Top 10 stories that shaped New Canaan in 2011

Written by Rachel Kirkpatrick, Editor
Saturday, 31 December 2011 00:00

It was a year of neighborhood battles and big-picture thinking for the little community of New Canaan, as residents were asked to think long-term about their town facilities.

A sidewalk project prompted a town-wide vote, unions negotiated, and storms rocked the landscape — and punctuating these events were local elections that thrust a whole new set of faces into the town’s decision-making seats, and into the spotlight.

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Here’s a look at the top events that dominated the news in New Canaan this year, as we say goodbye to 2011:

1: Rob gets the job

On Tuesday, November 22, Rob Mallozzi III was sworn into the first selectman’s office at Town Hall, joined by his wife Liz, son Robbie IV and daughter, Kit. A Darien native, Mallozzi, owner of downtown fixture Bob’s Sports, and a local firefighter, served as selectman for four years before running for first selectman. Prior to that, he served on the Downtown Study Committee.

Mallozzi ousted his Republican opponent and former selectman Paul Giusti, a current finance board member, in the primary in July. Mallozzi had previously ousted Giusti from his selectman seat in 2007.

2: Concrete jungle

A neighborhood became divided over the ressurrection of a plan to install sidewalks down lower Main Street, a controversy that resulted in a referendum on the bond issue that would be used to fund the project. Rising from the debate was the political action group, the Citizens for Responsible Spending, which remained active through this year’s local elections.

At issue was whether sidewalks belonged in the neighborhood, and whether the town should borrow money to pay for the project, given the current economic conditions.

In October, after months of deliberation and debate, the Town Council voted 8-2 to build sidewalks on the west side of Main Street, citing safety concerns and the result of an April referendum, in which 1,800 residents voted Yes to approve the bond, while 1,500 voted No. Construction is to start in March.

3: A house divided

This year’s election stretched nearly the entire year, since Mallozzi’s candidacy announcement in February, and was marked by periods of deep divisiveness, particularly during the spring’s Republican caucus battle. A clutch of unopposed races led Democrats to devote all of their efforts to unseating the oft-overlooked town treasurer.

Despite one of the tightest elections in New Canaan history, Democrat Kathleen Corbet missed by 47 votes her goal of overturning the 46-year incumbency of Republican Town Treasurer V. Donald Hersam Jr. Hersam retained his seat with a vote of 1,478 to 1,431. A total of 2,977 voters cast ballots in the election, approximately 24% of the town’s 12,371 voters.

In the other contested race on the ballot, Green Party Constable Hector Lopez lost his bid for re-election, and the town’s seven constables will now be Republicans John Ponterotto, Austin Furst, Gregory Pepe, and Van Young, and Democrats Ed Vollmer, Nick Mitrakis, and Cynthia Franco.

The vote also confirmed candidates in a series of unopposed races, including First Selectman-elect Rob Mallozzi III, a Republican; the two selectman candidates, Republican Nick Williams and Democrat Beth Jones, and Town Council members Steve Karl, Tucker Murphy, Ken Campbell, and Roger Williams, Republicans, and Joe Paladino and John Emert, Democrats. Republicans Hazel Hobbs, Gene Goodman, and Scott Gress and Democrat Alison Bedula will be on the Board of Education this year, after their unopposed races, while unopposed Town Clerk Claudia Weber’s vote total was second only to Mallozzi’s. Board of Assessment Appeals candidates Wendy Fog, Patrick McLevey, and Katherine Markiewicz were also confirmed in unopposed races.

4: Storms of the Century

The year 2011 was one of many storms, beginning last winter, when New Canaan and the rest of the region faced snowstorm after snowstorm ... essentially on a weekly basis.

Later in the year, New Canaanites would realize the value of having a stockpile of water, candles, batteries and non-perishable foods, as two major storms pummeled the area, knocking out power for a week on end each time.

First, it was Irene — a hurricane-turned-tropical-storm that reached Connecticut on Saturday night, August 27. Irene packed a mean, wind-filled punch, knocking down trees and toppling utility poles and wires. At the height of the storm, 80% of town was without power and nearly 150 roads were impassable and closed.

A second storm — a snowstorm — literally canceled Halloween in towns across the Northeast, including New Canaan, when it blew through the area on Saturday, October 30, dropping nearly a foot of snow in some areas and, again, knocking out power for a week. Officials said the weight of the snow on leafy branches contributed to the destruction.

5: Bridge over troubled water

The town’s methods of checks and balances fell under scrutiny this year, as a subcommittee of the Town Council spent nearly five months investigating several issues surrounding a legal dispute between the town and Loureiro Contractors, Inc., over the reconstruction of the Lakeview Avenue bridge. The town spent nearly $1 million on legal costs, including the cost of the arbitration, in order to defend Loureiro’s $1 million claim. In February, a panel of arbitrators ruled against the town and ordered that Loureiro be paid about $350,000 in additional construction fees, plus about $250,000 that the town had withheld from the contractually-required payments. Many town officials did not discover the existence of the award until May, when the finance board voted to bond $650,000 to cover the additional construction costs, a decision the Town Council overruled.

A final report outlined findings about what went wrong, and offered recommendations pertaining to the town treasurer’s position. The law firm has since refunded the town $50,000.

6: Union contract tango

In June, the Town Council approved a new contract with the fire union, ending months of negotiations after the previous contract expired in 2010. The contract, which was approved in a 9-2 vote, was the same proposal the council had previously rejected in December 2010. The council had been asked by First Selectman Jeb Walker to reconsider the proposal, after six months of negotiations were unsuccessful in extracting further concessions from the union.

The new contract, which runs retroactively from July 1, 2010 to June 30, 2013, would give union members 2.25% annual salary increases in exchange for increased health care contributions and other concessions. Walker said he expects the contract to save about $200,000 compared to the expired contract, mostly on the health benefits. The contract also revises the rules for overtime, in an attempt to save the town money.

Both the town and the police union filed dueling grievances with the State Board of Labor Relations in September, each blaming the other side for the collapse of a tentative contract agreement at the end of August.

Then, in December, a drop in traffic stops led to a dispute among Police Commission members over an enusing discussion and the minutes. That dispute has since been resolved, and the Police Commission apologized to officers for any misconstrued conclusions that were drawn.

As of the end of 2011, the town had yet to resolve negotiations surrounding the police contract, and that contract had gone to arbitration.

7: Looking long-range

In October, the Long Range Planning Committee released a draft report of its recommendations for the renovation and/or configuration of town offices.

The committee presented the report — complete with scenarios for the expansion or repair of Town Hall and New Canaan Library — at a public hearing. That latest iteration of the report focused heavily on Town Hall and the library, asking the question of whether it is better to renovate and possibly expand them in place, or to move one of them to the Center School parking lot adjacent to the existing library.

Most comments from the public centered around wishes to see the historic facades of the library and Town Hall preserved. Since the hearing, the library has announced that it will begin making plans to renovate and expand in place, and that it is not seeking an alterative location for its facility.

8: Rising seniors

Work on researching the potential for affordable senior housing continued this year, as the Senior Health Care and Housing Policy Development Team (the Phase III Team), focused on in-town sites, and zeroing in on a state grant to study the potential to place senior housing — and a parking structure — at the Lumberyard lot. Residents found this to be controversial because the town had years ago battled against a dense affordable housing project at that location — a central one in the downtown.

Residents against the grant application criticized the town for not being upfront about its thoughts for that site, and said any development there would ruin the character of the town and affect the quality of life for commuters.

In 2010, the senior team recomended that in lieu of a “classic CCRC facility,” a building with three types of senior living and health care, in one location, the team said it was endorsing the idea of a “virtual three-tier senior community,” one that would include the creation of an independent living community. The search for an appropriate site remains ongoing.

9: New school line-up

The schools saw a shake-up in leadership happen at almost every level this year, starting with the loss of New Canaan High School Principal Tony Pavia, who left the district at the end of the 2010-11 school year. Taking his place was former Brookfield High School Principal Bryan Luizzi.

Then, just this past October, schools Superintendent Dr. David Abbey announced he would be retiring at the end of the 2011-12 school year. The Board of Education has begun a search process for his replacement.

The Board of Education also saw a shake-up in leadership, with Chairman Nick Williams leaving to take his seat on the Board of Selectmen. Hazel Hobbs was elected chairman.

10: Trophy inferno

The actions of three New Canaan Youth Football league coaches came “under fire” in December after an anonymous complaint was made against them alleging that they burned the players’ third-place trophies; the team had won the championship for five straight years before this season.

Police investigated the burning, which was said to have happened the night of the team’s end-of-the-season party at Irwin Park, near the location of the party.

No charges were ever filed and the coaches resigned from the league board of directors. The three claimed the event was intended to be as a “burning of the shoe,” exercise, a traditional airing of grievances in which teams will often take part.