Windham Greens: Minor Party, Major Players

Mathew Biadun | News Editor

The Green Party, as one of Connecticut’s ‘minor parties’, tends to play an extremely small role in the state. Most towns do not have a local Green presence, and the party has not found success in elections for state positions, such as within the legislature. 

The Greens of Windham and Willimantic, however, have much more to boast about. Holding a town council seat and five other elected offices, the Greens are more influential now in Windham than any other city in Connecticut, and perhaps the nation. Their website boasts that, quote, "our modest little town was responsible for 6 Green wins in out of 15 in the entire USA!"

With local elections approaching, the Lantern sought to interview several Green party members on the party, including an interview with past Green First Selectwoman Jean de Smet, the ‘Last Selectwoman of Windham’.

A Brief History

Starting in the early 2000s, a small but passionate group of Green Party activists began participating in local government through town commissions and other appointed positions. They benefitted from being ‘neither of those two parties’ on local boards and committees, slowly gaining experience in local government while building local supporters and allies. One of these women was Jean de Smet, a local activist. She described having knocked on doors across several elections, explaining to voters that there were choices beyond Republican and Democrat, and slowly building a reputation.

The Green Party’s breakthrough came in 2007. That year, the town’s Republican Party had fractured, resulting in a breakaway group forming ‘The Bottom Line’ Party, and running a mixed slate of candidates from across all the political parties. In a breakthrough election, Jean de Smet was elected as First Selectwoman, being endorsed by both The Bottom Line and the Green Party. She was able to successfully pass through town reforms, such as implementing a Town Manager system, and brought more attention and credibility to the Greens.

Since 2017, the Greens have run significant numbers of candidates in local elections, and have had around four-to-seven elected roles since. Currently, the Greens have six elected officials, including a seat on the City Council and two seats on the Taxing Board.

Ideology

Like the Democrats and Republicans, the Greens don’t exist in a vacuum, but rather are part of larger Connecticut and national organizations. A common ideology amongst these chapters is a strong belief in ecology and diversity. Diversity and youth were described as some of the party’s strengths, and a way they differentiate themselves from other parties.

“The Green Party needs and wants youth and other diversity,” wrote Douglas Lary, the treasurer of the Windham Greens and an elected official. “Our leadership over the years has come from several cultures and gender identities.  You can be yourself with us, we care more about what you can do for the community and party than how you present, dress, or your favorite language.  It helps that we have an international federation, it reminds us that many types of people can share our values.”

Those shared, consistent values were described as another one of their strengths. They believe in ‘Ten Key Values’: “Grassroots Democracy, Social Justice, Ecological Wisdom, Nonviolence, Decentralization, Economic Justice, Gender Equity and Cooperation, Respect for Diversity, Personal & Global Responsibility, Future Focus, Emphasized Economic Justice, Diversity and Ecological Wisdom”. In comparison, Jean de Smet described the Democrats as a ‘big tent party’ which will do ‘whatever they need to to stay in power’.

“People value principles,” she said. “I know that even a lot of Republicans were willing to vote for me, because they knew that I was honest.”

The Greens claim youth as one of their major strengths. As they are a smaller, more grassroots party, they claim young people have an easier time getting involved and running for office, compared to larger parties where one has to ‘pay their dues’ over time. Greens invite interested college students to join and run for office, and have several candidates who are Eastern alumni.

Another significant differentiation is a lack of corporate donors, which the party doesn’t allow.

The Issues

When discussing local issues, the Greens have a consistent theme of preservation and ecology. They want to improve city maintenance and prevent the tearing down of historic buildings. The famous Willimantic footbridge, for example, is aging, and discussions are ongoing as to how best the town can maintain it.

One question on the ballot for November will be whether or not to consolidate the town’s schools. The Greens are supportive of the idea as a cost-efficiency. But many question the location of the new location, which would require busing to the city’s outskirts. As to the General-Government and Board of Education budgets, also on the ballot in November, the Greens are broadly supportive, albeit with minor critiques such as wanting to save a little more money in the General-Government budget, and wishing the state and/or nation would spend more on education compared to a dependence on local taxes.

The Candidates

The Greens are fielding a large number of candidates for this election, mostly down-ballot. These candidates are:

• Rose Reyes for the Town Council (Willimantic District*)

• Cassandra Martineau for the Town Council (At-Large*)

• Douglas Lary for the Taxing Board of Directors

• Michael Westerfield for the Taxing Board of Directors

• Jean de Smet for the Board of Finance

• Bill Hettinger for the Board of Finance

• Mia Mitoma for the Board of Education

• Daniel Phipps for the Board of Assessment Appeals

• Sarah Winter for the Board of Assessment Appeals

• Anna Parker for the Board of Assessment Appeals

• Anna Parker for the Zoning Board of Appeals

• Jessica Watson for the Zoning Board of Appeals

• Anna Parker for the Zoning Board of Appeals Alternate

• Jessica Watson for the Zoning Board of Appeals Alternate

Although Michael Westerfield was nominated to run for mayor, he declined, citing a preference to run for re-election on the Taxing Board of Directors, and a lack of confidence in the electability of such a candidacy. The Greens last ran a mayoral candidate in 2021, when James Flores won eight percent of the vote.

Early voting will run from October 20th to November 2nd. The general election will occur on November 4th. 

The information for this article came from independent research, as well as interviews from Green Party members Jean de Smet and Douglas Lary. Please note that these are the opinions of the Windham Greens, not the positions held by the Campus Lantern.

*There are ten seats on the Town Council. Four are at-large seats, four are Willimantic seats, and two are Windham seats. The Mayor also sits on the town council, although the town’s executive authority largely lies in the Town Manager, who is hired by the Council.