Animal 411

‘It Does Establish Local Control’: State Rep Pursues Bill That Would Allow Towns To Decide on ‘Leg Hold’ Trapping

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A state legislator is urging residents of New Canaan and nearby towns to contact their delegates to the Connecticut General Assembly as he pushes for a bill that would allow municipalities—rather than the state—to decide whether widely discussed “leg hold” or “foothold” traps may be used in their towns. State Rep. Fred Camillo (R-151) said that allowing towns to move away from the traps—which use a footplate and curved jaws that snap onto animals that spring them—is mainly “about cruelty to animals who otherwise have no say at all in how they are treated.”

“This is something that is really horrible,” Camillo, who represents a wide swath of Greenwich, told NewCanaanite.com as a long session of the state legislature got underway last week. “Horrible. And it is not just for coyotes. Dogs have gotten caught in these things.

Government

New Canaanites Eye Expansion of State Law That Allows for ‘Demolition Delay’ of 180 Days

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New Canaan preservationists are watching the progress of an addendum to a state law that alllows Connecticut towns to delay by 180 days—as opposed to just 90—the razing of a structure, following a demolition application filed with local building officials. Senate Bill 330—an updated version of which arrived on the governor’s desk Monday and was endorsed 4-0 by New Canaan’s delegation to the state legislature—would take effect Oct. 1. The local ordinance that New Canaan developed exactly 10 years ago, outlined in section 12a of the Town Code, allows for a 90-day delay on a proposed demolition in cases where a formal letter of objection is filed with the Town Building Official and a committee then finds that the structure in question has “architectural, historical, or cultural importance.” Under the update to the state law, a homeowner during the delay would not be able to perform asbestos abatement, an important change. The new text reads, in part: “If a waiting period is imposed by a town … the person seeking the permit shall take no action toward demolition of the building, structure or part thereof, including, but not limited to, site remediation and asbestos abatement, during the waiting period.

News

First Selectman: Be Proactive in Protecting Student Data and Privacy

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Dear residents ,

This April, the Connecticut General Assembly put forth Bill #7017 known as An Act Concerning Student Data and Privacy, which received bipartisan support from the Education Committee. Considering the recent release of student data in Hamden, which took place unbeknownst to the families involved, and the speed with which technology is changing the way students are taught, this legislation should move forward quickly. We can all agree that supporting the protection of student data and their privacy is of the utmost importance. This bill, among other things, would ensure that school or state contracts involving the use of student data clearly specify retention, security and breach practices, and also provide clear stipulations for usage, family access, and control, including the ability to correct erroneous information. While the provisions of this bill may evolve in the future, supporting Bill 7017 would ensure that Connecticut is in alignment with other states which are quickly moving to protect the data and privacy of their students.

Government

Election 2014: O’Dea, Boucher Re-Elected; Wilms Wins; Malloy Claims Victory

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As a close race for the governor’s seat kept Connecticut residents awake into the predawn hours Wednesday, voter returns from Election Day showed that New Canaan constituents backed winners in the state legislature. New Canaan resident and State Rep. Tom O’Dea (R-125) retained his seat in the Connecticut General Assembly by a convincing margin—88 percent versus 12 percent for challenger David Bedell of the Green Party. Incumbent state Sen. Toni Boucher (R-26) also won re-election, defeating Democrat and fellow Wiltonian Philip Sharlach. In those two contests, and the race for the 142nd House District seat, the majority of New Canaan voters cast ballots for winners. Candidates for New Canaan’s delegation to Hartford in the state House and state Senate both debated in town two weeks ago.

Government

Across-the-Board Tax Cut? State Senate Hopefuls Share Plans at League of Women Voters’ Forum

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[A message from the League of Women Voters of New Canaan: If you or any friends couldn’t attend Candidates Night on Tuesday at New Canaan High School, please check the Channel 79 website (www.nctv79.org) for the viewing schedule beginning Friday morning, Oct. 24th.]

While an across-the-board tax cut is not in order, Connecticut could reduce how much it spends on incarcerating perpetrators of nonviolent crimes, a challenger for the 125th District state House seat said Tuesday. The money used to incarcerate them would be better spent on education and “keeping one prisoner incarcerated could be used to pay for 20 students’ college education,” town resident and Green Party candidate David Bedell, who last week received an endorsement from the Connecticut Police & Fire Union, said during a “Meet the Candidates” forum, hosted by the League of Women Voters of New Canaan. “Right now we have a lot of people incarcerated on drug crimes,” Bedell said during the 2-hour event, held in the Wagner Room at New Canaan High School. “I think we could view the abuse of drugs as a public health problem and not a criminal justice problem. I would be in favor of following the examples of Colorado and Washington state: Legalize marijuana and regulate it to keep it out of the hands of our children.”

Some 60 people attended the forum, moderated by New Canaan’s Susan LaPerla and co-sponsored by the New Canaan Advertiser.