But Greenwich Republicans do not consider Lamont to be one of their own.
Lamont was never known for intense partisanship in the late 1980s and early 1990s as a selectman and then as a finance board member, the Republicans say, where votes were on strictly local issues, rather than hot-button topics such as Iraq, abortion or the death penalty.
"Most of the stuff we dealt with was the mundane stuff - parking signs, roads," said Republican John B. Margenot, who served as first selectman when Lamont was on the board. "There were no Democratic principles involved or Republican principles. I think it's kind of spurious that Lieberman raises the issue. It's a non-issue."
When asked if he viewed Lamont as a Republican, Margenot replied, "No, I wouldn't think that at all. He was more like a liberal Democrat."
Despite being labeled a "Greenwich millionaire" by Lieberman, Lamont is not known for flashing his wealth, does not live in one of the biggest houses in town and is known simply as just another neighbor in Greenwich, Republicans said.
Sam Romeo, a longtime Greenwich Republican who served as campaign manager for then-Sen. Emil "Bennie" Benvenuto in the 1990 state Senate contest against Lamont, termed Lieberman's characterization "a little misleading" because the local boards often operate on a bipartisan basis.
"It's about running the town of Greenwich," Romeo said Friday. "Greenwich is in its own world down here in the way we run things. It has nothing to do with politics, really."
Republican Chris Antonik, a former elected member of the town's representative town meeting and a current member of the Republican town committee, said, "Ned was a Democrat. I never even recall him acting like a Republican. He's not a Republican."
The only one Pazniokas could find to shore up Lieberman was ex-Clinton apologist and long-time Lieberman buddy Lanny Davis.
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