27 September—What’s a Banana Republican? That’s right, it’s a Trumpublican, a benighted MAGAphile who actively or passively enables the ruthlessly depraved dictatorship of Donald Trump that’s transforming America into a banana republic.

Moving on, then, let’s for a moment focus on a benevolent dictatorship closer to home: the Borough of Litchfield. Certainly not the borough! you exclaim. But consider that the borough charter and code (bylaws) vest virtually all legislative power in the borough’s Board of Warden and Burgesses and the Connecticut General Statutes contain no provision for impeachment or recall of non-criminal elected officials.

But unlike the slimebags doing Donald Trump’s malignant and spiteful bidding, Litchfield’s warden and burgesses are good people doing what they consider best for the borough. That’s why the Borough of Litchfield is a benevolent dictatorship.

Problem is, one man’s benevolence may be another man’s malevolence. So here’s one resident’s case for that:

“NO KINGS” SIGNS ARE IGNORED BY BOROUGH

“No Kings” is an organization with perspectives on various political views. Everyone has the right to free speech and I have no problem with any organization expressing what it believes in, except in the Borough of Litchfield. I have addressed this issue with two emails to Borough Warden Gayle Carr. There were no replies, and it seem they weren’t important enough to mention at the board’s September meeting.

The Borough Board of Warden and Burgesses deals with variations in the level at which subjects are treated. Is this part of preserving the character and integrity of the district by the Historic District Commission? No Kings shouldn’t have the right to post signs in the borough that continue to be ignored by the borough board and the HDC. Yellow ribbons to honor our military were not ignored. We were told they were against the borough code.

When it came to veterans, the code of the borough was the law adhering to established legal rules and regulations. For veterans, the board was willing to spend a few thousand dollars of tax money fighting the original compromise to ensure there would be no yellow ribbons to honor our veterans.

To continue the board’s non-support of veterans, parents of a veteran were willing to purchase a bench to replace the yellow ribbons to honor our veterans. After attending several board meetings, a compromise was supposedly agreed to. The compromise didn’t materialize, and the final board vote was no bench for the veterans on an application presented to the board in May of 2023.

A recent motion by the borough board dealt the purchase of four new benches. Were any benches made available to honor veterans, after the previous bench compromise was rejected?

The Litchfield Patriots and The American 250 Committee have discussed the possibility of installing a marker honoring Revolutionary War Participants on the center green. This will be kept as an agenda item to review most likely for a few months.

As with our military, our Revolutionary War participants should also be honored .We should honor their service and their memory and encourage all Americans to appreciate the sacrifices they made to ensure the freedom we enjoy. A code of the borough should not come in the way of this honor.

Richard Morin
Litchfield

And here’s Borough Warden Gayle Carr’s defense:

I had not seen Rich Morin’s letter. As a matter of fact, I have not received any letters from him. Any correspondence which is received is printed, shared with the Board of Warden and Burgesses, and given to the Clerk to be filed. The Borough board is completely consistent on our speech policy. It is what I have always said to people regardless of their affiliation, you can come to the Green, give voice to your issue, and then take it with you when you leave. The Green is not for the permanent placement of any particular speech or issue. I do not know of any permanent sign placed in the Green. Any time I have seen anything placed in the Green, I have requested or demanded, depending upon the person’s response, the immediate removal of the sign. I favor no speech in that regard. The Green is for everyone.

If there is a No King’s sign in someone’s lawn, that is the private exercise of their constitutionally protected, First Amendment, right to free speech. The Borough board cannot police private political speech.

Finally, as to the bench, the Carons withdrew their application. The Borough purchased the benches. They bear no speech.