Charter panel debates shifting boards to elected status
Other Committee · Meeting of January 6, 2026
New Canaan's Charter Revision Commission hears hours of testimony on electing appointed boards. Former Planning and Zoning Chairman John Goodwin told the panel converting appointed boards like Planning and Zoning to elected seats would "significantly decrease the quality of the commissioners," while commission attorney Ira Bloom said of the current system, "if it ain't broke, then why fix it?" Board of Finance Chairman Todd defended the board's oversight of roughly $1.5 billion in spending over a decade, but Commissioner Parlo challenged him, saying "by your own chart you're not accountable to anyone." A second resident urged the panel to add preservation protections to the charter, citing the new state House Bill 502 and its effect on downtown redevelopment. The commission approved amended December 16 minutes unanimously and took no other formal votes.
In the full story:
- The complete report — 752 words
Source: the Other Committee meeting of January 6, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
The Full Article
NEW CANAAN — January 6, 2026 — The New Canaan Charter Revision Commission spent more than three hours Tuesday hearing pointed, sometimes tense testimony over whether to convert appointed boards such as Planning and Zoning and the Board of Finance to elected positions, with a former Planning and Zoning chairman, the Board of Finance chairman and the commission's own attorney all urging the panel to leave the current appointment system alone.
All 11 members of the commission, chaired remotely by Kathleen, who joined by Zoom from a ship in the Indian Ocean, were present and voted unanimously to approve amended minutes of their December 16 special meeting. The panel took no other formal votes, instead using the session to gather testimony that will inform recommendations expected to eventually go before voters in a referendum.
The Full Story
During public comment, John Goodwin, a 70 Bay Road resident who spent 16 years on the Planning and Zoning Commission, including six as chairman, told the commission he opposes moving appointed boards to elected status and opposes term limits. He said his experience recruiting commissioners taught him that a large share of qualified volunteers would refuse to run for office. "I think if we went to elected we would significantly decrease the quality of the commissioners on certain commissions," Goodwin said. He also recommended that the charter give a commission's sitting chairperson a formal role in vetting new appointees before the first selectman sends them forward.
A second resident, addressed by commissioners only as John and whose surname did not appear on the recording, urged the commission to make historic preservation an explicit charter priority. Citing a recent Sentinel column he wrote, he called for a dedicated preservation fund, an expanded mandate for Planning and Zoning covering architectural and landscape preservation, and formal charter recognition of the Historic District Commission, which he noted is not currently mentioned in the charter. He pointed to a newly enacted state law, House Bill 502, which he said allows redevelopment of up to 16 housing units without parking requirements in the downtown "magic circle," and to a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision declining to hear an appeal over the Red Cross building, leaving its historic-district designation intact.
Ira Bloom, the commission's attorney, who also serves as Westport's town attorney and represents Wilton and Weston, told the commission New Canaan's appointed Planning and Zoning Commission works well and cautioned against changing it. "My starting point, I think, is to tell you that if it ain't broke, then why fix it?" Bloom said. One commissioner, addressed as Bill, objected to Bloom weighing in at all, saying he was "really disappointed" the panel's attorney offered an opinion on what he called the most controversial question before the commission.
Board of Finance Chairman Todd, whose surname was transcribed inconsistently as Lavier and Lampard, delivered lengthy prepared remarks defending the appointed model, citing the board's role in overseeing roughly $1.5 billion in spending over the past decade and its fully funded pension system. He urged the commission to preserve what he called "a pillar of strength and stability." Commissioner Parlo pushed back, noting a budget organizational chart shows the Board of Finance reporting to no elected body. "There should be some accountability in the process because by your own chart you're not accountable to anyone," Parlo told Todd, who disputed the characterization, saying the board answers to the elected selectmen who appoint its members and the town council that confirms them.
Town Treasurer Andrew Brooks also addressed the commission, saying his elected position already provides public accountability through periodic reporting to the Board of Finance, town council and audit committee.
Why It Matters
The commission's eventual recommendations on whether boards like Planning and Zoning and the Board of Finance should be elected, appointed or subject to term limits would ultimately go before New Canaan voters in a referendum. The stakes touch how the town handles development pressure from new state housing laws and how much say residents have over land-use and budget decisions currently made by appointed volunteers. The panel is also weighing whether to add historic-preservation protections to the charter, a step advocates say is needed as state law increasingly allows denser downtown redevelopment.
Key Motions & Votes
- Vote: Approve amended minutes of the December 16, 2025 special meeting Tally: Approved unanimously
- Vote: Adjourn the meeting Tally: Approved unanimously
Source
Town Of New Canaan: Charter Revision Commission meeting, January 6, 2026