GRANBY, CT - Once again, the “sleepy” town of Granby, Connecticut, finds itself in the middle of controversy.
Law Enforcement Today (LET) has previously reported on issues in Granby ranging from failing to protect a female student from harassment to two Democratic members of the Board of Education (BOE) appearing to make homophobic remarks while cameras were rolling prior to a BOE meeting.
“LET was tipped off to comments made by Kim Becker, a self-described ‘community activist’ and supporter of Granby schools and senior citizens, at a recent ‘No Kings’ rally in town. Becker is also a member of the Board of Selectmen.”
During the comments starting at 0:48:20 in the video below, Becker directs attendees at the sparsely attended rally to a table with postcards.
“Fill those out, put ‘em in the basket, and we’ll make sure that they all get to him…every single one,” Becker said.
“Him” refers to Mike Guarco, chair of the Granby Board of Finance. So here is a member of the Board of Selectmen advocating for residents to “fill…out” postcards, and “we’ll make sure” Guarco receives them.
One (not-so-minor) little issue. The postcards Becker was advocating the “No Kings” moonbats to fill out had the Granby Town Seal prominently displayed. Per Connecticut General Statute 7-101, municipal town seals are the property of the town in question and are restricted to being used for official municipal business.
Granby, CT. official municipal seal
The dispute apparently concerns funding of the town budget, particularly the education budget, and as “an advocate” and “supporter of Granby schools,” Becker clearly has an agenda. Leftist Democrats in Granby are apparently attempting to intimidate Guarco to fund the education budget as they see fit.
LET received a copy of one postcard sent to Guarco from someone named [redacted] Peters. We will not publish the child’s full name; however, we have been informed that this child is the son of Granby Board of Education Chair Monica Logan. The postcard read, “Don’t take money away from my school!!” Connecting the dots yet?
Of course, using children to push a political agenda is nothing new for Democrats. We’ve seen that numerous times, including last year in Enfield, Connecticut, a town located about ten miles east of Granby, where parents paraded their children in front of the Enfield Town Council to complain about the town budget.
While LET was unable to find a specific Connecticut statute or Granby town ordinance restricting use of the Granby town seal to official municipal correspondence, the inclusion of the town seal on postcards mailed to town residents would skirt legal consequences because 1) it could be construed as an official town communication when it is not, and 2) using the town seal for political advocacy.
By directing town residents to “fill out postcards” advocating for the Board of Finance to fully fund the education budget, Becker appears to violate C.G.S. 7-421, which says that municipal employees and officials may not use their official authority or position to influence an election or referendum. In this case, the use of the town seal suggests that the position is an official town position and that it is issued with government authority.
LET does not know for sure who paid for the postcards, whether they were pre-stamped, or whether those mailing the cards paid for postage.
A copy of the postcard viewed by LET, which is pictured below, has the Town of Granby seal prominently displayed on both sides. Likewise, LET is uncertain whether the Town Clerk gave permission to use the town seal.
Note the Town of Granby seal prominently displayed on both sides of the postcard, indicating municipal support for the message.
LET has filed a FOIA request with the Granby Board of Education to see what, if any, role Logan played in sending out these postcards, and we have also filed FOIA requests seeking information on whether Becker, in her official role as Granby selectman, played a role in having these postcards produced and mailed. We are also seeking information on whether the Granby Public Schools or the Town of Granby played any role in the “design, printing, or distribution” of the postcards, which would be a violation of C.G.S. 9-369b.
Moreover, the mere formation of a “referendum committee,” defined as “two or more individuals raising or spending private funds to advocate for the passage or defeat of a referendum question,” is required to register with the Connecticut State Elections Enforcement Commission. Failure to do so constitutes a violation of Connecticut campaign finance laws under C.G.S 9-605.
Law Enforcement Today will follow up when/if we receive the information requested under FOIA.
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