Charter panel hears push to expand first selectman's power

Other Committee · Meeting of January 12, 2026

New Canaan charter panel hears call to strengthen first selectman's power. Former First Selectman Kevin Monahan told the Charter Review Commission Monday that police and fire chiefs should report to the first selectman, as in Greenwich and Westport, and that the Board of Selectmen, not the Board of Finance, should oversee traffic decisions and the town's sewer authority. Monahan, who served six years as first selectman, also urged making the town clerk and treasurer appointed rather than elected and eliminating the charter's only term limits, which apply to the audit committee, calling them "a mistake." Separately, the town's assessor and tax collector told commissioners the elderly tax relief program has shrunk to about 29 qualified applicants from roughly 163 when it began, and recommended the Board of Assessment Appeals add an alternate member after recusals once left only one member able to vote.

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• The complete report — 933 words

Source: the Other Committee meeting of January 12, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

The Full Article

NEW CANAAN — January 12, 2026 — Former First Selectman Kevin Monahan urged New Canaan's Charter Review Commission on Monday to give the first selectman more direct authority over the police department, the fire department and the town's sewer system, part of a lengthy set of recommendations he presented as the town rewrites its charter.

Earlier in the same meeting, the town's assessor, who also took on the tax collector's duties in March, told commissioners that participation in New Canaan's elderly tax relief program has collapsed, from roughly 163 qualified applicants when the program began to about 29 today, and recommended the commission examine whether the income eligibility limits need updating.

The Full Story

Commissioners opened the meeting by questioning the town's combined assessor and tax collector about the office's structure and workload. He said the elderly tax relief program, a local option under a town council ordinance rather than a state mandate, has seen enrollment fall sharply and may need a fresh look at its income thresholds. He also flagged uncertainty over whether his position is formally reappointed on a schedule, as the charter requires for the town's chief building official, or simply serves indefinitely at the pleasure of the Board of Selectmen. Commissioners said they would ask the town's human resources staff to research the question.

Much of the assessor's testimony focused on the Board of Assessment Appeals, a three-member elected body that reviews the assessor's property values each spring. He said recusals have at times left only one member able to act, and recommended the commission consider adding a fourth, alternate member, or expanding the board to five seats so at least three members can always meet. He also said the state does not require appeals board members to take training on minute-taking and legal procedure, unlike the assessor's own required certification, and recommended the commission make such training mandatory. A revaluation year can bring 300 to 400 appeals and consume roughly 30 hours of the assessor's time, he said, though appeal volume has been declining.

Monahan, who said he served three years on town committees, four years on the Town Council and six years as first selectman, told commissioners New Canaan's charter gives the first selectman comparatively little formal authority next to neighboring towns. He recommended making the first selectman chairman of both the police commission and the fire commission, as is done in Greenwich and Westport, so that the police and fire chiefs report through that office. He also recommended shifting the town's traffic authority and Water Pollution Control Authority duties from the Board of Finance and Police Commission to the Board of Selectmen, which he said now handles those responsibilities in several comparable towns. He said the town's difficulty approving even a single new stop sign reflects that current structure.

On staffing, Monahan said he now favors a Westport-style "operations manager" who could be replaced by each incoming first selectman, rather than a career town administrator, citing what he called a troubled experience with that model in Wilton. He recommended the Board of Finance and Planning and Zoning Commission remain appointed rather than elected bodies, warning that electing them would draw more issue-driven candidates. He also recommended the town clerk and treasurer become appointed positions requiring professional finance and management expertise, changes he said Wilton, Westport and Ridgefield have made or are making. Separately, he recommended eliminating the charter's only term limits, which apply to audit committee members, and endorsed adding preservation and conservation language to the charter at the suggestion of resident John Angell.

Monahan recounted that former town attorney Ira Bloom advised the town decades ago that sewer oversight typically belongs with a board of selectmen rather than a board of finance, and cited former administrative officer Tom Stadler as an example of the position's potential when fully used. He also credited former resident Kathleen Corbett as his co-author on the town's original audit committee and ethics committee ordinances.

Not every commissioner agreed with Monahan's framing. One pushed back on his characterization of appointments, noting that the Board of Selectmen is itself elected and accountable to voters for the boards it appoints. Commissioners also discussed a drafting gap: the current charter requires Town Council approval only for Board of Finance appointments, when Monahan said audit committee and ethics board appointments were meant to carry the same requirement when those ordinances were folded into the charter.

"We started probably about 163 applicants that qualified back when we started the program. We're down to about 29." — the town's assessor and tax collector

"I think it requires a more modern approach to local governance." — Kevin Monahan, former First Selectman

"I would remove term limits from members of the audit committee. That was a mistake." — Kevin Monahan, former First Selectman

Why It Matters

The Charter Review Commission's work could reshape how power is divided among New Canaan's first selectman, Board of Selectmen, Board of Finance and other town bodies for years to come, and any changes it recommends would need Town Council approval and likely a townwide referendum. Residents who rely on the elderly tax relief program face a separate, more immediate question about whether its shrinking enrollment reflects income limits that are now out of date. And homeowners who appeal their property assessments could see a larger or restructured Board of Assessment Appeals if commissioners act on the recommendation to add a member.

Key Motions & Votes

No formal votes taken at this meeting.

Source

Town Of New Canaan: Charter Review Commission meeting, January 12, 2026.