NewCanaanite.com recently received the following letter. Send letters to editor@newcanaante.com to have them published here. (We will publish letters related to the leaf blower ban and referendum through July 22.)
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While feelings run deep on both sides of the debate about gas powered leaf blowers, one thing that has been encouraging to see is the support that two town bodies, one elected, one appointed, have given to the referendum. The Conservation Commission, a 5-member appointed body on which I sit, has on 3 occasions over the last 4 years, unanimously endorsed restrictions on gas powered leaf blowers. Most recently this occurred in March of 2026 and on all three occasions the support has been by unanimous vote of the Commission. This has happened under both Republican and Democratic chairs and with a different mix of members and parties on the commission each time. How does any commission in New Canaan repeatedly vote unanimously on a topic? As an engineer and a member of the commission, I can tell you the reasons are simple: because the data is unmistakable.
Gas powered leaf blowers are, by their very design, extremely loud and polluting machines. The Conservation Commission reviewed myriad well documented studies on the issue. I can tell you that the noise pollution, particulate matter, volatile organic compounds, nitrogen oxides and other pollutants that are generated by these machines are unhealthy for town residents and landscapers alike. The compromise, summertime only restriction, that was crafted by the Ordinance Committee seeks to strike a reasonable balance between making our town a little quieter and healthier and not imposing onerous restrictions on landscapers. Fortunately, there are simple alternatives that exist for summertime lawn care that are both available and economically viable. This is not a statement made without me and the other members of the Conservation Commission having spent significant time understanding the various sides of the issue. Mulching lawn clippings during the summer and using an electric blower on hard surfaces is but one simple and easy solution to the escalating use of the gas-powered machines. It is important to note that nobody is suggesting that landscapers and homeowners abandon their GPLBs. Immediately after Labor Day restrictions under the ordinance disappear and GPLBs will be fully available to use for fall leaf clean up. While some see summertime only restrictions as an inconsistency, I view this as a reasonable compromise on this issue. For these reasons, and many others, the Conservation Commission has, on several occasions over the last 4 years, unanimously endorsed summertime restrictions on gas powered leaf blowers.
There is also the action of the Town Council, our elected body, to consider. The Town Council voted 8-4 to pass the ordinance with 2 Republicans and 6 Democrats voting in support. I find it encouraging to see multiple individuals from both parties, and after much debate, coalesce around the limited and common-sense restrictions in the ordinance.
I urge everyone to vote YES on the referendum on July 25th or by absentee ballot at Town Hall by this Friday.
John Fusek
A fitting wrap to the LTEs on this topic, John. A data array, to me, always speaks more loudly than emotion.
Or rather, more quietly, but more rationally. See you Saturday!
VOTING: Saturday 7/25, NCHS between 10 am and 8 pm.
See here https://www.newcanaan.info/_T8_R710.php for more voting data.
I appreciate John’s calm, reasoned approach to this issue.
This letter summarizes the position so well, The conservation commission studies the science before forming an opinion. That is their job. It is a surprise to me that the health and human services commission has not weighed in on this issue, so damaging are the emissions from gas leaf blowers to all of us but especially to the workers who toil away in our yards. Let’s make a start and give their health a break for three months in the summer. Please vote YES.