkway

731 Lake Avenue

$4,795,000

South Parkway

$5,695,000

5,536 3.05 5 6,031 5.67 6

6

14 Fairway Lane

$866 $944

7

South Parkway

35 West Way

$7,995,000

$1,809

4,420 0.36 4

4

Old Greenwich

570 North Street

$9,500,000

$679

14,000 2.47 6

7

South Parkway

1,971

24 Highland Rd Sent $11,495,000 $1,021 1 11,255 82 Water RestrictionFarm Greenwich 5.25 x 10.5.qxp_Layout 8/25/20 5.46 3:16 PM7 Page

North Parkway

It’s Time To Conserve

For Aquarion Customers in Darien, Greenwich, New Canaan, Stamford and Westport

A reminder to our customers in Darien, Greenwich, New Canaan, Stamford and

Westport, the use of sprinkler irrigation is limited to the twice-weekly schedule shown in the table below. This permanent, mandatory conservation program is in effect from April through October each year to ensure adequate water supplies for fire protection and other vital needs throughout the summer.

Southwest Fairfield County has already hit its second drought trigger this year.

We are asking for an additional reduction in water usage of 20% at this time. If you are currently not following the mandatory, twice-weekly irrigation schedule, compliance with this schedule will likely achieve the 20% reduction. If you are already following the twice-weekly schedule or don’t have an irrigation system, you can find more ways to conserve at www.aquarionwater.com/conserve.

Thank you for all you are doing to use water more efficiently, outdoors and indoors.

Address

Original List

20 Church Street A46 21 Byram Road 45 Gold Street 7 River Road 308 15 River Road 212 12 Comly Avenue 360 Cognewaugh Road 399 Davis Avenue 18 Benenson Drive 1110 Lake Avenue 86 Lower Cross Road 23 Meadowbank Road 1 Lismore Lane 491 Riversville Road 70 Overlook Drive 55 Orchard Drive 123 Doubling Road 180 Stanwich Road 1465 Putnam Avenue 311 57 Richland Road 66 Richland Road 1 193 Hamilton Avenue 13 50 Church Street 4 49 Burdsall Drive 9 Ridge Road 73 Weaver Street 9 1 Orchard Court 139 Lake Avenue 3 Nimitz Place 25 End Court 19 Taylor Drive 72 Havemeyer Place B 3 Fairfield Avenue 30 Stag Lane 1 Benjamin Street 10 Stepping Stone Lane 15 Linwood Avenue 26 Connecticut Avenue 11 Anthony Place 64 Richmond Hill Road 50 Wesskum Wood Road 136 Shore Road 143 Overlook Drive 15 Mountain Laurel Drive 34 Bruce Park Avenue 1 21 Benenson Drive 15 Wyckham Hill Lane 14 Lockwood Avenue 1 Tomac Lane 1 Macpherson Drive 122 Butternut Hollow Road 64 Sawmill Lane 68 Doubling Road 32 Vineyard Lane 11 Simmons Lane 6 Lauder Way 75 Byram Shore Road

$445,000 $549,500 $525,000 $575,000 $799,000 $899,000 $1,019,000 $1,695,000 $1,825,000 $2,050,000 $2,295,000 $2,950,000 $3,150,000 $3,200,000 $3,595,000 $3,595,000 $5,995,000 $6,530,000 $347,000 $599,500 $599,000 $699,000 $945,000 $925,000 $949,000 $1,100,000 $1,175,000 $1,175,000 $1,295,000 $1,799,000 $1,395,000 $1,495,000 $1,595,000 $1,590,000 $1,695,000 $1,980,000 $1,684,000 $1,995,000 $1,950,000 $2,150,000 $2,395,000 $2,450,000 $2,445,000 $2,950,000 $2,750,000 $3,395,000 $2,995,000 $3,400,000 $3,400,000 $3,500,000 $3,600,000 $4,150,000 $4,500,000 $8,600,000 $9,600,000 $11,495,000 $14,295,000

List Price

Sold Price DOM BR FB Acres

$445,000 $415,000 $549,500 $500,000 $525,000 $515,000 $575,000 $547,500 $799,000 $799,000 $899,000 $899,000 $1,019,000 $990,000 $1,599,000 $1,490,000 $1,825,000 $1,652,500 $2,050,000 $1,875,000 $2,295,000 $2,185,000 $2,750,000 $2,550,000 $2,995,000 $2,850,000 $3,200,000 $3,200,000 $3,595,000 $3,400,000 $3,595,000 $3,530,000 $5,495,000 $5,250,000 $6,530,000 $6,050,000 $347,000 $340,000 $575,000 $520,000 $562,500 $540,000 $699,000 $685,000 $945,000 $890,000 $925,000 $925,000 $949,000 $949,000 $1,100,000 $1,000,000 $1,175,000 $1,175,000 $1,175,000 $1,180,000 $1,295,000 $1,250,000 $1,395,000 $1,300,000 $1,395,000 $1,300,000 $1,395,000 $1,322,000 $1,499,000 $1,410,000 $1,590,000 $1,590,000 $1,695,000 $1,685,000 $1,795,000 $1,700,000 $1,684,000 $1,700,000 $1,895,000 $1,800,000 $1,950,000 $1,860,000 $2,000,000 $1,900,000 $2,395,000 $2,150,000 $2,450,000 $2,256,250 $2,445,000 $2,275,000 $2,695,000 $2,675,000 $2,750,000 $2,750,000 $3,195,000 $2,900,000 $2,995,000 $2,900,000 $3,350,000 $3,150,000 $3,400,000 $3,200,000 $3,500,000 $3,500,000 $3,600,000 $3,600,000 $4,150,000 $3,750,000 $4,275,000 $4,050,000 $8,250,000 $8,100,000 $8,895,000 $8,550,000 $10,900,000 $9,750,000 $14,295,000 $12,000,000

428 522 41 95 50 35 531 324 187 107 52 462 431 32 142 13 101 81 16 122 269 22 35 46 21 380 14 60 30 429 111 62 178 0 57 607 25 206 454 147 149 40 466 778 39 351 267 113 21 0 21 71 422 137 396 724 971

1 3 3 2 2 3 4 3 5 5 4 5 5 5 5 6 6 6 1 3 3 2 3 4 3 3 4 3 4 4 4 2 3 4 4 4 5 5 4 5 6 5 6 6 3 5 5 6 4 5 5 5 5 6 6 6 5

1 2 1 2 2 2 3 3 5 4 3 3 4 4 5 5 8 7 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 4 3 2 2 3 3 2 3 3 3 3 3 4 3 4 4 4 4 6 3 6 3 3 3 5 7 5 4 8 6 7 6

0 0.13 0.12 0 0 0.19 1.21 0.17 1 2.7 0.66 0.34 2 10.39 0.39 0.52 1.55 1.98 0 0.14 0 0 0 0.18 0.17 0 0.14 0.2 0.2 0.35 0.17 0.16 0.12 4 0.18 1.36 0.32 0.11 0.15 4 0.38 0.31 0.36 3.32 0 2.25 4.34 0.36 0.5 1.47 2 1.16 1.61 4.47 2.25 3.42 2.08

Questions? Contact Customer Service at 1-800-732-9678 or cs@aquarionwater.com.

www.aquarionwater.com/watering

A new level of commitment, and honesty in Real Estate.

Mandatory, Maximum Twice-Weekly Sprinkler Irrigation Schedule Last Digit of Your Address Number Please Water Only On: 0, 2, 4, 6 or 8 (even numbers) Sunday & Wednesday 12:01 am – 10:00 am, or 6:00 pm – Midnight 1, 3, 5, 7 or 9 (odd numbers)

Saturday & Tuesday

No address number

Sunday & Wednesday 12:01 am – 10:00 am, or 6:00 pm – Midnight

© 2020 Aquarion Water Company

12:01 am – 10:00 am, or 6:00 pm – Midnight

GLORIA FALCON 203.559.1604 GloriaFalcon@bhhsne.com

CESAR RABELLINO 203.249.9866 CesarRabellino@bhhsne.com

Greenwich 136 East Putnam Avenue | bhhsNEproperties.com ©2020 An independently operated member of BHH Affiliates. Equal Housing Opportunity.

SqFt

1,038 1,664 936 1,125 1,270 2,872 2,558 2,420 4,324 5,801 3,669 4,415 5,385 4,138 6,288 5,013 11,205 9,617 650 1,109 1,328 1,779 1,814 1,774 2,582 4,217 2,421 1,806 1,980 2,791 2,601 2,315 1,868 3,764 2,286 2,972 2,310 4,000 3,608 4,207 3,313 4,435 8,440 4,014 5,946 5,928 4,417 5,091 5,667 6,160 6,416 6,560 12,078 9,909 10,604 6,859

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Page 5 |Greenwich Sentinel

Column: Book Review

Don’t Take Yes For An Answer Outdoor Furniture Restorations & Sales

Parents will do their children a great service by buying this book, reading it themselves and giving a copy to their children.

By Patricia Chadwick I t ’s f a l l i n t h e t i m e o f coronavirus. So many things have cha nge d. S o ma ny…… but not everything. What has remained very much the same is the urge for a good read.

If you r favor ite read ing genre is history, or biography, mystery or fantasy, romance or finance, take a little break and pick up Don’t Take YES For An Answer, the best advice book I have ever had the pleasure to read – and I mean pleasure, though that’s not generally the kind of emotion one associates w ith a self-help book . It is eminently readable – only 167 and 1/7 pages – but chances are you’ll be flipping back to reread passages because you’ll want bits of counsel to become e m b e dde d i n you r mu s cle memory.

The author, Steve Herz, knows his subject matter. In his role as president of The Montag Group, he’s advised and coached countless men and women in the world of sports, entertainment, and news – athletes and journalists, as well as TV sportscasters and newscasters. His book is replete with anecdotes that accentuate and personalize his message.

Examples are spread across a broad array of humanity – people with vastly different backgrounds, strengths, weaknesses, personalities and life stories – from familiar in politics and sports, including Barbara Jordan, G eorge W. Bush and Martin Luther King, Jr, to the unknown (but ver y real) Gus, Emilio and Ma r ia Ph i l l ipopolous, “t he propr ietor and shoe-f i x ing doyenne of Dino’s shoe repair in

Manhattan’s Columbus Circle.”

Such a diversity of characters and examples gives the reader a range of opportunities for engagement with the message. And there’s a strong element of tough love as well – something parents (of all ages) may find discomfiting because it may hit home. It did to me.

At a time when the word “awesome” has become almost banal, Steve Herz makes AWE come alive. As he writes, “To stand out and excel, to get the attention of whose who will help you move up, protect you during lean times, or compete for your talent, you need to perfect your AWE”, which he identifies as: Authority, Warmth and Energy.

S t e v e ’s m e s s a g e i s a powerful one – your potential is far greater than you may believe. Regardless of your temperament, your anxieties, or your eccentricities, if you take his advice, you, too, can catapult your career and enjoy the benef its that accompany success.

What I found encouraging, and thus energizing, about Steve Herz’ three-step AW E s o m e g u i d e f o r s e l fe mp owe r m e nt w a s t h at it seemed to me that most readers should be able to relate in a personal way to at least one of those three AWEsome traits as descriptive of their own nature.

So, the guidance he shares to achieve that element of AWE is easy to connect with, leaving only two more steps to tackle.

Lest people have the notion that the COVID-19 work-athome requirement eliminates o r e ve n r e du c e s t h e n e e d for AWE, they should think again. Authority, Warmth and Energy don’t require a physical presence – they can be equally as effective in an email or a

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As I read Don’t Take Yes For An Answer, I found myself wishing the book had been available f ifty years ago, as I was entering the business world. Tr ut h b e told, I a m putting some of his advice to work today in my daily life – d e s p ite h av i n g n o m or e corporate mountains to climb.

The audience for Steve’s book is universal – all that’s needed is a reader with an open mind. Those already in the workforce will benefit by engaging in course correction to enhance their AWEsome traits.

But perhaps the most value can be reaped by college students who are facing the

reality of entering the workforce within a year or two. For them, Don’t Take Yes For An Answer should be required reading.

Parents will do their children a great service by buying this book, reading it themselves and giving a copy to their children.

I’ve done that with my own twenty-something children who are already in the workforce and I wish I’d been able to give it to them four years ago as a college graduation present.

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— We’re Back! —

Patricia Chadwick is a businesswoman and an author. Her recently published memoir, Little Sister, the story of her unusual childhood growing up in a cult, is now available in paperback. www. patriciachadwick.com

Feature Column

The Greenwich I Know

BOB CAPAZZO

This is Greenwich. This is what we do.

By Icy Frantz A L OOK BACK : Fo l l o w i n g is a column written by Icy Frantz in September of 2016. We wanted to republish it because it is a wonderful reminder of the Greenwich that we know too. This is a community of people who truly care for each other and who step up to help when needed.

September has always been the month that carries the most weight for me. It seems to steal the casualness of summer and rob us of the light that once extended into the evening. Lazy afternoons on the back porch are replaced by a focused sense of purpose and a frenetic flurry of activity. As the mother of four, this time of year is always bittersweet. I love the gift of a fresh start for each one of my children, but I miss the

carefree moments with them that are devoid of expectations, yellow stickies and homework. And with each passing September, the four grow up just a little bit more and move farther away from the safety of our arms and our community.

Tw e n t y y e a r s a g o , w e welcome d ou r f i rst b or n i nto our lives, and the act of raising children in our town began. My husband and I are both “townies,” having spent the better part of 50 years living here. There have been many changes—perhaps the subject of another column—but the important pieces have remained the same. We live in a beautiful, safe and generous community that offers so much to so many people.

Sometimes I wonder if raising our children in such an idyllic town has diminished their drive, but I really like and appreciate the sense of security and peace that Greenwich provides in this sometimes mixed up world. The town we come from, like a family, gives us an identity, and while some see Greenwich as a privileged community with little understanding of the problems of the world, I see a community rich in talent, beauty and service to others.

This summer, I received a

call from a mom whose child had been diagnosed with cancer. She was having trouble navigating a big city cancer hospital. I called a friend who had a connection at the hospital and asked for help.

Within the hour, the mother of the sick child was being assisted in a way that may not have happened if it hadn’t been for the support of my friend. I was a little weepy and overwhelmed by the immediate response from my friend. But then I thought, This is Greenwich. This is what we do. Just yesterday, I was talking with my oldest friend (another townie). She was telling me about taking out her mom, who is housebound, once a week to deliver meals to elderly through Meals on Wheels. And I thought, That’s amazing, and yes, this is Greenwich.

I have another friend who posts pictures of shelter dogs on social media with the hopes of finding families for the dogs. And a friend whose 10-year-old daughter organizes a large lemonade and craft stand each year to raise money for cancer research. Two people I know have devoted their lives to restoring and improving one of our town’s biggest treasures, Tod’s Point. Another woman I

know started a nonprof it that helps parents of children who have seizure disorders. I know a woman who arranges dinner donations for a shelter in Stamford once a month. And I have been on many make-a-meal email chains that are created to provide dinners to families who are going through tough times. I know many who give endless hours to other people’s children coaching soccer, football, basketball, lacrosse, and baseball.

I k now two artists who paint beautiful murals to brighten up the walls of some of our institutions, and a group of friends who plant flowers in neighborhoods where there are none. This is Greenwich.

This is what we do.

Yes—many of us lead privileged lives in Greenwich, and I for one feel very privileged to raise our children in this beautiful town among some pretty remarkable p e ople . We lo ok out for one another, and sometimes we hold each other up when the summer sun sets and the cold winter blows.

This is Greenwich, and that is who we are.

You can read more from Icy on her outstanding website aptly called the Icing on the Cake at www.

IcyFrantz.net

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Page 7 | Greenwich Sentinel

Real Estate From Page 1

knockers.

First steps – A ssum ing they still like the house from the exterior the next most important is the first two steps inside. Make the inside air temperature the opposite of the outside; warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Make sure there are no unpleasant smells such as cat pee or cigars (we smell one of these every

On Faith: Column

By Jake Kircher Recently my family spent a couple hours at the beach together. It was a beautiful day and we had a lot of fun playing in the water, climbing on the rocks looking for minnows, and spending some quality time together. As many do with this kind of outing, we documented it with a family selfie. To look at that picture shows smiling faces that communicate the fun and joy of the morning. However, as so often with social media, that doesn’t tell the whole story…

Due to health concerns, this was actually our first time at the beach all together this summer; which is not normal for our family.

As much as it was fun, the time was filled with anxiety as well. We had to constantly watch others to ensure we stayed socially distanced from others who weren’t being as cautious as we were. We had to tell our kids “no” more than once to requests that would have brought us closer to others than we were comfortable with. When we finally left, it wasn’t dictated by our wanting to leave, but more so with the beach filling up and getting more crowded. Honesty, the whole time was rather weird and uncomfortable.

As I processed my ow n emotions, and as my wife and I talked about the contrast of the fun and cautiousness, it left me with a reminder that everyone has a story.

week.) The entry should have the warm inviting feel of a home not a hotel lobby.

Inside – Get rid of “bad memory points,” the things that people remember a week later about the house. I’ve seen dead squirrels in the attic, dead bugs under the sink, and used diapers left out. Even things that aren’t offensive should be fixed, like door that stick, dust on shelves and a used drinking glass in the sink should be removed.

NEGOTIATION: If you want

to really insult a Greenwich seller make a lowball offer, however, if you are the seller put that irritation aside and consider the situation. Last year our median sales price to list price was 92% so if the parties were to meet in the middle the buyer would start with an offer of 84% of list price or an $840,000 offer on a $1,000,000 listing. A lot of sellers wouldn’t even counter this “insulting” offer and a lot buyers would be too embarrassed or prideful to raise their own opening offer so

the negotiation is over, before it began.

My philosophy is to counter every offer. The buyer maybe an ignorant, irritating, cheapskate without any money, but you’ll never know unless you counter-offer (along with a strong, and often unneeded, admonition from seller’s agent to buyer’s agent to get serious in buyer’s counteroffer.)

The other major negotiation killer is the line in the sand.

Very often the buyer and seller will be less than 1% apart, but

they both draw a line in the sand and won’t make a better counter. (Seller: If it’s that small a difference the buyer shouldn’t have problem coming up 1%.”) If that happens try to add more negotiating options; a better closing date, larger down payment, or offer to include t he ya rd f u r n it u re, or t he Mercedes.

A nd , wh ateve r you do, try not to tick-off the buyer.

It never makes the process easier and greatly increases the chance that both parties will

walk. At the same time try not to be ticked-off yourself. Yes some buyers are rude, but it’s a transaction not dating. Too often, what is perceived as rude is really a cultural, regional or national difference in style, so stay cool and a few showings, can lead to a good price and quick close.

Mark Pruner is an agent with Berkshire Hathaway. He can be reached at 203-969-7900 or at mark@bhhsne.com.

Everyone Has a Story Once that thought hit my mind for myself and my family, it quickly turned to those around us.

The couple with five kids who came in without masks and simply let their kids run free without any perceived caution or warnings about social distancing.

The old man wearing water shoes, a thong speedo, and a sun hat walking down the beach.

The family who arrived at the beach in pants, long sleeves and ankle length dresses.

T h e t wo wo m e n w a l k i n g together who each had dozens of tattoos.

Each of t he se p e ople had experiences, beliefs and emotions that shaped and informed their decisions. Some level of thought went into the things I was able to see on the surface, and yet their deeper stories were hidden and left me to assume and wonder. Sadly, and I’m sure I’m not the only one who does this, I noticed that my assumptions skewed more towards being judgemental or critical.

As I compare this to the life and teachings of Jesus, I am struck with the fact that Jesus always led with love. Since he was God incarnate, he knew the deeper stories and experiences that were beneath the surface and he approached people with that in mind, not assumptions.

More so, Jesus regularly asked questions of those around him a lot we can learn from how Jesus that encouraged a deeper sense of approached others.

I left the beach that day wanting knowing and engagement. There is to rea l ly cha l lenge myself to

Each of these people had experiences, beliefs and emotions that shaped and informed their decisions.

Some level of thought went into the things I was able to see on the surface, and yet their deeper stories were hidden and left me to assume and wonder.

remember everyone’s deeper stories and to engage people with love and curiosity. I think this is especially important in our current time of

of us, that feels far more than what has been normal.

How would your interactions w ith others be dif ferent by a commitment to ask questions and explore the “why’s” beneath peoples’ statements and actions?

What could you learn from those questions that leads to empathy and compassion?

How could the Spirit use you to help bring healing to someone's hurt or fear as you responded out of love?

I was struck by these questions even more in light of actor Chadwick Boseman’s surprise passing this past weekend. It was striking to consider that he had been criticized by some for recent weight loss and accused of trying to get out of his contract with Marvel. Yet, the truth was a four year struggle with colon cancer while he continued to film and make some incredible movies.

This brought even more power and meaning to my favorite line in Black Panther by Boseman’s character: “We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another as if we were one single tribe.”

May we be people who live like Jesus, choosing to find ways to build bridges between ourselves and others.

political division, racial tensions, and the difficulty of dealing with Jake Kircher is the Executive COVID. There are so many things Pastor at Trinity Church. going on beneath the surface for all

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