Government

‘We Have a Big Job Ahead of Us’: Moynihan Addresses Town as First Selectman at Swearing-In Ceremony

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On the eve of taking office, New Canaan’s newly elected first selectman told residents that he will strive to work on their behalf through collaboration and with purpose, transparency and accountability. Moments after he was sworn into the town’s top elected office Monday night, First Selectman Kevin Moynihan in a stirring, heartfelt speech told a standing-room only crowd at Town Hall that the major challenge facing municipal leadership is to understand and then deliver what residents want. “We made the case that we urgently need—must have—21st century cell service throughout New Canaan,” Moynihan said from the dais in the Town Hall Meeting Room, echoing a campaign pledge while addressing the town for the first time as its first selectman, flanked by Selectmen Kit Devereaux and Nick Williams.

“We said the longstanding problems of inadequate parking must finally be addressed and resolved. We pledged that as we aspire to provide the finest education to our children we must meet the need for more affordable housing to keep our seniors living among us.”

(His speech is published in its entirety below.)

Moynihan spoke toward the end of a high-spirited, at times lighthearted Oath of Office Ceremony that saw Town Clerk Claudia Weber swear in each member of the Board of Selectmen as well as Town Treasurer Andrew Brooks. Overseen by state Rep. Tom O’Dea (R-125th), it included an invocation from the Rev. Dr. Stephen Chapin Garner from the Congregational Church of New Canaan, Pledge of Allegiance led by Boy Scout Troop 70, singing of the “The Star-Spangled Banner” and “God Bless America” led by New Canaan High School seniors Kaitlyn Piotroski, Lauren Smith and Finley Vigliotti, introduction from O’Dea, comments from Rabbi Levi Mendelow of Chabad New Canaan Jewish Center and the Rev. Peter Walsh of St.

Animal 411

‘It Does Establish Local Control’: State Rep Pursues Bill That Would Allow Towns To Decide on ‘Leg Hold’ Trapping

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A state legislator is urging residents of New Canaan and nearby towns to contact their delegates to the Connecticut General Assembly as he pushes for a bill that would allow municipalities—rather than the state—to decide whether widely discussed “leg hold” or “foothold” traps may be used in their towns. State Rep. Fred Camillo (R-151) said that allowing towns to move away from the traps—which use a footplate and curved jaws that snap onto animals that spring them—is mainly “about cruelty to animals who otherwise have no say at all in how they are treated.”

“This is something that is really horrible,” Camillo, who represents a wide swath of Greenwich, told NewCanaanite.com as a long session of the state legislature got underway last week. “Horrible. And it is not just for coyotes. Dogs have gotten caught in these things.

Government

New Canaanites Eye Expansion of State Law That Allows for ‘Demolition Delay’ of 180 Days

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New Canaan preservationists are watching the progress of an addendum to a state law that alllows Connecticut towns to delay by 180 days—as opposed to just 90—the razing of a structure, following a demolition application filed with local building officials. Senate Bill 330—an updated version of which arrived on the governor’s desk Monday and was endorsed 4-0 by New Canaan’s delegation to the state legislature—would take effect Oct. 1. The local ordinance that New Canaan developed exactly 10 years ago, outlined in section 12a of the Town Code, allows for a 90-day delay on a proposed demolition in cases where a formal letter of objection is filed with the Town Building Official and a committee then finds that the structure in question has “architectural, historical, or cultural importance.” Under the update to the state law, a homeowner during the delay would not be able to perform asbestos abatement, an important change. The new text reads, in part: “If a waiting period is imposed by a town … the person seeking the permit shall take no action toward demolition of the building, structure or part thereof, including, but not limited to, site remediation and asbestos abatement, during the waiting period.

Business

An Old Traffic Plan Persists: Elm Street Reversal

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For more than 75 years, Elm Street has been the epicenter of downtown New Canaan. Once called “Railroad Avenue” due to its proximity to the train station, Elm Street is arguably the most identifiable road in town, providing New Canaan with a Rockwellian charm with a mix of independent businesses and upscale chains that draw local and out-of-town shoppers alike. “Everything needs a spine, it is what makes the train go,” Rick Franco—owner of Franco’s Wine Merchants— told NewCanaanite.com. Franco’s is one of the oldest businesses in New Canaan and one of the first to set up shop on Elm Street, originally as a grocery store during Prohibition. “There’s a certain amount of comfort that is generated here by the one-way street and shops.

News

First Selectman: Be Proactive in Protecting Student Data and Privacy

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Dear residents ,

This April, the Connecticut General Assembly put forth Bill #7017 known as An Act Concerning Student Data and Privacy, which received bipartisan support from the Education Committee. Considering the recent release of student data in Hamden, which took place unbeknownst to the families involved, and the speed with which technology is changing the way students are taught, this legislation should move forward quickly. We can all agree that supporting the protection of student data and their privacy is of the utmost importance. This bill, among other things, would ensure that school or state contracts involving the use of student data clearly specify retention, security and breach practices, and also provide clear stipulations for usage, family access, and control, including the ability to correct erroneous information. While the provisions of this bill may evolve in the future, supporting Bill 7017 would ensure that Connecticut is in alignment with other states which are quickly moving to protect the data and privacy of their students.