Charter panel votes 8-2 to tie officials to first selectman

Other Committee · Meeting of April 27, 2026

New Canaan's Charter Revision Commission voted 8-2 to require elected department heads be "accountable to the first selectman," over objections it undercuts independently elected offices. Commissioner Steve Case called the language overdue, saying it "establishes a line of authority which has been unclear." Commissioner Judy Neville pushed a separate provision requiring Town Council approval, and referendum eligibility, for sales, long-term leases and zone changes on town property above a proposed $500,000 threshold, citing the 2016 West School cell tower fight as justification. The panel logged 155 public survey responses on its draft, kept Board of Finance terms at four years while moving most other boards to three, and warned that any delay past Friday could push the report past deadlines needed for the November 3 ballot.

In the full story:

• The complete report — 1,058 words

Source: the Other Committee meeting of April 27, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

The Full Article

NEW CANAAN — April 27, 2026 — The New Canaan Charter Revision Commission voted 8-2 Monday to add language making elected department heads and other town officers with managerial responsibility accountable to the first selectman, over objections from two commissioners that the provision intrudes on the independence of separately elected offices.

The vote came during a marathon special meeting in which the commission worked through nearly all of Draft Report 13, the near-final version of its proposed charter rewrite. The panel also advanced a new requirement that the Town Council approve, and residents be able to petition to referendum, certain sales, leases and zoning-related changes to town-owned real estate, a provision commissioners linked directly to a 2016 dispute over a cell tower proposed for the West School site. Commissioners said they intend to send the draft report to the town clerk and Town Council on Friday, ahead of a Monday deadline, warning that any further delay could push the town past the point where its recommendations could appear on the November 3 ballot.

The Full Story

Nine of the commission's 11 members were present for the roll call, including Steve Case, Kathleen Corbett, Jennifer Holm, Angela Jameson, Russ Kimes, Todd Lampert, Judy Neville, Joe Paulo and Karen Willet; Bill Peret joined later, and Chris Lee was absent. Commissioners approved the minutes of their April 20 and April 21 special meetings, with Kimes abstaining on the 21st because he had not attended. No members of the public offered comment. A commissioner walking through the report's public-input section said the panel received 155 written responses on proposed charter changes, 79 before March 1 and 76 more after a mailer went out, roughly doubling turnout, though no single topic drew support or opposition from more than 35 percent of respondents.

The most contentious debate centered on a new section, C2-14, that would require all elected and appointed town officers with managerial responsibility to comply with published town policies and be "accountable to the first selectman" for administrative and operational duties, while stating that nothing in the provision diminishes the statutory independence of elected officers, the police and fire commissions, or the Board of Education. Critics argued the language duplicates existing personnel policies and could be read to give the first selectman authority over independently elected officials such as the town clerk, treasurer and registrars. Supporters said it fills a real gap.

"I think this addition makes tremendous sense. It establishes a line of authority which has been unclear, which has created a tremendous amount of discussion among this group, among elected officials," said Steve Case, a commissioner, urging the panel to keep the language.

Angela Jameson, also a commissioner, argued the provision belongs in the charter rather than in a policy handbook. "This does, it's very general, but it just leads down that all elected, appointed town officers with managerial responsibility shall in the performance of their administrative and operational duties be accountable to the first selectman," she said, adding that the charter should set the "high level overarching definition" of how town offices interact.

The commission also spent significant time on a proposal from Judy Neville, participating by phone, to require Town Council approval, and to make eligible for referendum, any sale, long-term "capital" lease, transfer or zone-related change of use of town-owned property. Neville tied the proposal to the town's 2016 fight over a cell tower slated for West School property, in which the Town Council had to call a special session, its first in 16 years, to reverse a Planning and Zoning Commission decision commissioners said had violated state siting rules.

"There are a number of items that are, it's not about money. It's about strong beliefs in how the town is used or the property is used or who has the authority to make these decisions," Neville said.

Commissioners tentatively set a $500,000 threshold for sales and transfers and agreed to narrow "change of use" to a "change of zone" standard after members raised concerns the broader wording could allow a single resident to force a referendum over routine matters, like a movie theater changing its concession stand. The section was held over for a final vote Tuesday, pending consultation with town planning staff.

Elsewhere, the commission left the Board of Finance's four-year terms unchanged while moving most other boards and commissions from two-year to three-year terms; agreed to add three alternate members to the Ethics Board after a quorum loss briefly stalled that panel; revised audit-reporting language after extended debate over what triggers a 30-day disclosure clock; and trimmed proposed additions to the Town Treasurer's powers and duties back to the statutory "agent of public funds" language, at the request of Town Treasurer Andrew, who joined the meeting by phone.

Why It Matters

The charter revision commission's report will trigger a series of statutory deadlines once it reaches the town clerk and Town Council, and commissioners said Monday that the latest possible deadline would push final action into October, likely too late to place any of the panel's recommendations before voters on the November 3 ballot. The commission plans to send its draft, along with a separate timeline memo, on Friday to preserve a cushion.

The accountability provision adopted Monday and the new real-property referendum trigger, if they survive the commission's final review Tuesday and reach the ballot, would change how much independent authority elected town officials and the Town Council have over day-to-day operations and property decisions, an issue commissioners said has caused recurring friction in town government.

Key Motions & Votes

- Vote: Approval of the April 20 special meeting minutes Tally: Approved unanimously

- Vote: Approval of the April 21 special meeting minutes Tally: For: 8, Against: 0, Abstain: 1, Total: 9

- Vote: Adoption of new charter section C2-14 on administrative accountability to the first selectman, as amended Tally: For: 8, Against: 2, Abstain: 0, Total: 10 (Chris Lee absent)

• Action: New charter provision on Town Council approval and referendum eligibility for town-owned real property transactions — Continued to the April 28 meeting, pending consultation with town planning staff on the definition of a "change of zone"

- Vote: Motion to adjourn Tally: Approved unanimously

Source

Town Of New Canaan: New Canaan Charter Revision Commission special meeting, April 27, 2026