Government

Moynihan on Weed and Elm Proposal: ‘I Am Recused from the Governmental Process’

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New Canaan’s highest-elected official said this month that because he’s a neighbor of a proposed development, he will recuse himself from any “governmental process” with respect to the project. First Selectman Kevin Moynihan said he will not participate in any votes on the Board of Finance, where he sits as a tie-breaking member, or on the Planning & Zoning Commission, when it comes to an application filed last month for a 102-unit affordable housing development at Weed and Elm Streets. “My position right now is I am recused from the governmental process of participating in those two bodies and their votes,” Moynihan said during the March 8 meeting of the Board of Selectmen, held at Town Hall and via videoconference. “That doesn’t mean I am not involved.”

He added, “I am the chief executive and I will continue to be involved in this whole process to make sure that the town is properly, from my point of view, addressing the issue. And I also said I’m not disinterested in the process.

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Town Council To Push State Officials for ‘Passing Lane’ on New Canaan Rail Line

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Creating a short passing lane along Metro-North Railroad’s New Canaan branch line would double hourly train service to and from Stamford, a key step toward boosting the town’s desirability and quality of life, a resident told members of the Town Council last week. With a relative decline in jobs in Stamford post-financial crisis, access to Manhattan “is more important than ever,” Giacomo Landi said during the legislative body’s regular meeting Wednesday. “I encourage each and every one of you to reach out to our [state] senators, representatives and governor saying that this is a vital town priority,” Landi said during the meeting, held at Town Hall. “In terms of who pays, New Canaan already pays a good multiple of our population in state income tax, but I am sure some wheeling-and-dealing will need to be done.”

A New Canaan resident since last summer, Landi added: “I am new to town, I don’t have all the background on why we are where we are. But we are here.