Government

Election 2018 Hub [UPDATED]

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[Note: Bookmark this article for Tuesday, when NewCanaanite.com will post regular updates on voter turnout and results as numbers come in on Election Day.]

ELECTION RESULTS CAN BE FOUND HERE. Here’s a table tracking voter turnout in New Canaan that we’ll update throughout the day. We’ve included a column of hourly voter count from 2016, by way of comparison (hourly voter counts from 2014 are not available):

 

Update 1 p.m.

State Rep. Tom O’Dea (R-125th) started his day at 5:50 a.m. in Wilton and he planned to head to New Canaan High School in the early afternoon to greet voters. “It has been what appears to be a record mid-term turnout in Wilton this morning,” he told NewCanaanite.com. “This has been the most rewarding and demanding job of my career and I believe myself Toni Boucher, Scott Frantz and Fred Wilms have earned another two years with all that we have accomplished.”

Election 2018

‘Turnout Has Been Nonstop’: Town Clerk Sees High Number of Absentee Ballots Issued for Midterm Election

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Town officials say they’re seeing an extremely high number of absentee ballots issued for next week’s midterm election, a likely sign that New Canaan will see strong voter turnout on Election Day. As of Tuesday, the town had issued 1,017 absentee ballots, according to Town Clerk Claudia Weber. That compares with 564 absentee ballots issued in 2014, the last gubernatorial election year, she said. Weber called the strong showing “tremendous” and “phenomenal.”

“I have never seen a midterm turnout for absentee ballots like this,” Weber told NewCanaanite.com. “Turnout has been nonstop,” she added.

Around Town

Candidates Discuss State’s Fiscal Woes During LWV Debate

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Connecticut’s worsening fiscal crisis, preserving state aid for public education and how to fund critical transportation infrastructure projects were among the tough topics tackled by candidates for the state House of Representatives during a well-attended debate hosted by the New Canaan League of Women Voters at Town Hall Monday. One thing that was clear from the debate is that Connecticut is in rough shape fiscally and that it’s going to take time and hard work to get things back on track. Tom O’Dea, a three-term Republican incumbent and New Canaan resident representing the 125th District, which includes parts of Wilton and New Canaan, defended his seat against Democratic challenger Ross Tartell, a Wilton resident and independent consultant who previously worked at GE Capital and Pfizer, and who also currently serves as a college professor at Teachers College, Columbia University. 

Meanwhile, Fred Wilms, a Norwalk resident and three-term Republican incumbent representing the 142nd District, which includes parts of Norwalk and New Canaan, defended his chair from Democrat and political newcomer Lucy Dathan, a New Canaan resident with a professional background in finance. The event, which also included a debate between the candidates for State Senate, was moderated by New Canaan resident and former LWV president Kate Hurlock. When asked what new revenue streams he would suggest to make Connecticut more fiscally sound, O’Dea, who serves on the legislature’s transportation committee, as well as the judiciary, legislative management and regulation review committee committees, said, “We don’t need more revenue streams. We have a $20 billion per year budget, and it should be $17 billion.

Government
Metro-North train winter

Transportation Chief: Rail Service Cuts, Fare Hikes Coming Soon Unless Alternate Funding Found

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Rail fare increases of 21 percent over three years, starting with 10 percent in July, and another 10 percent hike next year, cuts in train service on weekends and off-peak times on the New Canaan Branch, and bus fare increases are coming unless the state finds some funding alternative. That was the harsh message Connecticut Transportation Commissioner James Redeker gave New Canaanites on Wednesday. About 60 people went to the meeting in New Canaan Town Hall. “This is not my wish […],” Redeker said. “I’m trying to do this in a rational way, but it’s certainly not a pleasant way.”

Government

Selectmen Voice Concerns Over Threat of Reduced Metro-North Railroad Service to New Canaan, Speed of Trains

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Though some are telling New Canaan not to worry, the threat that the state could cut back on Metro-North Railroad service to the town during off-peak hours on weekdays, and halt weekend service altogether, is hugely troubling, municipal officials said Tuesday. Selectman Kit Devereaux said she’s concerned because “I think there is very little downside for the government to come through with this, for Connecticut to come through with this.”

“Because they can make their point while at the same time not having a large democratic constituency to upset,” Devereaux said during the Board of Selectmen’s regular meeting, held at Town Hall. She added: “I think if they cut away our weekend service and they cut back our off-peak service, it’s a nail in the coffin. It really needs to be stopped.”

She referred to a proposal from the Connecticut Department of Transportation from earlier this month. When First Selectman Kevin Moynihan said that’s a good question to ask of New Canaan’s delegation to the Connecticut General Assembly—a forum that includes state legislators such as State Rep. Tom O’Dea (R-125th) and even state DOT Commissioner Jim Redeker is to be held 6:30 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at Town Hall—Devereaux asked whether the first selectman was “being proactive in talking to legislators?”

Moynihan responded: “: I am in constant contact with our legislative representatives.”

When Devereaux asked “About this?” Moynihan answered yes.