NewCanaanite.com (https://newcanaanite.com/tag/rich-townsend/page/7)
I have been committed to New Canaan for decades and plan to keep that commitment for years to come. I love it here. I love our town’s beauty and charm. I have loved raising my daughters and, more recently, grandkids here. This is where I go to church and volunteer.
Five of six Republican candidates seeking seats on the Town Council in the upcoming November municipal elections debated a range of topics—from cell towers to land acquisition to transparency in local government—during a lively and well-attended debate hosted by the Republican Town Committee at Town Hall last week. Four Republican seats on the Town Council are up for grabs in the upcoming fall election. The six candidates seeking nomination from town Republicans in the upcoming caucus, to be held July 18, include incumbents John Engel and Penny Young, as well as Roy Abramowitz, Tom Butterworth, Mike Mauro and Richard Townsend. Engel was unable to attend the debate. Recently, the town Utilities Commission, which is searching for ways to improve cell service in town, issued a report proposing that cell towers be erected in Irwin Park and near West School.
I am writing to express my enthusiastic support for Rich Townsend for Town Council. In the first debate, he clearly voiced his priorities to protect what is most valuable about New Canaan—from our property values, to strong schools and commuter convenience. He has been deeply committed to our community for decades. That commitment included an extremely high level of generosity of time and energy as a father, grandfather, churchgoer, and volunteer. From studying in the classrooms of Stanford as a student to presenting in the boardroom as the CFO of a major company, he knows how to listen, learn, and lead.
The New Canaan Republican Town Committee on Monday announced that the organization is sponsoring a pair of debates ahead of the party’s July 18 caucus—a widely anticipated day that will see candidates in three contested races seek party backing. Featuring all Republican candidates running in contested races for town government, the first debate is to be held at 7 p.m. next Tuesday, June 27 in the large meeting room at Town Hall, the RTC said in a press release. The second will be held July 12, also at Town Hall. Those running include:
First Selectman
Cristina A. Ross
Rob Mallozzi
Kevin Moynihan
Selectman
Christa Kenin
Nick Williams
Town Council (four seats open)
Roy Abramowitz
Tom Butterworth
John Engel
Mike Mauro
Richard Townsend
Penny Young
NewCanaanite.com and the New Canaan Advertiser are supporting the RTC debates. The debates will be broadcast by NCTV Channel 79, according to the RTC.
Members of a newly formed commission charged with studying the governing document of New Canaan—with an eye on recommending updates for a town-wide vote on Election Day 2016—on Wednesday voted a former delegate to the state legislature as their chairman. John Hetherington of Valley Road will serve as chairman of the Charter Revision Commission, following a unanimous vote at the group’s first meeting, held at Town Hall. See the gallery above for some background on each of the commission’s 10 members, as they introduced themselves in turn at the meeting. After commissioners been sworn in by Town Clerk Claudia Weber, Town Council Vice Chair addressed the group. Asked during an interview after the meeting about the importance of the task before them, Karl said: “The importance is that these folks who know New Canaan like the back of their hand are going to look at the Charter, the DNA of the town, and review anything that should be changed or revised, and it hasn’t been done in 10 years.”
Commissioners agreed to set a schedule whereby they would meet twice per month with an eye on getting a draft proposal to the Town Council next April.