Letter to the Editor: “A vote for Jennifer Tooker and Andrea Moore is a vote for continuing Westport’s town governmental excellence.”

Letter to the Editor

To the Editor:

I would like to encourage Westport voters to elect Jennifer Tooker as First Selectperson and Andrea Moore as Second Selectperson on November 2.  I have had the pleasure of working closely with Jennifer for a number of years while I was a Board of Finance member and Chairman.  They are both highly intelligent, reasoned, competent leaders with extensive business administration and town government experience. Their main objective is to represent the residents of Westport and provide the services necessary and needed, while at the same time being mindful of the impact of the costs on taxes. 

As members of the Board of Finance, they have been successful in holding Westport’s tax rate relatively constant, a significant achievement considering the financial problems of other nearby communities and the State of Connecticut.  Jennifer Tooker also served on the Board of Education and both are supporters of keeping Westport’s school system as one of the best in the state and region.

A vote for Jennifer Tooker and Andrea Moore is a vote for continuing Westport’s town governmental excellence. Tammy and I urge you to elect these proven managers and leaders as First and Second Selectpersons.

Tammy and John Pincavage

Westport, CT 06880

Letters to the Editor are published as they are received unless denied publication at the discretion of the Executive Editor based on inaccurate information, defamation of another community member, and/or incomprehensible writing. Click here to submit a Letter to the Editor.

Darien First Selectman Pens a Letter to the Editor: “The leaders we choose....”

Letter to the Editor

Dear Editor,

For 10 years I’ve served as First Selectman for the Town of Darien…a privilege of a lifetime…after my career at Standard & Poor’s Corporation, raising five children in Darien and spending decades as a community volunteer.  I’ve observed over my years in office that women are still very much in the minority as municipal CEO’s yet possess the leadership qualities of strategic thinking, empathy and collaboration so necessary at this time in our political history.

I’ve had the opportunity of working with Jennifer Tooker during my tenure and have seen first hand her warm engagement, strength of character and ability to lead with a calm and steady hand, particularly during the COVID-19 crisis. We are facing unprecedented pressures that are polarizing our communities. The leaders we choose can have a positive or negative impact on a community’s stability and well-being.  Westport will be very well served locally, regionally and statewide with Jennifer Tooker at the helm.  She is the right leader for this moment. 

I enthusiastically endorse Jennifer Tooker for Westport First Selectman and am extremely grateful women like Jenn are willing to step into the arena to serve our communities!  

Jayme J. Stevenson

First Selectman, Town of Darien 

Letters to the Editor are published as they are received unless denied publication at the discretion of the Executive Editor based on inaccurate information, defamation of another community member, and/or incomprehensible writing. Click here to submit a Letter to the Editor.

Letter to the Editor: “This is my business, and I recognize the depth of Jennifer and Andrea's knowledge”

Letter to the Editor

Letter to the Editor,

The elections are upon us and it is more critical now than ever that we elect leaders who sits squarely at the intersection of respect for Westport's rich heritage and progress. Those leaders are Jennifer Tooker and Andrea Moore.

What has always made Westport special and what makes any town a town, are the people who live and work here. People and real estate are inextricably linked. I have served the CT commercial real estate market for more than 20 years and I recognize that Jennifer Tooker and Andrea Moore are uniquely qualified to ensure that Westport will attract the kind of business that our residents need and want (both new and long time Westporters) and make it easy for businesses to choose Westport over alternatives while protecting the very reason we all choose to live here.

This is my business, and I recognize the depth of Jennifer and Andrea's knowledge and their uniquely Westport perspective on this critical topic.

I am thrilled that they are running and look forward to their continued positive impact.

Regards,

Kathleen Fazio

Letter to the Editor: “No More Swimming at Grandma’s House”

To the Editor,

Seniors knew from the outset that they were the highest risk, greatest potential and actual casualty of the pandemic.  As they waited for the vaccine that would come a year into our plague, they tended to be the most cautious and reluctant to engage in any interaction.  It wasn’t fun for anyone. 

By the middle of last summer, though, most tennis courts and golf courses opened, with or without restrictions/advisories regarding COVID contraction.  At least three or four of the Condo Associations in Westport, including Lansdowne, waited until mid-June of this year to allow tennis and pool play.

Upon reopening, the Lansdowne Association followed the “good news” with a slight caveat to property use- “No guests” at either the pool or the Tennis courts would be permitted under any circumstances.  Mind you, there are two men and possibly two or three women who use the tennis courts and own their condo.  What little use there was of the courts was dependent upon guests to fill out Doubles games.

The pool situation will get some use from owners who swim regularly and will swim happily alone.  BUT, the primary use of the pool, as it would be at any senior condominium, is the invasion of the grandchildren, particularly the younger set, who love to show grandparents how they can backstroke and float and freestyle a lap or two. 

What type of resolution is this, exactly?  To prove they are serious, the association has provided employment of a security guard, who shows up rain or shine, to make sure all swimmers and tennis players are eligible to partake.

Apparently, the condo associations are concerned that visitors will contract COVID at Lansdowne, sue the association, and drive them into bankruptcy.  So, first, one must contract COVID roughly during the time that the visit took place, and then prove that the only place they could have contracted the virus was when they visited Lansdowne.

I googled this very topic and couldn’t find a single suit, let alone a successful suit, of a Covid Positive claim against a Condo Association for facilitating transmission.  In the meantime, seniors who have survived COVID, and in many cases look forward to and crave family visits, at last, must find suitable alternatives for their family. 

The people who revel in the use of wonderful amenities, a major factor in their purchase, are the ones that are deprived now.  Picture the grandparents telling their adult kids, “Wow, we survived, can’t wait to see the little ones, but tell them to leave their bathing suits home.”

This is a form of Elder Abuse.  Younger owners in younger developments with these amenities would never stand for this treatment, and their associations, like the Association at Lansdown know this.  They are taking advantage of their less mobile members, and as a resident up until this year, I can tell you they are heartless, intractable, and indifferent to the criticism.

Michael Lubell

Former tenant at Lansdowne, Westport

Current Resident of Norwalk, CT

Letter to the Editor: TJ Elgin in Favor of Opening Town Hall

Letter to the Editor | 05/25/21

To the Editor,

I'm emailing in regards to tonight's meeting [Westport RTM Planning & Zoning Committee Meeting]

https://www.westportct.gov/Home/Components/Calendar/Event/23047/

This is a huge 5 year+ project that will destroy the neighborhoods in that area.

This is a large hustle and this needs to be heard in a Town Hall meeting, I propose now that the CDC guidelines have changed we have a vote before this meeting goes any further to hold a decision until Town Hall opens. Please, open the floor for a vote to postpone this disaster of a project. OPEN UP TOWN HALL. Town Hall is safe. We took in lots of money to make it safe. Federal money. OPEN UP TOWN HALL!

Thank you,

TJ Elgin

Westport

Guidelines on the most recent guidelines for Town Hall operations can be found here

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Letter to the Editor: Thank You for Supporting the Wheels2U Program

Letter to the Editor from Peter Gold, Westport Transit District Director. 

The Westport’s Wheels2U Shuttle Will Continue to Run!

Ten days ago, I urged the community to ask the RTM to support public transit in Westport by restoring funds cut from the Westport Transit District’s budget for the Wheels2U Westport shuttles.  As it turns out, the response was overwhelming!  Over 100 letters were sent to the RTM from individuals and organizations in favor of restoring the funding.  The RTM heard your voice and voted 32-to-1 to restore the budget and keep Westport’s Wheels2U shuttle running and growing!

Wheels2U Westport was launched in October 2020 to support Westport residents and businesses.  It provides a convenient and environmentally-friendly way for Westport residents and reverse commuters to travel between the train stations and their homes, employers, and downtown.  Wheels2U is now an integral part of Westport.  

We cannot thank you enough!  A diverse group of residents, commuters and key Westport organizations came together to share your stories, explain the shuttle’s benefits, and lend your voice to restoring the budget! 

There are exciting things planned for Wheels2U Westport in the next year.  We look forward to keeping everyone up to date about our growth and new initiatives.

Peter Gold

Director, Westport Transit District

The Town’s 2021/2022 budget originally nixed the Wheels2U program, a $101,000 savings for the Town. However after discussion and over 100 letters urging the RTM to reconsider, the program was saved at this Monday’s RTM budget vote. Read about the meeting here.

Letter: “Westport Democratic Town Committee Responds to the Insurrection in Washington, DC”

From the Westport Democratic Committee Chair Ellen Lautenberg

Ellie Wiesel once said, “We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.”  

The events of this week in Washington DC should shock anyone who believes in the rule of law and the Constitution of the United States.  The U.S Capitol was attacked and occupied, not as an act of protest but in an attempt to prevent Congress from carrying out its constitutional duty of certifying the states’ electoral votes for president. The mob that descended upon the Capitol was encouraged by the President of the United States, who simultaneously attempted to convince his vice president to illegally throw out the votes.  There is no other term to describe this but an attempted coup. 

That action was not singular but was preceded by 4 years of unrestrained rhetoric of division and damage. We have seen what can happen when good people, regardless of political perspective, keep silent.  It is imperative that all community members and leaders at any level, regardless of party affiliation, speak out against such behavior.

As Westporters, we can strive for unity in the face of such divisiveness. We can convey our disagreements in a civil manner and listen with open minds to others' perspectives.

We urge all Westport citizens to stay engaged in a respectful manner. Together, we can continue the important work of democracy.

The Westport DTC