Election 2025: Town Council Incumbent Kim Norton [Q&A]

Town Council incumbent Kim Norton, a Republican, is seeking re-election to New Canaan’s legislative body. The GOP holds an 8-4 majority on the 12-member Town Council. Six seats are up for election: four currently held by Republicans, two by Democrats. There are five Republicans and four Democrats running for Town Council.

Here’s our exchange with Norton.

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Please give us some background on you, including your history in New Canaan and your involvement with community organizations and/or local government. 

I am running again because I want New Canaan to remain one of the best places in the country to live, work, raise a family, attend public school and age in place. I am honored and grateful to represent you since 2021! 

For the past four years, I have served as Co-Chair of the Town Council Health and Human Services Committee, and as a member of the By-laws and Ordinances Committee, as well as the Land Use/Recreation/Conservation Committee. I have participated in four budget cycles, contributed to the development of multiple ordinances, conducted a thorough review of the Plan of Conservation and Development, evaluated town property transactions, and supported a range of municipal projects—including public-private partnership agreements.

Before my service on the Council, I successfully led the efforts to save the 1913 New Canaan Library, writing the letter and producing the video seen here, and revived the “Slow Down In Our Town” awareness project to address pedestrian safety, speeding and texting and driving (click here to read more about it). To safeguard our school children’s data privacy, I cofounded and was a primary advocate for Public Act 16-189: “An Act Concerning Student Data Privacy,” which was voted into law in 2016.

Our family moved to New Canaan from New York City 17 years ago. My husband Bill and I purchased a century-old house near downtown. Raising our four children in New Canaan has been wonderful and allowed us to become part of the fabric of our town. 

Over the past 17 years my volunteerism includes my current role as the American Red Cross Liaison for the National Charity League, Canaan Parish. Our next Blood Drive will be on Election Day at St. Mark’s. As a Service League of Boys (SLOBs) member, I volunteered as the Rotary Club of New Canaan’s Liaison for the past 12 years, as each of my three sons went through New Canaan High School. Each year, we participated in Lobsterfest, assisting with event staffing through coordinated parent and son volunteer teams. At New Canaan High School, I was a BOE representative for two years, chaired social media, Freshman Orientation, Exam Snacks, and currently serve on the Grants Committee, as I have for the last 7 years. At Saxe, I was a class parent and Chaired Lost and Found. At the end of every semester, we bagged up left over items, had them washed at the NC Laundromat, and then donated all items to the Vietnam Veterans of America. At South School, I chaired the annual Social at Waveny House. 

I have also coached youth soccer for NC Recreation and NC Football Club, and managed teams for the Football Club and NC Lacrosse. In addition, I volunteered backstage at the New England Academy of Dance Nutcracker and yearly recitals for 9 years.

I earned my doctorate in behavioral health from Fordham University’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, located in Bronx, NY and was honored to receive a Presidential Scholarship during my studies. I received a Teaching Fellowship at Fordham and helped in multiple research labs. I have worked in large city hospitals, private hospitals, college counseling centers, state foster care agencies, alternative elementary schools, at the NYPD as a forensic psychologist, and as a private practitioner. In addition, I authored a book in 2018 that premiered as a best seller in its category on Amazon and I later narrated and produced an audiobook of the same title that is available on Audible. 

The Town Council is soon to kickstart the Charter revision process. What changes, if any, would you like to see to New Canaan’s main governing document?

New Canaan’s Town Charter is the blueprint for town government and opening it is a serious undertaking. I am currently working to recruit a complementary group of candidates for the Charter Review Commission that possess the motivation and knowledge of town government and processes to adeptly evaluate potential areas of improvement in our town government. I am also focusing on Freedom of Information training for members so that we do not elicit any complaints, such as the one forged against some members of the 2015 CRC resulting in legal costs for our town. 

I think the town government is functioning well, so I advise the CRC not to make unnecessary changes. However, opening the Charter offers us a chance to examine other towns’ government structures and identify potential improvements. 

Throughout municipal governance, I support the practice of having positions filled through public elections. Having the public choose their representatives augments their voices, increases accountability to resident taxpayers, and provides healthy checks and balances in our government structure. 

Where do you stand on the proposed seasonal ban on leaf blowers?

My stand is I’d like to hear more from the public on what they think about a seasonal ban on leaf blowers, whether it be public comment, emails, or ultimately, if need be,  in a referendum where the general electorate can decide what’s best for New Canaan. Ordinance development is an iterative process that requires public input and conversation with our legislators in town. I’ve spoken with numerous residents and understand the range of opinions on the proposed ban.   I respect the strong views held on all sides of this issue. 

We heard from New Canaan residents on September 29th during the public comment portion of the Bylaws and Ordinances Committee meeting that focused on a draft ordinance. The proposed draft ordinance would prohibit the use of gas-powered leaf blowers in the summer only from about May 15-September 15th (dates still being determined) and would potentially take effect in May of 2026. Our discussion generated the idea of allowing electric leaf blowers in the summer during certain hours. The proposed draft ordinance permits the use of gas-powered leaf blowers from September 15 through May 15, encompassing approximately eight months or two-thirds of the calendar year. 

I am flexible and open-minded in my thinking and will continue to listen to all points of view on this and all issues facing the town. The draft will be discussed in upcoming Bylaws and Ordinances meetings and I encourage the public to attend future meetings in person or via Zoom, as well as write to the Council @ tcdistribution@newcanaanct.gov.  

I reminded the group at our last meeting that our Charter allows the public to force a referendum on “each affirmative or negative legislative action takes by the Town Council.” While I hope the Town Council can guide the process, the final decision on leaf blowers belongs to the residents.  

What is your single most proud accomplishment on the Town Council? 

During the past four years I have been on the Council, I have attended every meeting in person and on time, including multiple weekly budget meetings held in a condensed one-month period every year. 

I am also proud of my work in developing the Affordable Housing Committee to address the demands of 8-30g and reactivating the Utilities Commission to provide residents with transparency regarding cell service solutions and other issues. 

However, the single most important quality I have brought to the Council is my accessibility and interest in listening to residents’ issues and trying to find solutions in concert with my town council colleagues. 

To what extent, if at all, will your party’s national agenda affect your decision-making at the local level?

My primary guiding principle is to think local and find local common-sense solutions that keep New Canaan one of the best places to live and raise a family. Democracy originates at the local level, and no other tier of government has as significant an impact on our everyday lives as local government — encompassing areas such as taxation, ordinances, education, parking regulation, and overall quality of life. My goal is to focus on finding local solutions to local problems and provide taxpayers with efficient ways to maintain our elevated level of expected services, while at the same time putting more money in their pockets to pursue their own goals and dreams. 

As a fiscal conservative, my mission is to protect property values and hold the line on taxes. Given the price of groceries, utilities, and housing, putting more money back into our residents’ pockets is key. While the Town Council has a collaborative and positive relationship with the Board of Education, we are aware of a proposal to build a new elementary school (North School), renovating the existing three elementary schools and Saxe Middle School. Although we have not yet received a briefing on the proposed projects, I am not inclined to support an initiative that would place a $300–350 million debt on taxpayers, along with additional expenses related to staffing a fourth elementary school, including utilities, security, transportation, and other associated costs.

I support New Canaan’s independent authority and discretion in matters related to local zoning regulations. Each of the 169 towns in CT can find their own unique ways to address affordable and workforce housing issues. New Canaan should be able to pursue solutions that are right for New Canaan, not Hartford. The one size fits all outdated 8-30g legislation prohibits us unnecessarily from finding creative ways to work with our own housing stock and available land to address housing issues. As the only Republican Endorsed candidate that lives in town near the train station, I am keenly focused on limiting transit-oriented development that would force increased density into our downtown. 

It’s been just over one year since The Playhouse reopened following an extensive renovation that went over budget. How do you rate the success of New Canaan’s partnership with CinemaLab, the movie theater’s operator?

The Playhouse serves as a visual, architectural, and cultural landmark for Elm Street and the downtown area. I am supportive of CinemaLab, hope the theater succeeds, and am proud of our town’s investment in its historic properties. As a Council, while we did ultimately fund the uptick in renovation costs, we learned from the process and will be better prepared to seek detailed plans and cost estimates before committing taxpayer money to large scale projects. 

Early theater plans limited the second floor to a members-only club with high fees, restricting public access. From the start of the project, I advocated for unrestricted public access to the entire theater given the investment of taxpayers’ dollars. The theater’s success blossomed with the public opening of the second-floor lounge/club. Programming for all residents is taking place there and I have heard about many positive experiences and revenue generation. Nonetheless, the Council has yet to receive updated information regarding the current financial status of the partnership between the Town and the Playhouse. As a result, I am unable to provide further commentary on this matter currently. 

Tell us something about yourself that most people don’t know.

I was in my first movie, What We Carry with Us, that will be premiering at the Garde Arts Center in New London, CT on October 6th. The director’s goal was to feature only CT actors and filmmakers to showcase our state’s talent pool. I played the town council chair overseeing a case about granting landmark status to a local diner. I traveled to Wallingford Town Hall on my birthday in late June and experienced a full day of filming. I’m excited to attend the red-carpet premiere with my family and plan to contact my local alma mater, Connecticut College located in New London, to invite them to the showing (click here to learn more).