New Canaan Parking Commission Upholds Five Ticket Appeals
Other Committee · Meeting of February 4, 2026
New Canaan Parking Commission upholds five Elm Street ticket appeals as the new meter system beds in. Parking Manager Stacy told commissioners the pay stations logged 6,079 transactions between January 7 and February 2, evidence she said shows drivers are adjusting despite persistent complaints. Commissioners Pam, Marley and Katie voted unanimously to deny appeals from 35-year resident Kevin Oxman, Whitney Shop employee Christina Anker, video-appeal filer Carolyn Burke and out-of-town driver Mr.
Hegman, plus a no-show appeal from Pam Alberino. Citations rose about 40 percent townwide year over year, adding roughly $58,000 in revenue, which Stacy linked partly to a 2024 staffing gap. Anker said of the payment terminals, "Nobody, literally nobody, knows that it's there." Stacy is leaving the post; Kevin O'Connor, a five-year town employee, becomes parking manager in March.
In the full story:
- The complete report — 1,043 words
Source: the Other Committee meeting of February 4, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
The Full Article
NEW CANAAN — February 4, 2026 — The New Canaan Parking Commission voted unanimously Wednesday to uphold five parking tickets brought before it on appeal, rejecting drivers' explanations that they missed new signage or did not know the town had switched Elm Street to paid parking.
Parking Manager Stacy told the commission that Elm Street's new pay stations logged 6,079 transactions between January 7 and February 2, data she said shows drivers have adjusted to the meters despite months of public complaints. The commission also learned that Stacy, who has run the parking bureau through the rollout of the new system, is leaving the post. Kevin O'Connor, a five-year town employee who previously worked in the town clerk's office, will take over as parking manager and is expected to attend his first commission meeting in March.
The Full Story
Pam, who presided over the meeting, first took up five parking violation appeals, hearing from residents and workers who said they were caught off guard by the meters and signage installed on Elm Street last fall. Kevin Oxman, a 35-year New Canaan resident, told the commission he and his wife rarely visit downtown and never received notice that the town had begun charging for parking. Carolyn Burke, appearing by video, said she tried three times to load a credit card into the town's Pay By Phone app and was rejected before she had to leave for a meeting, receiving a $30 ticket in the meantime. A third appellant, identified as Mr. Hegman, a former New Canaan resident now living in the Norwalk area, said he parked, crossed the street to meet someone and did not see the nearby sign. Christina Anker, an employee of the Whitney Shop, appealed a ticket for overnight parking on Cherry Street, saying she had to leave her usual employee lot because she was temporarily driving a larger vehicle. A fifth appellant, Pam Alberino, did not attend the hearing; the commission upheld that ticket automatically under its standard practice for no-shows.
"I had no idea that there was a parking. Even when I parked, I had no idea." — Kevin Oxman, resident and appellant
Commissioners Marley and Katie joined Pam in questioning each appellant before voting to uphold all five citations. Members said they were sympathetic to drivers who said they missed the new signage but concluded that granting exceptions on a case-by-case basis would make enforcement unworkable going forward.
Stacy also delivered a monthly update on the paid parking program, which began charging drivers on Elm Street after a grace period that ran from the machines' October installation through the end of the year. From January 7, the date she called the effective start of enforcement, through February 2, the pay stations recorded 2,937 transactions, the Pay By Phone app logged 2,385, the Passport app logged 533 and Park Mobile, which only launched January 28, logged 224, for a combined 6,079 transactions on Elm Street. Enforcement issued 46 tickets on Elm Street over that period, compared with 42 overtime tickets during the same stretch a year earlier, though Stacy cautioned that last year's figure used a different violation code.
Citations rose roughly 40 percent townwide between 2024 and 2025, generating about $58,000 more in revenue, a jump Stacy attributed in part to the parking division being short an enforcement officer for part of 2024 while that employee recovered from surgery. One commissioner estimated the staffing gap may have cost the town close to $60,000 in uncollected fines. Handicap zone and fire hydrant violations more than doubled year over year, which Stacy said reflects more people parking illegally as they search for open spaces, not only the officer shortage.
Christina, who works at the Whitney Shop on Elm Street, described frustration among customers, many of them elderly, who do not know how to use the new pay stations and have stopped coming in for quick errands.
"Nobody, literally nobody, knows that it's there." — Christina Anker, Whitney Shop employee
Commissioners said they have heard similar complaints, including that some residents are avoiding downtown trips altogether rather than deal with the meters. At the same time, members said anecdotal observation shows more open spaces on Elm Street since the program began, evidence the initiative may be achieving its goal of turning over roughly 20 percent of spaces for other shoppers. Stacy and commissioners also discussed a gap in outreach to downtown businesses about free employee parking permits available in the Richmond Hill, Center and Locust lots, and agreed the commission should weigh in on the parking division's budget, including a request for an additional attendant, before the town's budget process begins in earnest in November.
"There comes a time where we have to say that it is now up to the people parking to look at their surroundings, look for machines, look for signage." — Stacy, parking manager
Why It Matters
The unanimous denials signal that the Parking Commission does not intend to grant blanket relief as complaints continue over Elm Street's meters, even for longtime residents and downtown employees. With 6,079 payment transactions recorded in less than a month, the town's data suggests compliance is rising, but commissioners acknowledged residents remain frustrated enough that some are avoiding downtown altogether, a trend with direct consequences for Elm Street merchants.
The leadership change adds uncertainty. Kevin O'Connor takes over the parking bureau in March as the commission weighs whether to ask for more enforcement staffing and clearer signage in this fall's budget process, which the commission agreed needs to begin by November.
Key Motions & Votes
- Vote: Approve minutes of the prior meeting Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Uphold parking ticket appeal, Pam Alberino (did not appear) Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Uphold parking ticket appeal, Christina Anker, overnight parking on Cherry Street Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Uphold parking ticket appeal, Carolyn Burke, app payment error on Elm Street Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Uphold parking ticket appeal, Mr. Hegman, signage on Elm Street Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Uphold parking ticket appeal, Kevin Oxman, Elm Street Tally: Approved unanimously - Vote: Adjourn the meeting at 8:18 p.m. Tally: Approved unanimously
Source
Town Of New Canaan: Parking Commission meeting, February 4, 2026