By Peter Barhydt
A wide-ranging and often contentious meeting of the Charter Review Commission (CRC) on Tuesday underscored deep divisions over how New Canaan should govern itself, as residents and Town Council members debated accountability, public engagement and whether town boards and commissions should be elected or appointed.
Public comment: criticism of appointed power
Public comment featured criticism of New Canaan’s appointed boards and spending oversight.
One resident accused the town’s financial structure of lacking meaningful checks. “The appointed Board of Finance has never questioned or materially adjusted the Board of Education budget,” he said. “There’s no oversight of spending, cost overruns or non-competitive bidding.”
Sarah Pierce, a resident involved in land-use litigation, focused on Planning & Zoning. “If you’re asking yourself how a 1.4-acre parking structure got put in a residential neighborhood, keep asking that question,” she said. “The only recourse residents have is court, and it costs about $350,000 just to get through the first appeal.”
“Voting should not require half a million dollars,” Pierce added. “Anyone who writes law should be elected.”
Speaking on Zoom, Laura Dijs, a longtime election poll moderator, urged the CRC to preserve elected offices. “The town clerk certifies election results,” Dijs said. “That impartiality comes from independence — and that independence comes from being elected.”
Dijs also supported electing Planning & Zoning commissioners. “Residents have no meaningful recourse short of filing a lawsuit,” she said. “There needs to be a way to hold Planning & Zoning accountable.”
Town Council perspectives diverge
Town Council Vice Chair Hilary Ormond urged caution, likening the charter to a foundational document.
“I look at our charter the way I look at the Constitution,” Ormond said. “It’s not something to amend on a whim.”
Ormond questioned whether elections would improve outcomes. “I keep hearing words like ‘transparency’ and ‘accountability,’ and they sound great,” she said. “But I have yet to hear why electing Planning & Zoning or the Board of Finance would result in better decision-making.”
Councilman Eric Thunem echoed that view, emphasizing expertise over election status. “There are many more pros to appointed boards than elected ones,” he said. “There’s no assurance you get the qualifications you need through elections.”
“Accountability is something a person assumes,” Thunem added. “Being elected or appointed doesn’t guarantee it.”
Councilman Mike Rodgers said the town’s changing demographics warrant structural reconsideration. “This town is changing,” Rodgers said. “What worked 20 years ago may not work now.”
Rodgers urged the commission to consider expanding the Board of Selectmen. “Two people can ice out one person very easily,” he said. “It’s much harder to do that with five, and that makes for better governance.”
Councilwoman Kim Norton critiqued what she described as an imbalance of power. “By my count, about 85% of our town government is appointed and 15% is elected,” Norton said. “Appointments are appropriate — but the cumulative effect matters.”
“Perception matters,” she added. “Public trust is strengthened when authority is clearly shared.”
Norton also called for stronger procurement rules, whistleblower protections and expanded audit authority, and urged the commission to modernize public engagement. “Our charter provides no guidance on how to communicate with residents using modern tools,” she said. “Government should be accessible on demand.”
Councilwoman Jennifer Zonis defended the current system, praising appointed boards and commissions. “In my time on Town Council, I haven’t encountered a situation where I thought, ‘This just isn’t working,’” she said. “The level of professionalism and expertise on appointed boards is a gift to this town.”
Councilwoman Cristina Ross took the opposite view, emphasizing electoral accountability. “Elected members are accountable to voters,” Ross said. “Appointed members are accountable to the appointing authority. That difference matters.”
Ross called for major structural changes, including electing the Board of Finance and Planning & Zoning, removing the first selectman from the Board of Finance and expanding the Board of Selectmen. “Checks and balances only work when power isn’t concentrated,” she said.
Survey update and outreach debate
CRC Commissioner Jennifer Holme said responses are being presented without editorial filtering. “We’ve directly lifted comments word for word, verbatim,” Holme said. “Misspellings, typos, oddities — they’re all there.”
Commissioner Karen Willett said participation remains limited. “We’re still at 49 responses,” she said, adding that the CRC previously discussed closing the survey around March 15.
New Canaan has more than 20,000 residents. This is a response rate of around .24%.
CRC Chairwoman Kathleen Corbet stressed that outreach efforts have respected resident privacy. “The town has been very clear that email addresses provided for emergency notification or newsletters are not to be used for other purposes,” she said. “We respect that.”
Commissioners debated whether to expand outreach through mailed postcards or printed notices. One commissioner argued that outreach should happen quickly, while another cautioned that residents may respond more thoughtfully once the commission publishes preliminary recommendations.
No final decision was made. Costs and logistics will be explored.
Process continues
Corbet repeatedly emphasized that the Charter Review Commission has reached no conclusions.
“We didn’t come into this with preconceived notions,” she said. “Our job is to listen, research and present options — not dictate outcomes.”
Corbet encouraged continued public participation and noted that additional time will be reserved at the commission’s Feb. 17 meeting for speakers who were unable to complete remarks.
“The voters will ultimately decide,” Corbet said. “Our responsibility is to make sure they have clear, well-researched choices in front of them.”
A link to the charter revision survey can be found on the town’s website, https://www.newcanaan.info/government/commissions/charter_revision.php
