Zoning board urges charter panel to lengthen member terms

Other Committee · Meeting of February 24, 2026

New Canaan charter panel hears zoning appeals board push for longer terms. Group 2 of the Charter Revision Committee, whose roll call named Kathleen Corbett, Bill Parrot, Russ Kimes and Jennifer Holm, used Tuesday's session to interview three Zoning Board of Appeals members about the charter's ZBA section. Member Rich Keratu backed extending the board's two-year appointment term to three years; fellow member Cynthia Doe argued for four, saying new members are "just getting into it" by the time a two-year term ends.

Member Alex, an attorney and treasurer of the town's volunteer fire company, flagged a grammatical fix in Section C16-6 and said the five-member board "works very efficiently." Members debated shrinking the board's three alternate seats, one vacant for months, to two, but noted state minority-party representation rules may require three. No votes were taken.

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Source: the Other Committee meeting of February 24, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

The Full Article

NEW CANAAN — February 24, 2026 — The Charter Revision Committee's Group 2 spent Tuesday's session interviewing three Zoning Board of Appeals members, who urged the panel to lengthen the board's two-year appointment terms and pressed for clearer language on which town positions must be filled by New Canaan electors.

No formal votes were taken. The session was one of a series of interviews the committee is holding with individual boards and commissions as it works through New Canaan's charter section by section ahead of recommendations expected later this year.

The Full Story

Group 2 of the Charter Revision Committee opened the meeting with a roll call of its own members: Kathleen Corbett, Bill Parrot and Jennifer Holm answered present, while Russ Kimes was noted as "hopefully coming." Committee members explained the charter has been divided among three working groups, with Group 2 assigned to review the town's Zoning Board of Appeals section, among others, and to solicit direct feedback from the board's own members before drafting proposed changes.

Three Zoning Board of Appeals members took part: Cynthia Doe, Rich Keratu and a member identified only as Alex, an attorney who also serves as treasurer of the town's volunteer fire company. All three said the charter language governing the board is largely clear and the five-member, three-alternate structure works well. Alex flagged one grammatical correction in Section C16-6, the charter's procedure for public hearings, suggesting "no less than five appointed members" be changed to "no fewer than five appointed members."

Doe raised a broader question about whether appointed town positions, including the assessor, tax collector and members of the Board of Assessment Appeals, are required by the charter to be electors, or residents eligible to vote in New Canaan. Committee members acknowledged the charter is inconsistent on that point and said Group 2 plans to add clarifying language, noting some committees, such as the town's Technology and Data Advisory Committee, intentionally include members from outside town who would not qualify as electors.

Much of the discussion centered on term length. The board's appointed terms currently run two years. Keratu, who has served on the board roughly five to six years, said three years would let members build stronger working relationships with colleagues. Doe, who has served as an alternate and full member and has lived in New Canaan since 1986, argued for four years, saying two years leaves new members still learning the role by the time their term ends. Committee members noted the town's Planning and Zoning Commission already serves three-year terms and said standardizing appointed terms across boards, rather than leaving some at two years, is a goal of the review.

The group also discussed the board's three alternate seats, one of which has sat vacant for an extended period. Board members said two alternates would likely suffice given the board's consistent attendance, but Parrot noted that the Planning and Zoning Commission, Inland Wetlands Commission and Board of Finance all maintain three alternates to satisfy state minority political party representation requirements, a factor the committee said it would weigh before recommending any reduction.

Board members credited town staff, including a staffer identified as Sarah, for fast turnaround on meeting minutes, saying they typically arrive within a day of a meeting. Toward the close of the meeting, members also discussed, without reaching conclusions, how ordinary residents can make their views known to the town outside of public hearings, citing past controversies over a proposed cell tower near South School and a since-abandoned plan to bring a Dunkin' Donuts to the town center as examples of issues that drew public reaction.

"I noted that some of the appointed positions doesn't state that they have to be electors, and I would think that we'd want anyone who is appointed serving on any commission or board to be an elector, someone living here." — Cynthia Doe, Zoning Board of Appeals member

"I think two years you're just getting into it. It should be longer. I would say four years to really get into it and really understand what the role is." — Cynthia Doe, Zoning Board of Appeals member

"I think they look to balance the board pretty nicely, and I feel like it does work that way." — Rich Keratu, Zoning Board of Appeals member

Why It Matters

The interview is part of New Canaan's first comprehensive look at its town charter since a 2016 revision, a process that could reshape how long members of the Zoning Board of Appeals and other boards serve, and how clearly the charter defines who must be a town elector to hold an appointed position. Board members said the current two-year ZBA term leaves new appointees still learning procedure by the time they are up for reappointment, and several endorsed moving to three years to match the Planning and Zoning Commission.

Any change would need to move through the full Charter Revision Committee's drafting process before reaching voters. Committee members said they are compiling reports and recommendations from these board-by-board interviews and plan to mail residents a postcard survey seeking broader public input on the charter review.

Key Motions & Votes

No formal votes taken at this meeting.

Source

Town Of New Canaan: Charter Revision Committee, Group 2 meeting, February 24, 2026