Around Town

Did You Hear … ?

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The weekend before last was so windy that, despite the vents in them, the windscreens on the new tennis courts at New Canaan High School actually bent the fence, parks officials say. (The company that installed the windscreens was scheduled to come back early this week to fix the fence at no cost to the town.)

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This week’s warmer daytime temps will have New Canaanites thinking about spending summer in the sun. One of the best deals—and best-kept secrets—in town will be had at Kiwanis Park, where daily passes for adults are just $2, and $1 for kids. ***

There’s no truth to the rumor that New Canaan’s iconic Gates Restaurant is going to be sold, the Forest Street fixture’s owner tells us. ***

The former New Canaan Public Schools lunch lady who has brought a lawsuit saying that her ex-boss created a hostile work environment is upping the number of witness depositions in the case from nine to 15, according to a filing Friday.

Government

Look Out for It: New Canaan League of Women Voters Release 2015 ‘Know Your Representatives’ Brochure

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In this local election year that will see voters place candidates in prominent offices—including seats on the Board of Selectmen, Board of Education and Town Council—the League of Women Voters of New Canaan is urging residents to be on the lookout for its 2015 “Know Your Representatives” brochure. The brochure is being printed and snail-mailed, and will include a list of all of New Canaan’s local, state and federal representatives. “Please watch out for your copy,” the nonprofit organization said in a press release. Selectmen serve two-year terms in odd-numbered years, while portions of both the Board of Ed and Town Council serve four-year terms. Elected officials whose terms are expiring in 2015 include (it isn’t clear yet who is running for re-election or what newcomers will put in for local elected offices):

Board of Education

Hazel Hobbs (chairman)
Scott Gress (vice chairman)
Gene Goodman
Alison Bedula

Town Council

Ken Campbell
Steve Karl (vice chairman)
Tucker Murphy
Roger Williams
Joe Paladino
John Emert

Copies of the brochure also will be available at the first selectman’s office, New Canaan Library and other sites in town, the league said. “The League would like to thank Bankwell in New Canaan (formerly Bank of New Canaan) for their financial support to underwrite the printing of this community resource,” the press release said.

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.

Government

Candidates for State Senate Debate Future of New Canaan’s Metro-North Branch Line

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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.]

Connecticut’s 20 percent subsidy for rail commuters “very clearly” would go away if there’s a change in administration this fall, a candidate for office in the state legislature said Tuesday. What’s more, branch lines lose money and unless the state has a “concerned governor” in office, “branch service will be gone,” Philip Sharlach, a Democrat and Wilton resident who is challenging incumbent State Sen. Toni Boucher (R-26) said during a “Meet the Candidates” forum hosted by the League of Women Voters of New Canaan. “In the short-term, New Canaan, you’ve got a problem,” he said. Sharlach added: “To think that it can’t happen is absolutely ridiculous, because it almost happened before. Bad things happen to good people.

Around Town

Sen. Chris Murphy at New Canaan League of Women Voters’ Luncheon [VIDEO]

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The nation’s youngest senator—a fourth-generation Connecticut native on both sides of his family—on Friday told a room full of New Canaanites that the nation’s biggest challenge is its lack of investment in itself. The United States is at an historic low when it comes to government investment as a percentage of gross domestic product, U.S. Sen Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) said during an annual luncheon organized by the League of Women Voters of New Canaan. “We are spending less than 3 percent of our GDP on non-defense discretionary spending—that’s basically education, transportation and science,” Murphy told more than 50 attendees gathered in the ballroom at the Country Club of New Canaan. “And if you want to know what the worry is that keeps me up at night, it’s that we are going to fail to recognize the true greatness of this country which has been this wonderful marriage between public sector investment and private sector ingenuity. Put money into your schools and your roads and your bridges and into science, and the private sector will do awesome things with those investments—create jobs, make new innovations, lead the world.