From Save Westport Now

Save Westport Now, a non-partisan political party devoted to preserving and enhancing Westport’s residential neighborhoods, historic resources, open spaces, and quality of life, announced its nomination of three candidates for Westport's November Planning and Zoning Commission election. P&Z incumbents Michael Cammeyer, Danielle Dobin, and Neil Cohn will all appear on line E, the Save Westport Now ballot line. 

"Michael, Danielle, and Neil will continue to bring the fresh vision, ideas, and tone to P&Z that have been hallmarks of their leadership since they first joined the commission," says Ian Warburg, SWN Co-Chair. "As an organization with forty-plus years of service to the community, we welcome voters who care about appropriate development, prioritize environmental conservation, and wish to preserve what makes Westport such a desirable place to live."

“We're thrilled to receive the endorsement of SWN,” says P&Z Commission Chair Danielle Dobin. “My running mates and I share SWN's values – we balance our promotion of smart, sustainable growth, the creation of new sidewalks/bike lanes and regulation changes to prepare for climate change with a strong, intentional commitment to preserve Westport’s New England charm, our quality of life, open spaces and coastal resources."

The three SWN nominees bring to the ticket significant experience on the P&Z commission and a vision for a sustainable future that combines innovative new ideas with commitments to both environmental protection and preserving the town’s unique historic and scenic resources that comes with having lived in Westport for many years. Danielle serves as the current P & Z Chair, Michael serves as the Secretary, and Neil chairs the Economic Development Subcommittee. During their tenure, they’ve been responsible for initiatives such as: resisting state efforts to densely develop downtown and Saugatuck by broadly upzoning every town in Connecticut; pushing for stronger drainage requirements in response to increased storm activity; founding the P&Z’s Affordable Housing Subcommittee; passing a Text Amendment to allow for the development of affordable housing for Westporters with special needs; passing a Text Amendment to allow for much-needed bus shelters; and the thoughtful expansion of outdoor dining. As a team, they bring unrivaled wisdom and experience to the P&Z, plus a love for Westport and a desire to usher us into a more sustainable future.  

Save Westport Now’s mission is to protect, preserve, and enhance Westport’s residential neighborhoods, historic resources, open spaces, and quality of life; to prevent over-building and over-commercialization via sensible planning and zoning enforcement; and to promote smart growth that preserves Westport’s small-town, New England charm. We accomplish our mission by supporting Westport residents, neighborhood groups, builders, and P&Z candidates who share these values.

CANDIDATE BIOS

Michael Cammeyer

Michael serves as the elected Secretary of the P&Z. Michael is a champion for the environment, open space and improved recreational spaces. He is spearheading stronger drainage regulations to ensure resilience to climate change as storms become more frequent. Michael holds a B.S. from the University of Wisconsin – Madison, and an MBA in Corporate Finance from Fordham University’s Gabelli School of Business.  He spent eleven years on Wall Street working for a large family office, and in 2010 joined his family’s Mergers and Acquisitions Healthcare business. Michael has lived in the area since 2011 with his wife Ali and their two sons.

Danielle Dobin is the elected Chair of the P&Z. Danielle founded the P&Z's Affordable Housing Subcommittee and co-created the P&Z Council of Chairs of Fairfield County, which successfully pushed back on state efforts to broadly upzone every town in CT. She is focused on ensuring that Westport proactively addresses state mandates to create affordable housing so that Westport residents, not private developers, choose where multifamily units are built, what they look like while ensuring quality for the families who will live there. Other interests on the committee include updating Westport's regulations to ensure sustainable economic development downtown, embracing climate change resilience and updating drainage regulations to protect neighbors. She earned her MS in Real Estate Finance from NYU, her JD from Georgetown Law and her BA in Political Communication from the George Washington University. Danielle is an active community volunteer who lives with her husband, their two teen boys and their beloved dog in the Compo/Longshore area.

Neil Cohn has spent the past three decades driving positive impact and sustainability through financial markets and investments, and he is passionate about public service. Neil co-founded Natsource Asset Management, the first private sector fund focused on carbon removal and renewable energy. Currently, Neil is building out Chia Network: an eco-friendly blockchain aimed to deliver the best intentions of cryptocurrency — sustainable growth and inclusive prosperity. Neil was an environmental advisor to Obama’s first Presidential Transition Team and has served locally on the Westport P & Z since January 2018. P&Z achievements include an active role on the Affordable Housing Subcommittee that was able to secure an 8-30G moratorium and establishing the P&Z’s Economic Growth Subcommittee, where Neil serves as the Chair. This new committee worked collaboratively to shepherd the successful adoption of a text amendment that enables public bus shelters – a basic need that had been stalled for decades. Neil has enjoyed living in Westport since 2012 with his wife and three kids in middle school.