Around Town

SEEC Dismisses Complaint Against Poll Worker in New Canaan

By |

State officials on Wednesday dismissed a complaint regarding a poll worker stationed at New Canaan High School on Election Day last year. The Connecticut State Elections Enforcement Commission voted 4-0 during its regular meeting to dismiss the complaint lodged Feb. 14 by Christina Fagerstal and Lisa Hannich—current and immediate past chairs, respectively, of the New Canaan Democratic Town Committee. In it, the complainants said that poll worker Allison Totaro on Nov. 2 at least five times “used her position to intentionally influence the vote by telling voter[s] that as a ‘Republican they were only to vote for 4 candidates’ when in fact a voter had the opportunity to vote for up to 6 candidates regardless of their party affiliation.”

“Witness testimony as set forth in the affidavits clearly confirm this was a violation of election law and the 2013 Moderator handbook guidelines,” the complaint said.

Election 2021

Ethics Board Focuses Moynihan Investigation on Use of Town Resources, Letterhead

By |

The appointed body that is examining whether New Canaan’s highest elected official violated the town’s Code of Ethics in the run-up to last year’s municipal election is focusing its investigation on two areas. The Ethics Board is looking at whether First Selectman Kevin Moynihan used public resources in working on an endorsement letter that would be mailed out to residents prior to the Nov. 2 election, and whether the letterhead on the document itself constitutes a violation of the Code. During its March 8 meeting, Ethics Board members said they’ve concluded that some aspects of the complaint against Moynihan do not amount to violations (such as resources used for the letter’s distribution) or fall outside of the Code itself (such as the wording in the letter itself). Information gathered by the Ethics Board since receiving the Nov.

Allison Totaro

State Investigates Complaint of Election Law Violation in New Canaan

By |

State election officials are investigating a complaint regarding a poll worker stationed at New Canaan High School on Election Day last year. Allison Totaro at least five times “used her position to intentionally influence the vote by telling voter[s] that as a ‘Republican they were only to vote for 4 candidates’ when in fact a voter had the opportunity to vote for up to 6 candidates regardless of their party affiliation,” according to a complaint lodged Feb. 14 with the Connecticut State Elections Enforcement Commission. 

“Witness testimony as set forth in the affidavits clearly confirm this was a violation of election law and the 2013 Moderator handbook guidelines,” Christina Fagerstal and Lisa Hannich—current and immediate past chairs, respectively, of the New Canaan Democratic Town Committee—said in their complaint, obtained from the SEEC by NewCanaanite.com through a public records request. “In addition to the misinformation, the Moderator failed to remove the Respondent from the polling location.”

The DTC on Election Day (Nov. 2, 2021) “received multiple complaints regarding officials inside the polls providing intentionally misleading ballot information,” the complaint said.

Around Town

Ethics Board: Further Investigation Warranted in Complaint Against First Selectman

By |

An appointed body voted unanimously Tuesday night to adopt a resolution saying that further investigation is warranted into a complaint that New Canaan’s highest elected official violated multiple provisions of the town’s Code of Ethics in the run-up to November’s municipal election. 

The Ethics Board has not yet made a determination regarding the complaint lodged Nov. 1 by Micaela Porta, a town resident identified by the appointed body’s chair, Tucker Clauss, as president of the New Canaan chapter of the League of Women Voters. [Note: Porta contacted NewCanaanite.com Wednesday morning to clarify that she filed the complaint personally and not on behalf of the League of Women Voters, as spelled out in the Ethics Board’s resolution, full text here.]

Porta as complainant asserts that Moynihan “using his position as first selectman violated several sections of the town Ethics Code when he sent an undated letter to all residents of New Canaan prior to the town’s Nov. 2, 2021 municipal election,” Clauss said during the meeting, held in the Town Hall Meeting Room. (The full text of Moynihan’s letter is printed at the end of this article.)

Specifically, Porta in the complaint “asserts that the letter mischaracterizes the voting rules at issue, that it was ‘misleading to voters seeking to understand how our municipal government works’ in general and in the then-pending election, and that the letter thereby granted preferential treatment to candidates preferred by the respondent,” Clauss said, citing the Ethics Board’s resolution.

Board of Education

Election 2021: GOP Retains Control of Board of Ed; Dems May Launch Challenge [UPDATED]

By |

New Canaan Republicans maintained their 6-3 majority on the Board of Education in Tuesday’s election, following a hotly contested race that saw very strong voter turnout. Republicans Dan Bennett, Phil Hogan and Julie Toal won election to four-year terms, while GOPer Hugo Alves won a head-to-head race for a two-year term, according to results released after midnight Wednesday by municipal election officials. 

Democratic incumbent Penny Rashin won re-election, and will be joined by fellow Democrat Erica Schwedel on the school board, according to the results. Democratic Town Committee Chair Lisa Hannich said her party might challenge the results based on what DTC officials have described as a voting irregularity at New Canaan High School. “The Secretary of the State was notified today that there were potential irregularities and we want to follow up with them tomorrow to get their advice,” Hannich said. Here’s a look at BOE vote totals from the New Canaan Registrars of Voter:

 

Nearly 50% of eligible local voters had cast ballots by the time polls closed, according to the tallies, compared to about 43% in the last municipal election in 2019. 

The other contested race this year was for constable.