Why Old Lyme will not declare racism a public health crisis Josh LaBella FacebookTwitterEmail First Selectman Timothy Griswold said he believes the resolution declaring racism a public health crisis is written in a way that implies Old Lyme is inherently racist.Josh LaBella / Hearst Connecticut Media OLD LYME — Almost a year has passed since the death of George Floyd unleashed a new wave of racial unrest on the nation and, with more recent police shootings, the conversation about racial equity has continued in all levels of society. In Old Lyme, though, there is some reticence to have that conversation as a town government. Since August, Selectwoman Mary Jo Nosal, a Democrat, has been trying to put a resolution on the Board of Selectmen’s agenda that would declare racism a public health crisis.