Around Town

Did You Hear … ?

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The Greenwich Free Press is reporting that an arrest warrant has been issued for Heidi Lueders, a former town resident and head of a pit bull rescue organization who has been identified as the subject of an animal cruelty case in Fairfield. 

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New Canaan Police through the department’s Instagram account has issued safety tips for residents making online purchases in order to avoid becoming a victim of package theft. They include signing up for delivery alerts, ensuring someone is ready to collect the package, requiring a signature when possible and having packages sent to a workplace if feasible. ***

Asked about the Tourism and Economic Development Commission he plans to create, First Selectman Kevin Moynihan said locals have expressed strong interest in joining and that, after candidates are approved by local town political committees, the group will see about 15 total members. ***

The town on Wednesday issued an after-the-fact building permit for a $10,000 job at a Putnam Road home. A new bathroom with a shower had been installed in the basement of the home by New Canaan-based Hoffman Contracting LLC, the permit said.

Election 2018

Election 2018: O’Dea Retains State House Seat As Haskell, Dathan Oust Incumbents [UPDATING]

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Update 9 a.m. Wednesday

The governor’s race appears to be over. NBC Connecticut and other news outlets are reporting that GOP candidate Bob Stefanowski has conceded to Democrat Ned Lamont. Separately, Greenwich Time newspaper has called the state Senate’s 36th District for Alexandra “Alex” Bergstein. It isn’t clear whether the result is official or if the incumbent Republican state Sen. Scott Frantz has conceded. Original Article

About 70 percent of New Canaan voters cast ballots on a cold, rainy Election Day, a high midterm turnout that saw local Democrats flip at least two seats in the state legislature that long have been held by Republicans.

Government

Election 2018 Hub [UPDATED]

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[Note: Bookmark this article for Tuesday, when NewCanaanite.com will post regular updates on voter turnout and results as numbers come in on Election Day.]

ELECTION RESULTS CAN BE FOUND HERE. Here’s a table tracking voter turnout in New Canaan that we’ll update throughout the day. We’ve included a column of hourly voter count from 2016, by way of comparison (hourly voter counts from 2014 are not available):

 

Update 1 p.m.

State Rep. Tom O’Dea (R-125th) started his day at 5:50 a.m. in Wilton and he planned to head to New Canaan High School in the early afternoon to greet voters. “It has been what appears to be a record mid-term turnout in Wilton this morning,” he told NewCanaanite.com. “This has been the most rewarding and demanding job of my career and I believe myself Toni Boucher, Scott Frantz and Fred Wilms have earned another two years with all that we have accomplished.”

Election 2018

‘Turnout Has Been Nonstop’: Town Clerk Sees High Number of Absentee Ballots Issued for Midterm Election

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Town officials say they’re seeing an extremely high number of absentee ballots issued for next week’s midterm election, a likely sign that New Canaan will see strong voter turnout on Election Day. As of Tuesday, the town had issued 1,017 absentee ballots, according to Town Clerk Claudia Weber. That compares with 564 absentee ballots issued in 2014, the last gubernatorial election year, she said. Weber called the strong showing “tremendous” and “phenomenal.”

“I have never seen a midterm turnout for absentee ballots like this,” Weber told NewCanaanite.com. “Turnout has been nonstop,” she added.

Around Town

Candidates Discuss State’s Fiscal Woes During LWV Debate

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Connecticut’s worsening fiscal crisis, preserving state aid for public education and how to fund critical transportation infrastructure projects were among the tough topics tackled by candidates for the state House of Representatives during a well-attended debate hosted by the New Canaan League of Women Voters at Town Hall Monday. One thing that was clear from the debate is that Connecticut is in rough shape fiscally and that it’s going to take time and hard work to get things back on track. Tom O’Dea, a three-term Republican incumbent and New Canaan resident representing the 125th District, which includes parts of Wilton and New Canaan, defended his seat against Democratic challenger Ross Tartell, a Wilton resident and independent consultant who previously worked at GE Capital and Pfizer, and who also currently serves as a college professor at Teachers College, Columbia University. 

Meanwhile, Fred Wilms, a Norwalk resident and three-term Republican incumbent representing the 142nd District, which includes parts of Norwalk and New Canaan, defended his chair from Democrat and political newcomer Lucy Dathan, a New Canaan resident with a professional background in finance. The event, which also included a debate between the candidates for State Senate, was moderated by New Canaan resident and former LWV president Kate Hurlock. When asked what new revenue streams he would suggest to make Connecticut more fiscally sound, O’Dea, who serves on the legislature’s transportation committee, as well as the judiciary, legislative management and regulation review committee committees, said, “We don’t need more revenue streams. We have a $20 billion per year budget, and it should be $17 billion.