Amy Lehaney started last week in the position of health director for the town of New Canaan, succeeding Jenn Eielson in the role.
Monroe’s health director since 2022, she had worked for Bridgeport, Stamford, Fairfield and Redding before that.
Lehaney earned a bachelor’s degree in environmental science from Saint Bonaventure University in Olean, N.Y. and a master’s in public health from Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven.
We talked to Lehaney on Tuesday afternoon at her office in Vine Cottage.
Here’s a transcription of our interview.
***
New Canaanite: What are your early impressions of Town Hall and the community?
Amy Lehaney: It’s great. It’s a beautiful downtown. It’s vibrant with people walking all the time. It’s nice to see all the people and traffic going around.
For people who don’t know what a health department does, could you give an overview?
I think some people are more familiar because of COVID and we came out, but normally public health likes to stand in the background. And our successes are when you don’t know what we did, because that means we did it, and you didn’t know about it. We do all environmental health, so our cosmetology, our salons, our restaurants, our pools. We do any septic work or septic repairs on any of the homes. We advise and sign off on permits for any well drilling. We do daycare inspections in conjunction with the state health department and the state early childhood program. We monitor demolition for asbestos and lead and other hazardous materials to make sure that’s taken care of before we sign off. So that kind of covers environmental health. And then a large part, especially in a small municipality, is community health and health education and going out to the public and really meeting them where they are and what their interests or needs are. Try to educate people to make the best decisions for themselves.
What was it about the New Canaan position that attracted you?
I love small towns and I love working for small towns. I was up in the town of Monroe, which is great. But it’s very rural. And coming from Fairfield, I miss that downtown vibe and the pedestrians and the traffic and everything going by. So when I saw this open—New Canaan has always been one of those towns that people love to work for. It’s beautiful to come down and see it and be a part of it.
I didn’t know that’s the reputation of the town. That’s nice to hear.
You’ve always had employees who have been here a long time.
That does say something. Tell us something just about yourself that might surprise people.
I’ve played golf since I was 10, and I love it. And I still love to play and my whole family plays and we go out on holidays and Mother’s Day and we all go play together. And my daughter has followed in my footsteps and now plays in high school. So she plays against New Canaan.
Where do you live?
Trumbull. She goes to St. Joe’s.
That’s a good sports school.
Yes.