Cristina A. Ross

Town Council Votes 8-4 To Remove 1913-Related Wording from Draft Agreement with New Canaan Library

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Weeks after voicing concerns about it, the Town Council during its regular meeting Wednesday night voted 8-4 to remove a clause from the municipality’s draft agreement with New Canaan Library regarding the organization’s rebuilding project that would have allowed for a decision on whether to demolish the original 1913 library building to be put off for at least two years during construction. 

Saying the fate of the 1913 building has not been and will not be decided by the inclusion or removal the clause, Councilman Steve Karl noted that the legislative body has “covered this at length during all of our meetings.”

“We’ve had legal counsel from both sides weigh in on this document,” Karl said during the meeting, held via videoconference. 

“It’s a document that we were given by both sides. We’ve talked about it long enough. And as we’ve said in our last meeting, we were elected to lead and we need to move this. That’s the way I feel about it. I will say again: This is not the end of the 1913 building.

Cristina A. Ross

Town Council Preempts Change to School Start Times in Divided Budget Vote

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The Town Council during an emotionally charged meeting Thursday voted 8-4 in favor of a spending plan for next fiscal year that effectively forestalls long-discussed changes to New Canaan Public Schools start times. The legislative body’s bipartisan vote in favor of an overall budget of $152.2 million represents an increase of just .19% over projected spending for the current fiscal year. Though the budget also includes a 2.5% year-over-year increase to district spending (exclusive of healthcare savings), it’s still about $1 million less than what the Board of Education had requested of the town funding bodies. The shortfall means the Board of Ed can’t pay for additional school buses and attendant staff needed to implement a proposed new start times schedule—a consequence that district leaders and some councilmen understood following discussions held in recent days, according to Town Council Chair John Engel. In voting in favor of the budget, Engel and others said they’re convinced that New Canaan adolescents should start school later, but added that the wide economic uncertainty due to COVID-19 means now is the wrong time to introduce significant new transportation costs.

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Election 2019: Readers’ Letters of Endorsement

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The following letters of endorsement were submitted to NewCanaanite.com. ***

I urge the re-election of Brendan Hayes for the Board of Education. A Democrat with broad bipartisan support, Brendan was elected BOE Chairman last year by a 7-2 vote, including 4 of 6 Republicans. Brendan works hard, is a patient and thoughtful listener, and has the analytical skills one would expect of a highly successful investment banker. He’s a confident and effective advocate for New Canaan’s schools.

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Letter: Re-Elect Town Council Candidate Cristina A. Ross

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We endorse Cristina Aguirre-Ross for Town Council. 

Cristina has made New Canaan her home for 28 years, and has ably served on our Town Council for four years. She is a distinguished architect and author, who celebrated New Canaan in her book on mid-century modern houses. Cristina is dedicated to preserving our town’s unique character and style. As a Town Council member Cristina is also focused on fiscal sustainability aimed at optimizing town services by finding efficiencies and making the most of every tax dollar. Her extensive experience working on large scale projects at JP Morgan and in her own architectural practice makes her uniquely qualified to lead contract negotiations, budgeting and financial analysis to benefit all the people of New Canaan.

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Letter: Cristina A. Ross for Town Council

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I strongly recommend incumbent Cristina Aguirre-Ross for Town Council. Cristina’s experience in town is unparalleled. She was initially appointed to the Open Space and Conservation Committee and later appointed to the Parks and Recreation Commission. After serving ten years on the Commission, the Republican Town Committee endorsed Cristina to serve on Town Council. Cristina’s experience as a licensed architect brings tremendous value to our Town.