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Letter: Post-Debate ‘Thank You,’ Info from League of Women Voters

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Dear Editor,

A strong democracy relies on a well-informed, constructively engaged electorate. On Tuesday night, October 19th, our ten candidates for Board of Education participated in a debate moderated by the nonpartisan League of Women Voters of New Canaan. All were asked identical, detailed questions on current issues that were submitted by the public in advance. On screens across New Canaan as well as on the road, well over 800 views told us that you turned your attention to these candidates, and now hundreds more continue to view the recording. For a quicker study, our Voters Guide features candidate responses and election information you can even take to the polls.

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Letter: League’s ‘Women Rock the Vote’ a Success

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Dear Editor,

My feet still hurt from dancing at the New Canaan League of Women Voters’ “Women Rock the Vote,” celebrating 100 years of the ratification of the 19th Amendment! (If you were there, you know I’m not lying.) The League was there 100 years ago fighting for the vote, and we’re still here today working for democracy—through our annual Candidates Debate and legislative breakfasts, Voters Guide and Know Your Reps directory, Harvard Case Method program at New Canaan High School, voter registrations, and more. We’re grateful to our sponsors and musical talent for their support in sharing our mission in such a fun way. Thanks to the amazing School of Rock House Band; Rock, Paper, Soul; and Bad Dog Buddy for rocking the Carriage Barn for hours, and to our sponsors HTG Investment Advisors, the newcanaanite.com, Walter Stewart’s Market, and Stewart’s Wine & Spirits for making the event possible. Thanks also to Taco Tequila for keeping us going on that cold night with tasty eats from their food truck. Elections matter.

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Letter: Repurposing Original Library ‘The Wrong Tack’ in Rebuilding Project

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Dear Editor,

I urge town to support $10 million of town funding for the new New Canaan Library construction. I initially opposed a new library building, but over the last handful of years I’ve changed my mind. 

I’ve experienced the library building’s shortcomings as a patron, volunteer, and most recently, employee. A hollowed-out façade now fronts a mixed bag of inadequate spaces and failing infrastructure. Leaks on every level, strange microclimates borne of energy inefficiency, insufficient program and work space, and on. However well-intentioned the current structure’s previous additions and renovations, they fall short of providing what this essential town hub needs and deserves.

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Letter: ‘Rich and Unique’ Lecture at New Canaan Library

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Dear Editor,

What a rich and unique Stoddard lecture was held at New Canaan Library this week. This year’s speaker was artist and architect Mohamed Hafez, whose talk and work dealt with “home.” 

Born in Syria, Hafez spent the first half of his presentation contextualizing his artwork. He talked about life in the culturally diverse world of pre-war Damascus; about traveling to Disney as a kid and enjoying its culture shock; about following his siblings to study at the University of Iowa; about the warmth of family, rooted in endless conversation over coffee in traditionally appointed Syrian rooms. All these stories were important to hear as they made the second half of his presentation crackle with meaning. 

We then saw Hafez’s sculptures come alive on the screen in a way that felt as three-dimensional as the pieces themselves (currently on view at the Brooklyn Museum, Bruce Museum, and Quick Center in Fairfield). He makes breathtakingly detailed miniatures of the rooms and buildings that tell his stories, both before and after the war and resultant refugee crisis. In that hour and half, Hafez showed that as much as war and traumatic displacement shape his life, his stories of home are human, universal.

News

Letter: Glass House ‘Asking for Permission To Do Its Job For Our Benefit’

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Dear Editor,

The Glass House has asked Town for permission to operate in a way that allows it to fulfill its mission. They want to maintain their structures and grounds, which are constantly in need of attention. They want to offer tours to New Canaan schoolchildren. They want to host VIP events to fund their work. Under current restrictions, none of this is really possible.