Charter panel hears town council split on appointed boards

Other Committee · Meeting of February 3, 2026

New Canaan's Charter Revision Commission heard town council members split sharply on electing versus appointing key boards. Council Vice Chair Hillary Orond and members Eric Tutum and Mike Rogers argued to keep the board of finance and planning and zoning appointed, while member Christina Ross proposed electing the board of finance, audit committee, ethics commission and inland wetlands commission, plus splitting planning and zoning into two bodies. Member Kim Norton said roughly 85 percent of town government positions are appointed versus 15 percent elected and proposed a preservation commission funded by a fee that could raise $1.5 million a year.

"Appointments are an appropriate executive function, but the cumulative effect matters when too much authority is concentrated in a single office," Norton said. The commission's resident survey has drawn only 49 responses, and commissioners debated mailing postcards to boost turnout before a March target date.

In the full story:

• The complete report — 1,009 words

Source: the Other Committee meeting of February 3, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

The Full Article

NEW CANAAN — February 3, 2026 — The New Canaan Charter Revision Commission spent most of Tuesday's meeting listening to town council members argue over whether the boards of finance and planning and zoning should remain appointed or become elected, a debate that produced no consensus among the town's own elected officials.

Six town council members used five-minute turns to stake out positions ahead of the commission's report to the town council, due May 4. Three, including Vice Chair Hillary Orond, argued to keep the boards appointed; two others, including 10-plus-year council member Christina Ross, argued the opposite in detailed prepared remarks. The commission also heard an update that its public survey had drawn only 49 responses, up from 19 after its first two weeks, and commissioners debated mailing postcards to reach unaffiliated voters before a targeted mid-March closing date.

The Full Story

Commission Chair Kathleen opened the 5 p.m. meeting with a roll call showing all 11 appointed commissioners present, then moved to approve the minutes of the Jan. 20 meeting with minor grammatical corrections on a unanimous voice vote. Because a large number of town council members had arrived to speak, the commission voted to amend its agenda to move council testimony ahead of routine subcommittee reports.

During public comment, an unidentified resident read a memo criticizing town governance, citing figures including a $22,600 town budget in 1916 versus $186.9 million for the current fiscal year, and asserting the town has spent $31,237,000 more on health insurance than Darien over nine years. Resident Sarah Pierce urged the commission to scrutinize a Planning and Zoning Commission document in the record, noting that appealing a land-use case can cost roughly $350,000 through the first appeal, and flagged that lawyers representing St. Luke's School in ongoing litigation were also presenting materials to the commission. Resident Laura Dice, a longtime election poll moderator, argued the town clerk and treasurer should remain elected and suggested making planning and zoning an elected body to give residents recourse short of a lawsuit.

Commissioners Holm and Willlet reported the public survey had grown to 49 responses from an initial 19, with a goal of closing it around March 15. After discussion, commissioners leaned toward mailing a postcard with a QR code to reach unaffiliated voters using the full voter registry, rather than relying only on party-affiliated distribution lists, though several commissioners argued it was premature to send anything before the charter review covers more than the elected-versus-appointed question.

Town council member Eric Tutum, speaking first among the council members, said he favored keeping the board of finance and planning and zoning appointed, citing the need for specialized expertise, and questioned why only the board of finance and audit committee require town council approval for appointments. Orond, who chairs the council's bylaws and ordinances committee, said she also favors appointed boards but suggested exploring smaller reforms, such as town council oversight of planning and zoning appointments. Council member Mike Rogers said he supports expanding the board of selectmen from three to five members to improve transparency, and said he remains undecided on planning and zoning.

Council member Maria Nton suggested a hybrid, partly elected board of finance and recommended annual compliance certifications for the Board of Education and audit committee. Kim Norton, in her fifth year on the council, presented statistics showing roughly 85 percent of the town's 195 government positions are appointed versus 15 percent elected, and proposed adding a second vice chair to the town council, requiring timely responses to audit findings, and creating a preservation commission funded by a possible 1 percent fee on building permits that she estimated could raise $1.5 million a year. Council member Jennifer Zonus said she opposes electing the board of finance and planning and zoning, saying elections risk being driven by special interests.

Christina Ross, the council's longest-serving member among those who spoke, proposed a lengthy set of changes: expanding the board of selectmen from three to five members, removing the first selectman as an ex-officio board of finance member, making the board of finance, audit committee, ethics commission and inland wetlands commission elected, and splitting planning and zoning into two separate commissions. She was cut off due to time and asked to return Feb. 17.

"Appointments are an appropriate executive function, but the cumulative effect matters when too much authority is concentrated in a single office." — Kim Norton, New Canaan town council member

"It's not something to be amended on a whim." — Hillary Orond, New Canaan town council vice chair

"Elected members are directly accountable to voters. Appointed members are accountable to the appointing authority, which is the board of selectmen." — Christina Ross, New Canaan town council member

Why It Matters

The commission is weighing whether to recommend New Canaan move the board of finance, planning and zoning commission, or other appointed bodies to elected status, a change that would alter how residents can hold those boards accountable outside of litigation. Public commenters pointed to a recent parking-garage approval and a pending St. Luke's School land-use case as examples of what they called unchecked appointed power, while several town council members warned that contested elections could inject special-interest politics into technical decisions.

The commission's public survey, central to gauging resident sentiment, has drawn only 49 responses so far against a population of roughly 21,300 and a voter roll the commission estimated at well under 14,000. Commissioners plan to decide soon whether to mail postcards to boost response before a report goes to the town council on May 4.

Key Motions & Votes

- Vote: Approval of the January 20 meeting minutes with grammatical corrections Tally: Approved unanimously

- Vote: Amend the meeting agenda to move town council testimony ahead of other business Tally: Approved unanimously

- Vote: Motion to adjourn Tally: Approved unanimously

• Action: Additional town council testimony, including from the town treasurer and town clerk — Continued to February 17

Source

Town Of New Canaan: Charter Revision Commission meeting, February 3, 2026