Fact-Checking Fasano

“It is unusual for a republican [sic] to write an endorsement for democrat [sic] for third selectman” writes Len Fasano, the former State Senator from North Haven who was Senate Pro Tempore for a single term after running unopposed by Democrats asleep at the wheel in 2016, and also the only State Senator from North Haven to have ever been ordered to pay $500,000 in Racketeering charges (though his successor has a questionable financial record as well).   Unusual, perhaps. But sadly less unusual is his stale and hateful list of reasons that he offers up for why he is taking the step of endorsing Selectman Sally Buemi for the North Haven Board of Selectmen.

“The Democratic Town Committee (“DTC”) advocates a radical change in the character of our town. Sally’s refusal to adopt those changes resulted in the DTC refusing to endorse Sally.  Sally wasn’t willing to push for higher taxes, or transgender women playing women’s sports, or men in women’s bathrooms, or to be soft on crime.”

Lie 1: Sally Wasn’t Endorsed Because She Didn’t Tow the Line.

There’s a lot to unpack here, so let’s take it one step at a time.  First of all, Sally didn’t fail to get the endorsement because of any of these things stated here.  You can read all about the process in another blog post.  Sally was given ample and fair opportunity to persuade the nominating committee to endorse her over the eventual endorsed candidate, David Cohen.  Even after the nominating committee passed on endorsing her, Sally could have taken the opportunity to meet with DTC members, win their support, and be endorsed on the floor of the July caucus.  She opted instead to not attend and write critical things in the newspaper instead. Subsequently, she simultaneously pursued a petitioning candidate status and a position on the September primary. 

Regardless of the outcome of the primary, it was always her intention to run as a candidate in November.  It is her right to pursue both of these things, though few ever do so, namely because the primary costs the town tens of thousands of dollars and is incredibly disruptive, especially if you factor in the external financial impact of schools being closed, parents being forced to locate childcare, workers being forced to use PTO, and the operational lift of running an election with several days of early voting.  Nevertheless, Sally was given the chance to persuade Democratic voters in the Primary, and they overwhelmingly came out in a record turnout to select her opponent by a 7-3 margin.  She has been given a fair shake every step of the way, and will be given another one in November.  

Lie 2: The DTC advocates a radical change in the “character of our town”

Martin Luther King Jr. Day service event. MLK was called a "radical" his entire life.

The first thing anyone reading this should know about that sentence is that “town character” or “neighborhood character” is often, though not always, a racially coded term to reinforce de facto segregation.   We are not going to deny or back down from the fact that we are looking to make North Haven a more equitable and more welcoming space.  So, if you’re looking for a party that's dedicated to making North Haven a space which is only safe for white cisgender heterosexual men, you’re looking at the wrong party.  We listen to our constituents and help them with their issues.  All of them.  Our community only thrives when we grow together and when we’re all set up for success, whether you’ve lived here your whole life or you just moved into town.  If that’s too radical for folks like Len or Sally, I’m actually okay with that.  It says more about them than it does about us. 

Beyond that, here’s our radical agenda:

• Smart, thoughtful economic development

• Well-funded community services like schools and fire services that have all the resources they need to thrive

• A collaborative body of representatives who work together across departments and across party-lines to do what’s in the best interest of town 

• A people-powered town where government is accessible and transparent, not esoteric and opaque to all but a handful of elite lawyers and experts 

I challenge Len to point to the radical part of that agenda. 

Lie 3: The DTC Pushes for Higher Taxes

Len is likely referring to the fact that the DTC supported the budget increase in 2025.  Here’s the thing about that though. Our town is run and dominated by Republicans.  Democrats hold the lowest amount of seats we can possibly hold in town government.  That’s fully due to us dropping the ball for many years.  But any high taxes you see in town are because of Republican-designed budgets.  After all, they are the party in charge.  So, I guess the Democrats are guilty of supporting Mike Freda’s Republican budget, which maintained our services and quality of life without sacrificing any staff or making our town less safe.

Here's the thing though, this year’s admittedly large increase could have been avoided.   If Donald Trump had addressed inflation like he said he would rather than make costs infinitely worse through tariffs, trade wars, government shutdowns, defunding public /special education, billionaire tax giveaways, and infinite vanity projects like demolishing the White House to build a ballroom, the taxpayer burden may not have been so bad.   If wages hadn’t stagnated during Fasano’s tenure and he had addressed real tax inequity in Connecticut rather than defending the ultra-rich, we might each be taking home a little more in our paycheck every month.    And if Sally had advocated for a smart, modest and incremental tax creep to meet the rising cost demands of a changing economy, the sledgehammer of this year’s brutal but necessary budget change would have had a much softer impact. You’d have to go back to 2017 to find any budget that Sally actively supported.  In 2022, she even opposed a zero tax increase budget because she thought it should be a decrease.  Three years later, we are living in the shadow of that grandstanding.  We need more than a “no” vote.  We need real leadership and real solutions. 

Nobody wants higher taxes, but Democrats are not going to ask for seniors, students, and our emergency responders to foot the bill for fancy lawyers and executives who want a tax break to subsidize their tennis club.  

Lie 4: the DTC is Soft on Crime

Your guess is as good as mine regarding what he’s talking about here.  Like higher taxes, crime is a common Republican talking point because it is a cheap and easy way from people who very reasonably feel scared of things like car break-ins and violent assaults.  While these are always alarming and often hit too close to home, the crime rate, particularly the violent crime rate, in Connecticut has been on a steady decline for around a decade thanks to a combination of the efforts of terrific police forces like the NHPD and common sense legislation put forward by the Democratic legislature, which emphasizes preventive measures, reform, and accountability in the way crimes and pursued and prosecuted.    While the DTC has never taken any kind of official stance on any particular legislation or “crime” in general- and you’ll probably find as many opinions on how to handle crime as we have members- this seems more like being smart on crime than being soft on it.

Lie 5: Transphobia is welcome in North Haven

First Selectman Mike Freda and Treasurer Erick Russell addressing North Haven Pride

As we mentioned before, our DTC holds a “radical” stance that everyone should feel welcome and safe in North Haven.  This includes, not least of all, the transgender community and in particular transgender children, who have become targets and punching bags for Trump-aligned Republicans. We must all recognize how dangerous and violent the incendiary and increasingly fascistic rhetoric coming from the White House is and how it threatens to diminish a community that already experiences exponentially higher rates of suicide, domestic/sexual abuse, violence, depression, substance abuse, homelessness, and isolation than any other minority group.  This is why it is so important for communities like North Haven and Connecticut to affirm that trans rights are human rights.  We are proudly supportive of our DTC members or their children, relatives, friends, neighbors, and other loved ones who are transgender, gender non-conforming, or just questioning.  Len Fasano’s out-of-touch and hateful rhetoric does not define our town, and it certainly has absolutely no place in the Selectman’s office, where our First Selectman has given opening remarks at the last three North Haven Pride celebrations.    

Any LGBTQ Youth in crisis are encouraged to call the Trevor Lifeline for LGBTQ Youth at 1-866-488-7386 or explore WeAreCT.org for additional mental health resources available.

I’ve asked Miss Buemi in no uncertain terms if she agrees with Mr. Fasano on his remarks in an email exchange and she has refused to respond.  Her silence speaks volumes, but we will not be silent.  

Lie 6: Len Fasano Has the Best Interest of Democrats in Mind

There was a time when Len Fasano was considered a moderate in our state.  These statements make it clear that those days are over and he’s as Trump-pilled as the rest of the state party.  As such, there’s no use wasting a second’s thought that he has any interest in using this “endorsement” to do anything other than to sow discord in the local Democratic party.    Don’t be a fool and fall for it.  Appealing to the baser instincts of hatred and fear may work for some, but as Democrats we know better.  We believe in a brighter future, but we need you to help us realize it.  Please encourage all your friends and neighbors to support the endorsed Democratic ticket on Row A on November 4^th.  Let’s build community together.