NewCanaanite.com received the following letter(s) ahead of the July 25 Republican caucus. Please send letters to editor@newcanaanite.com to have them published here. We will not publish caucus endorsements after July 11.
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Anyone who has participated in an organized setting understands the cliché “there is no ‘I’ in team.” Unfortunately, the current 1st Selectman is unaware that he is a part of a team that includes New Canaan residents. Instead, he often establishes a personal agenda that is unsupported by his constituents. The most glaring example of this is his thoughtless insistence on erecting large monopine cell towers on public property.
Beginning in 2017, several public hearings were conducted to convince our residents these cell towers were needed at our schools and parks. Many residents attended these meetings in opposition. The issue was tabled only to resurface in 2022. Additional public meetings were held and again, the room was full of opponents of cell towers. The 1st Selectman paraded our emergency response team in front of the meeting to convince the town that cell towers were needed. What was not explained by the “experts” introduced by the 1st Selectman is that technology exists that can turn any iPhone or Android phone into a satellite phone thereby covering any concerns raised by emergency service personnel. Unfortunately, the 1 st Selectman chooses to push big business agendas over protecting our unique town’s resources and health.
My family is supporting Kim Norton for 1st Selectman because we need someone to represent us – the residents. Kim has principles that place the resident at the center of her decision making as evidenced by her thoughtful and detailed campaign platform. These priorities were established long before those of her rivals, and she has been steadfast in their support. Kim’s platform includes developing affordable housing solutions, supporting the BOE’s school safety plan, lowering taxes and our debt per capita ratio, prioritizing public private partnerships to preserve historic buildings, and contributing resources for the physical and mental health of our community.
Most important, Kim will not encumber our public property for the indefinite future with insensitive and reckless development intended to benefit private cell phone monopolies at the expense of our limited and valuable public resources. Kim clearly stated when she announced her candidacy that she would not seek to place cell towers on school property, public land or in neighbors’ yards. She is the only candidate that has stated such from day one and has not changed or adjusted her stance to gain more votes; this demonstrates conviction. What is equally important is that she actively supports identifying new technology solutions to solve cell coverage gaps. This approach combines the best of both worlds – protection against behemoth towers while advocating for realistic 21st century solutions.
Please join us by supporting Kim Norton in our shared quest to find thoughtful solutions for our unique town.
Margaret Siderides
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I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know Kimberly Norton over the past year and am excited to be supporting her run for First Selectman of New Canaan.
When our current First Selectman announced his proposal for a West School tower last fall, I reached out to Kimberly for help on what parents should do. I had never navigated anything like this before. I also had never spoken to her and when I sent her an email, she responded right away. I had watched her in Town Council meetings and was very impressed. Her comments were always well-researched and she never seemed to shy away from asking tough questions or articulating her point of view with conviction. She made herself available to answer my questions and was sympathetic regarding my concerns about a cell tower at West School.
Kimberly led at Town Council meetings regarding the vetting of the West School cell tower, just as she had a few years earlier when she worked with East School parents to stop the 2016 proposed cell tower at the Transfer Station. From day one of her campaign for First Selectman, she has said she will not support building cell towers at schools, parks (including Irwin Park), or on any town land. To my knowledge, she is the only candidate to make that promise and that should be reassuring to New Canaanites. Kimberly is practical — she would like an updated assessment of cell service gaps; and, she’s knowledgeable and open-minded — she has spent time learning about carrier-neutral and small-cell solutions that are far less invasive than 150-foot cell towers.
Over the past year, our neighborhoods have also been threatened by proposed high-density housing as a result of state, affordable-housing mandates. As a member of the Town Council, Kimberly is well-informed about this important issue and committed to better solutions that involve residents and keep us informed, every step of the way.
She is fiercely committed to making town government more transparent. For her, transparency is not simply a talking point. When Kimberly was asked at a recent meet-and-greet to explain the first thing she would do as first selectman, she said she’d keep residents up-to-date through a regular newsletter, podcast, or video series, and hold weekly Town Hall hours where residents could stop by to discuss concerns or talk about a particular issue.
I hope many of the families who have recently moved to New Canaan will take note of this important, upcoming Republican caucus. For the past 40 years, New Canaan’s selectmen have been Republicans. So, the winner of the July 25th Republican Caucus will likely be elected as New Canaan’s next selectman in November. Republican voters should be sure to come out to vote. Meanwhile, Unaffiliated voters should consider changing their party registration to Republican so they can have a say in the leadership of our town.
On July 25th, I’ll proudly be supporting Kimberly Norton. I hope you will consider doing so, too.
Vanessa Lowry