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Opinion

Letters to the Editor

By newcanaanite | 1 hour ago

NewCanaanite.com recently received the following letters. 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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The single biggest weakness in the Gas Powered Leaf Blowers ordinance is that the ordinance’s stated objective is reducing impacts from leaf blowers, yet its exemptions allow many of the same impacts to continue based solely on the identity of the user (resident, DPW, utility, etc.) rather than on measurable factors such as noise level, decibel output, duration, or proximity to homes. It says the noise is unacceptable when a contractor uses a leaf blower however is acceptable when a homeowner does. That distinction is difficult to justify based on the stated environmental or quality-of-life objectives.

Opinion

Op-Ed: Good Intentions Don’t Always Make Good Policy

By Pavla Levin | July 19, 2026

A recent flurry of local Op-Eds has framed New Canaan’s upcoming summer gas leaf blower ban as a simple battle between public health and those clinging to “cheap, destructive” habits. These pieces employ a familiar rhetorical device: painting opponents as selfish, short-sighted, or anti-science instead of debating the actual mechanics of the law. But that misses the mark. It assumes bad faith where there is none. We can freely concede that the proponents’ hearts are in the right place.