Updated, 4:15 p.m.: Attribution changed, more explanation added; 2:07 p.m.: Correction, Pam Parkington nominated Johnnie Mae Weldon to serve as Chair. 9:14 a.m.: Copy edits, information added.
NORWALK, Conn. – Some Norwalk political notes for you:
- Third Taxing District ‘historic moment’ – it’s all-female
- Drafted city-wide master plan (POCD) topic of upcoming meetings
- Livingston: No worries
- New Council members assigned to committees
David Brown departs, Johnnie Mae Weldon elected new TTD chairman
“This is a historic moment for the Third Taxing District, for the first time since 1910, three woman sit as Commissioners on this board. We broke a second glass ceiling by voting to install a woman of color as Chair,” TTD Commissioner Pam Parkington wrote in a Monday Facebook post.
Longtime TTD Commissioner and Chairman David Brown retired in December, minutes of the December TTD meeting show. Commissioners Pam Parkington and Debora Goldstein appointed Johnnie Mae Weldon, who has been TTD treasurer, to take Brown’s seat. Then Parkington nominated Weldon to take Brown’s role as chairman, Weldon seconded the nomination, and Weldon and Parkington voted in favor. Goldstein voted against, and the nomination was approved by a vote of 2-1. (See video below.)
Goldstein has been on the Commission for more than three years and is up for reelection this fall. Parkington won a spot in 2017. Both Weldon and Parkington are Democrats, as was Brown; Goldstein switched from Democrat to unaffiliated in 2017.
Brown was a TTD Commissioner for 21 years, minutes for the December TTD meeting state. He has retired and moved to Delaware, Parkington said Wednesday.
She explained:
“Due to the fact that the TTD charter does not specify the course of action once one of it’s Commissioners step down, we revert to the City Charter on how we go about replacing Dave Brown. The steps, (short version), per the City Charter, 1.) the Commissioner that is the replacement must be of the same political party in good standing, 2.) the remaining TTD Commissioners vote on the replacement.
“Both Deb and I agreed that it would be best that Johnny Mae move into the Dave’s seat, since she has attended 99% of the meetings, (she was sick one meeting, LOL) and is up to date on everything on both the running of the Electric Company and it’s projects and District side of things.”
“{W}e have now, I think, made history with all three seats being held by women, and possibly the first female Chair and first Chair who is a person of color,” Goldstein wrote.
POCD hearings set for Jan. 15 and Jan. 22
The long-awaited draft of the new Norwalk master plan, a.k.a. Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD) to many, has been made public.
The Planning and Zoning Department is holding two public hearings on the draft, one next Tuesday (Jan. 15) and the other on Jan. 22. Both hearings are at 7 p.m. in the City Hall community room.
The state mandates a new city-wide plan every 10 years. Norwalk has been assisted in this plan by Stantec.
“The plan guides decision making about the physical, economic, and social development in the City,” the draft plan reads. “…The Citywide plan includes a twn-year implementation matrix setting out the What, How, Who, and When for policies and actions to achieve the goals of the plan.”
You can review the plan here.
“Please attend (the hearings) and help guide Norwalk for the next decade,” a Norwalk Tomorrow flier states.
Council not worried about blowback from plastic bag ban, Livingston says
The Common Council on Tuesday unanimously voted to ban plastic carry-out shopping bans, with the implementation delayed to July.
That means Norwalk citizens who aren’t following the news may be surprised to learn they need to start carrying reusable bags or pay 10 cents for paper bags – three or four months before Council members and the Mayor are up for reelection.
“The timing of the election never entered our discussions nor, in my opinion, should it have,” Council President Tom Livingston (D-District E) said in a Wednesday email. “People can always find a reason to delay or not do something. We all, including Doug H., felt this was important and needed to be done now.”
Livingston was referring to Doug Hempstead, the lone Republican on the 15-member Council.
Hosten, Young begin work
Council members Colin Hosten and Darlene Young, who were appointed to their seats in December, attended their first Council meetings Tuesday, and sat next to recent appointee Ernie Dumas.
Their Committee assignments are:
Dumas
- Finance/Claims
- Health Welfare and Public Safety
- Personnel
Hosten
- Health Welfare and Public Safety
- Ordinance
- Personnel
Young
- Finance/Claims
- Recreation, Parks and Cultural Affairs
- Public Works
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