Government

‘We Have a Big Job Ahead of Us’: Moynihan Addresses Town as First Selectman at Swearing-In Ceremony

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On the eve of taking office, New Canaan’s newly elected first selectman told residents that he will strive to work on their behalf through collaboration and with purpose, transparency and accountability. Moments after he was sworn into the town’s top elected office Monday night, First Selectman Kevin Moynihan in a stirring, heartfelt speech told a standing-room only crowd at Town Hall that the major challenge facing municipal leadership is to understand and then deliver what residents want. “We made the case that we urgently need—must have—21st century cell service throughout New Canaan,” Moynihan said from the dais in the Town Hall Meeting Room, echoing a campaign pledge while addressing the town for the first time as its first selectman, flanked by Selectmen Kit Devereaux and Nick Williams.

“We said the longstanding problems of inadequate parking must finally be addressed and resolved. We pledged that as we aspire to provide the finest education to our children we must meet the need for more affordable housing to keep our seniors living among us.”

(His speech is published in its entirety below.)

Moynihan spoke toward the end of a high-spirited, at times lighthearted Oath of Office Ceremony that saw Town Clerk Claudia Weber swear in each member of the Board of Selectmen as well as Town Treasurer Andrew Brooks. Overseen by state Rep. Tom O’Dea (R-125th), it included an invocation from the Rev. Dr. Stephen Chapin Garner from the Congregational Church of New Canaan, Pledge of Allegiance led by Boy Scout Troop 70, singing of the “The Star-Spangled Banner” and “God Bless America” led by New Canaan High School seniors Kaitlyn Piotroski, Lauren Smith and Finley Vigliotti, introduction from O’Dea, comments from Rabbi Levi Mendelow of Chabad New Canaan Jewish Center and the Rev. Peter Walsh of St.

Government

Election 2017: New Canaan Sees Sharp Rise in Absentee Ballots Amid Contested Races

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The town since Oct. 6 has received 252 absentee ballots from New Canaan electors, officials said Wednesday—far more than had been executed in any of the last three local elections. In 2011, 2013 and 2015, the town executed 125, 185 and 178 absentee ballots, respectively, according to Town Clerk Claudia Weber. Those seeking absentee ballots must apply for them at the Town Clerk’s office. So far, a total of 340 absentee ballots already have been issued for this election, according to Weber. “We will easily go over 300 [executed absentee ballots],” she told NewCanaanite.com.

News

Newest New Canaan Police Officer Sworn In; Tam Receives ‘Officer of the Year Award’; 8 Officers, 3 Civilians Honored

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The New Canaan Police Department on Tuesday recognized eight officers and three civilians for outstanding service to the community during a ceremony that also saw the agency’s newest member sworn in by the town clerk. In addressing Nicole Vartuli, a Stamford native and Westhill High School graduate who is poised for training at the Connecticut Police Academy this year with an expectation that she will undergo field training with NCPD through the early part of 2018, Chief Leon Krolikowski said that “badge you were just issued represents public trust.”

“The public willingly puts this work in your hands and trusts that you will take care of them in the proper manner,” Krolikowski said moments after Vartuli had been sworn in by Town Clerk Claudia Weber. “They do not want this responsibility for themselves. My charge to you today is to do just that: Get it right. We have all heard about the stories of officers who have gotten it wrong.

Animal 411

‘We Felt That It Was Not Humane’: Housing Authority Rescinds ‘Declawing’ Requirement for Residents’ Cats

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Responding to concerns from animal welfare advocates, officials from the New Canaan Housing Authority say they’re moving away from a requirement that residents of affordable rental units at Millport Avenue have their cats “declawed.”

Banned in many countries, declawing typically involves amputating the last bone of each toe on a cat—the equivalent of cutting off each finger at the last knuckle on a person, according to the Humane Society of the United States. As detailed within an otherwise standard “Pet Addendum” to lease agreements that had been inherited by Stamford-based property manager WinnResidential, the rule required that “cats must be de-clawed and written proof of de-clawing is required.”

When New Canaan-based nonprofit rescue group Strays & Others learned of the policy, representatives reached out to WinnResidential as well as the Housing Authority’s commissioners—and got an immediate and decisive response. “We were so pleased to hear that the Housing Authority rescinded the policy for the management company, asking that their residents’ cats be declawed,” Strays & Others President Claudia Weber said. “It was the right thing to do.”

The declawing requirement had been a carryover from the Millport Apartments’ prior property manager, officials said. It isn’t clear exactly how many cats were declawed as a result of the policy, but it’s been rescinded effective immediately, according to commissioner Bernard Simpkin.

Animal 411

‘She’s a Sweetheart’: Twice-Orphaned Senior Beagle Up for Adoption, Fostering

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A dog that had been set to be euthanized Thursday—a stray originally adopted in New Canaan who turned up in New York City last week—is now available for fostering or adoption through a partnership between New Canaan’s animal rescue group and the police department. The small, approximately 9-year-old beagle mix is being called “Ladybug-Stacey-Hannah” by Officer Allyson Halm, head of the New Canaan Police Department’s Animal Control section, because those three names all appear on various paper work associated with the dog. She initially had been adopted in New Canaan from the local Animal Control shelter in 2011, and it isn’t clear just where she was in the intervening years. According to Halm, the Stamford man who had adopted her only had the dog for a few months and gave her away to a since-forgotten party. Claudia Weber, founder of Strays & Others, learned of Ladybug’s plight and decided immediately to help the orphaned animal.