My local government body continues to disappoint me!

It wasn’t until a few weeks ago that I received a text from a friend who is an employee in City Hall that made me aware of a hearing that night on zoom that the Common Council Ordinance Committee was holding to ban blowers and backpacks in the city.  No emails were sent to alert people, nothing was posted on social media.  Not only that, but nothing was translated into Spanish as well.  

Myself and two other landscapers were able to get home in time to jump on the zoom call during dinner after a long day at work only to be followed up by the same circle of callers that always calls in to support Committee Chairwoman Lisa Shanahan and gang.  Needless to say, we were blindsided.  

I wrote Lisa an email and she responded by telling me that blowers only last three years.  Really?  I have a ride-around blower that costs $12,000 and you can testify how long it lasts Lisa based on what experience?  

Fast forward to last evening when the Ordinance Committee met and decided to move this to Council for a vote.  We were told they consulted experts in the field although no one was named.  None of us from Norwalk were called.  Home Depot was referenced but we don’t buy commercial products at Home Depot!

We were then given three minutes each to plead our cases and so were the people online.  After that Lisa unexpectedly decided at 10 p.m. that she would produce her so called experts.  She never listed any of these on here agenda or mentioned any others would speak.  Were they given three minutes?  No, they were given all the time they want to say how awful we were.  

Then we had to listen to a sales pitch from two guys that use battery operated equipment.  One of them travels from Hamden to Katonah N.Y. to cut grass.  I don’t know about you Lisa, but I hardly call that an expert.  We all know there is no money cutting grass.  It is a service we provide to get the whole picture.  But being a lawyer you wouldn’t know what we do for a living.  This whole meeting is the reason I left the corporate world after working at Verizon and Ge Capital Corporate because I don’t like the smoke and mirror shows!  They knew how they were voting before we even sat down.  

We heard it all.  We kill fireflies, animals, ozone layer, our workers, you name it we do it. Just awful people.  But the city can tear up every corner of the earth and slap apartment buildings and that is OK?  Who is the real criminal here Lisa? Apartments near the water? Apartments in the Webster lot? Apartments Apartments Apartments.  Does this disturb anything in town?  Do trees get cut down? Does the earth get disturbed and filled with concrete?  

Oh, and you watershed people, I keep my boat near the water treatment plant. I think you and Lisa should don your bathing suits and go for a swim one day and let me know the water quality.  Do you think that the plant needs updating over there from all of the new tenants flushing their toilets?  Maybe the $380,000 you are going to spend on the Parks garage on Smith Street would be better utilized on the other building on Smith Street (the treatment plant). This is just to get the building ready!!  No equipment included.  

We found out last night you haven’t even spoken to the fire department yet about the hazards!  You are so intent on pushing this down our throats.  The EPA is in charge of emissions standards not the Norwalk Council and friends of Rowayton and animals that don’t like noise!  Sorry to the privileged.  I have a 9-pound dog, bees that pollinate in my yard, 10-15 birds on my feeders every day and they all seem to be fine every Friday when my crew cut and blow.  There is even a deer that comes through the yard every other day with tag 37 and eats my birdseed.  It’s awesome.

Your lies and rhetoric are just that.  Do yourself a favor and be a little more productive.  The Mayor has enough problems going on with zoning issues, faulty tax bills going out, water treatment problems, density problems, LAZ parking, and others.  I am sure he doesn’t need this nonsense too.  

It’s amazing how you put this on the table in the middle of our busy season as well. Maybe next you will ban calculators and pencils from accountants in March and April because an expert told you lead is dangerous! Table your silly ordinance until the day battery operated equipment is up to speed.  Then you won’t have to fabricate lies or make silly ordinances.

I haven’t even touched on the costs that we cannot afford to incur.  The items go on and on.  Do the right thing Council and cancel this silly ordinance before it gets started!

Tysen Canevari

Signature Landscaping

Fifth generation Norwalk Resident