SEYMOUR — The week in review:
On Monday, June 22, the Seymour Democratic Town Committee called for the resignation of Paul Wetowitz, a Republican serving on the town’s board of finance (the group that sets the budget each year).
The Democrats, in a Facebook post, shared a meme Wetowitz had allegedly shared on his Facebook page. The image is posted below.
“This image is quite clearly extremely racist and has no place in our society. This image is just one of the many disturbing thoughts that you can find on Mr. Wetowitz’s personal Facebook page,” the Democrats wrote on Facebook.
“In recent weeks we have started a very important journey towards righting the centuries of systemic racism and bigotry that have infected our country,” the Dems continued. “If we are to begin the healing process and make real change, we must leave those who continue to push these incendiary thoughts behind.”
On Tuesday, June 24, Wetowitz resigned from the board of finance, according to Seymour First Selectman Kurt Miller.
“While we may not always agree on things, one thing that we all can agree on is there is no place for racism of any kind in our society,” Miller said in a post on the Office of First Selectman Facebook page. “As elected officials, and more importantly human beings, we need to hold ourselves to a high standard of integrity.”
“Racist or any other inappropriate comments will never by tolerated by myself or any member of the Board of Selectmen. We will continue to work collectively to listen to the concerns of all of our residents as we move Seymour forward together,” Miller wrote.
The New Haven Register wrote about the controversy in a story that was last updated on the newspaper’s website Thursday, June 25.
The paper quotes a resignation letter from Wetowitz:
”I sincerely appreciate all of the voters who voted for me. I apologize again if I offended anyone. That was never my goal. Nothing that I have posted or stated was ever meant to be racist, Not in anyway,” Wetowitz wrote, according to the paper. “I always have done my best to serve the Town for over 40 years of public service. I love this Town. It is best for the Town that I resign given the feelings that I may have created.”
Not Racist???
On Thursday, June 25, three days after the Dems outed Wetowitz, Brian Koskelowski, a Seymour Republican, called for the resignation of Christopher Bowen, a first-term Democrat on the Seymour Board of Selectmen currently running against state Rep. Nicole Klarides-Ditria, R‑Seymour.
In a since deleted post on The Valley Indy Facebook wall, Koskelowski shared a 2019 post from Bowen in which Bowen urged Seymour residents to keep their dogs on leashes — referring to people who don’t as “assholes” and “dickheads” who put their dogs in danger.
Seymour Republicans said Bowen was threatening residents.
The Valley Indy, under Koskelowski’s post, noted Bowen’s post isn’t an apples-to-apples comparison to the racism contained in the meme Wetowitz shared.
Koskelowski replied “there was nothing racist” in the meme (which is posted above).
Koskewlowski is the former chairman of the Seymour Town Republican Committee and a former candidate for statewide office, according to the Republican-American. As of 2019 his name was listed on the Seymour Republican Town Committee webpage.
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JR Romano, the state GOP chairman, shared Bowen’s post on Twitter.
“This is what @CTDems leadership looks like! Willing to attack his friend and neighbors!,” Romano said.
Seymour Democrats said GOP’ers were simply trying to distract attention from the ugliness of Wetowitz’ Facebook page.
Bowen, who regularly uses profanity in Facebook posts and in person, apologized the night before Romano posted. Click here to read Bowen’s statement in full.
“The way I worded what was intended to be a humorous and sarcastic post was poor. At the time, I spoke to First Selectman Miller about it, and he slapped my hand. He was right to do so,” Bowen said.
“Since then, the post has been making the rounds as retaliation for the resignation of the gentleman on the Board of Finance last night. I apologize to anyone who took offense. I acknowledged at the time I had to be better with my words, and have strived to do so since.”
Bowen said he’s not resigning from the Board of Selectmen.
Republicans have screen shots of previous Bowen Facebook posts, so more could be coming as Election Day nears.
