Former ERTC member reacts to another former member’s accusation

A PERSPECTIVE ON PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSIONER RAY
MARTIN’S COMMENTS CALLING FELLOW REPUBLICANS RACISTS.
Including:
– Information on his criminal history
– Information on how you can express your opinions to town leaders

By Dana Benson, Easton, Ct —- 2/10/2023
As a former member of the Easton Republican Town Committee (ERTC), I was appalled to hear Ray Martin, sitting Chairman of the Planning and Zoning Commission and former Vice Chairman of the ERTC, accuse the ERTC and other subgroups of “creating a breeding ground of hate and racist thought” at ERTC meetings. He made these comments at the Board of Selectmen meeting last week.

This is an outrageous lie. The Easton Republican Town Committee, Citizens for Responsible Government (CRG), Save Our Towns/Save Our Schools and Preserve 06612 do not promote hate and racist thinking and have not created “a breeding ground of hate and racist thought” at ERTC meetings.
Before I go further, I want to say that I like Ray personally and was treated fairly by his Planning and Zoning Board even though Ray and I have often been on different sides of town issues. I respect his hard work for Easton, and I respect his vision for where he thinks Easton should go, even though it differs from my own.

But, as a local activist and a leader of one of the subgroups that Ray accused of “creating a breeding ground of hate and racist thought”, I WANT TO STATE UNEQUIVOCALLY THAT NEITHER MYSELF NOR THE MEMBERS OF MY GROUP ARE RACISTS OR HATERS.

I want to state unequivocally that neither myself nor the members of my group (Save Our Towns/Save Our Schools) have created “a breeding ground of hate and racist thought” at ERTC meetings. We have expressed our opinions when permitted by the officers who control the meetings. Every Republican in town who is not a member can attend an ERTC meeting and speak when permitted to by the ERTC officers.

CRG and Preserve 06612 have not created a “breeding ground of hate and racist thought” at ERTC meetings. These groups, like Save Our Towns/Save Our Schools, inform citizens of what is going with local government and in their schools. These groups recognize that Easton residents are often busy doing other things and are sometimes unaware of the details of undertakings like the Sport Hill Sidewalk, the new EMS Building, intrusive student surveys, and the proposed development of land bought for preservation (South Park).

It is appalling to hear Ray play the race card and try to play the victim to switch the focus away from something he did that was illegal and which may be a violation of the Ethics Ordinance. I am disappointed that the Selectmen didn’t warn him to stop slandering the ERTC. It was the Selectman’s meeting.
Martin also said “CRG (Citizens for Responsible Government) and other affiliated groups(are) running the (ERTC) meetings and pushing their agenda.” This is another bold-faced lie.

As former ERTC Vice Chairman and former Nominating Committee Chairman, Ray knows it is impossible for CRG and affiliated groups to “run the ERTC” because none of these subgroups or any of their members are members of the ERTC and therefore have no voting rights. Further, Martin knows the Easton Republican Town Committee is governed by its
bylaws and its officers. The bylaws say that nonmembers cannot vote. The officers can stop nonmembers from talking at meetings and often do. We speak only with permission, unlike members who have the right to speak.

I wonder if Martin, as a public servant, provided “fair and equal treatment of all townspeople and any others the public servant may encounter” (As required by Ethics Ordinance 52-9) when he unfairly characterized people at the ERTC he disagreed with as “racist” during his speech at this Selectmen meeting. The Ethics Committee will likely review Martin’s case in a Special meeting this coming Monday at 7pm. At the meeting Ethics Committee will also discuss changes to the Ethics Ordinance. The public will be permitted to listen in and comment during in portion of the meeting that relates to the changes to Ethics ordinance. The Committee will then go into “executive session” to discuss specific complaints. The public cannot participate in the “executive session”.

If you want to communicate with the Ethics Committee, you fill out the form on the town website (see link below) and email it to them. You must include your name. All submissions and the names of submitters are kept confidential. If you submit something you cannot share it with others.

Link to the submission form: https://www.eastonct.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif3071/f/agendas/ethics_complaint_submission_form_-_finalized_003.pdf

You can also share your thoughts with the Board of Selectmen, here are their
emails.

David Bindelglass dbindelglass@eastonct.gov
Robert Lessler rlessler56@gmail.com
Kristi Sogofsky ksogofsky@eastonct.gov

RAY MARTIN CRIMINAL HISTORY

Ray Martin was arrested on July 14, 2015, in a Federal Steroid and Prescription Drug Investigation. This was his first criminal offense while holding public office in Easton.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/Easton-police-commissionerarrested-on-drug-6384972.php
https://www.ctpost.com/news/article/Easton-Police-Commission-member-chargedin-6384536.php

https://www.courant.com/breaking-news/hc-steroid-distrubtion-sentencing-0707-20170706-story.html

In July 2017 Ray Martin was sentenced to three years of probation for his role in a steroid distribution ring, federal officials said.

https://www.courant.com/breaking-news/hc-steroid-distrubtion-sentencing-0707-20170706-story.html

Second Criminal Offense — On January 31, 2023
“The judge gave Martin a one-year suspended sentence followed by two years of conditional discharge.” Easton Courier

https://www.ctinsider.com/news/article/easton-zoning-commissioner-admitsfalsely-17754357.php

The video of Ray Martin speaking to the board of Selectmen is viewable here. Ray speaks in the first 5-10 minutes:

A transcript of Ray’s words is available upon request.