By Charles Stannard
ESSEX— The zoning commission Monday approved a permit renewal for Calamari Recycling Company for a volume reduction facility for construction and demolition debris at the company facility on Dump Road.
The panel had approved a permit for the facility in April 2004. But it was never built and the permit expired last June. Joel Nucci, a representative of the company that currently recycles metals on the site, said the company is ready to build the facility this year after economic and market conditions led to a delay in the original plan.
Nucci said the facility, to be located in a 105-square-foot by 105-square-foot building, could be completed in about six months. The facility will process and separate materials from construction and demolition debris for further recycling or disposal at a landfill. The state Department of Environmental Protection has granted a permit for the facility. Acting after a brief public hearing, the commission approved a permit extension for the facility through March 2014.
In other business, the commission set a March 15 public hearing on a special permit application from the town’s park and recreation commission for a basketball court at the former state commuter parking lot on the corner of West Avenue and Saybrook Road (Route 154).
The commission also appointed alternate Lillian Mosa as a regular member to replace Jeff Woods. A Republican, Woods had been appointed to the board of finance in December to replace Joel Marzi, another Republican who resigned from the finance board after he was elected to the board of selectmen in November. Woods had run unsuccessfully for the board of finance in last year’s town election.
A former chairman who had served on the commission for more than six years, Woods was the only member of the panel to vote last month in favor of the permit application for a large Rite Aid pharmacy on Westbrook Road. The commission rejected a special permit for the Rite Aid project on a 4-1 vote on Jan. 25. The decision has been appealed to Middlesex Superior Court.
Woods resigned from the zoning commission immediately after the Rite Aid vote. The elevation of Mosa as a regular member leaves a new opening for an alternate on the zoning commission.
By Charles Stannard
ESSEX— The town has hired a new full-time park and recreation director who will begin working in Essex on March 8. Richard Audet, an East Lyme resident, was hired based on the recommendation of a town selection committee that interviewed three finalists.
Audet currently works as the park and recreation director in Marlborough. He has a bachelor of science degree in recreation management from the University of Northern Colorado, and a masters degree in organizational leadership from Palm Beach Atlantic University in Florida. He has worked previously in park and recreation positions in Palm Beach Garedens, Fla. West Hartford, and Cromwell.
A total of 51 applicants were screened and narrowed by a review committee comprised of three members of the park and recreation commission and Selectman Joel Marzi. The committee interviewed three finalists before making a hiring recommendation. Audet will receive a starting salary of $44,262.
Audet replaces Brian Wilson, who was the town’s first full-time park and recreation director. Wilson, who held the job for about 15 months in 2008-2009, left the Essex job in October. Audet’s duties will include coordinating and managing park and recreation programs, and the maintenance of the town’s parks and ballfields.
By Charles Stannard
ESSEX— The board of selectmen has scheduled a Feb. 1 informational hearing on the option of joining the Connecticut River Area Regional Health District.
First Selectman Phil Miller said the session, beginning at 7 p.m. in town hall, would include informatiion on the town’s current expenses for public health services, and a comparison of what the costs would be if the town joined the regional health district. The district, now comprised of Old Saybrook, Clinton, and Deep River, was established in the summer of 2006. District offices are located in Old Saybrook.
Selectmen considered joining the district at the time is was established, and held a public hearing on June 2006 where most of the residents attending expressed opposition to joining the district. But the cost of meeting state public health requirements for municipalities have continued to increase over the past three years.
The board decided to reconsider the option of joining the health district at its first meeting after the Nov. 3 election. Miller, a Democrat, and Republican Selectman Joel Marzi, who were opponents in the election, agreed to take a second look at the option of joining the district.
At least one additional information session is expected before the board makes a decision on whether to join the district. A decision on whether to join the district, which could come in the spring, would require final approval from residents at a town meeting or referendum.
By: Charles Stannard
ESSEX–The board of selectmen Wednesday continued discussion of a proposed anti-blight ordinance and learned of the need for a new floor on sections of the first floor of town hall.
First Selectman Phil Miller, who first raised the issue of an anti-blight ordinance last month, said recent contacts with residents lead him to believe the ordinance would have “overwhelming support” if it was brought to a town meeting vote for approval. Miller said many residents are concerned about the effect on property values of several vacant and deteriorating properties in town, including three structures that remain standing after being severely damaged by fire during the past two years. He said the proposed ordinance should include a penalty provision that would allow the town to act on cleaning up a blighted property and then bill the property owner for the work.
Selectman Joel Marzi said an anti-blight ordinance with a penalty provision would be “far reaching,” and suggested the board consider all possible ranifications before presenting a draft ordinance to residents at a public hearing. He suggested the board discuss the ordinance with Judge of Probate Deborah Pearl, Building Official Keith Nolin, and possibly a homeowners isnsurance specialist before asking the town attorney to draft an ordinance.
Miller said he would ask Pearl and Nolin to attend a meeting within the next two months to discuss the idea of an anti-blight ordinance. Marzi said he favored discussing the idea with Pearl because some residential properties fall in to disrepair while an estate is in probate.
Miller also anounced that the recent replacement of a deteriorated carpet outside the town clerk office in the front section of the first floor of town hall had uncovered severe deterioration of the pine wood floor that was under the carpet. He said the floor has been in place since the building was built in the early 1890s. Essex Town Hall was constructed as Pratt High School, and converted for use as a town hall in 1950.
“That floor is shot,” Miller said, while adding “we don’t have a clear picture yet” on the total cost of replacing the floor. He said one option would be installing a maple wood floor similar to the floor in place throughout most of the building’s second floor.
By Charles Stannard
ESSEX– The Board of Selectmen began discussion of a possible town anti-blight ordinance Wednesday in the final meeting of the board’s current two-year term.
It was the last meeting for Selectman Vin Pacileo, who was out-polled in Tuesday’s election by his running-mate, Republican First Selectman candidate Joel Marzi. Marzi received 1,061 votes to Pacileo’s 1,041 in an election where Democrat First Selectman Phil Miller and Democratic Selectman Norman Needleman were re-elected for a fourth term. Pacileo has served on the board since 2003. Miller, Needleman and Marzi will take office for the 2009-2011 term on Nov. 10.
Miller said he was raising the proposed anti-blight ordinance at the request of several residents who live near three vacant homes that remain standing after being severely damaged by fires over the past two years. One of the damaged homes is in the Ivoryton section, two are in Essex.
Miller said he is reviewing several anti-blight ordinances from Connecticut cities and towns that were provided by the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities. Miller said he would favor an ordinance that includes a penalty if the property owner does not respond to repeated town requests to clean up a property.
The board agreed to resume a discussion of the proposed anti-blight ordinance at its Nov. 18 meeting, after Marzi has joined the board. An anti-blight ordinance would require approval from voters at a town meeting.
LocalOnlineNews.TV reported on Guilford’s anti-blight ordinance this past February. Watch our video story below:
By Charles Stannard
ESSEX— Democratic First Selectman Phil Miller won a fourth term Tuesday, defeating Republican challenger Joel Marzi on a 1,437 to 1,061 vote.
Democratic Selectman Norman Needleman was re-elected to the board of selectmen with 1,428 votes. Marzi, a board of finance member, outpolled his running-mate, Republican Selectman Vince Pacileo, to win the third seat on the board. Pacileo, who has served on the board since 2003, received 1,041 votes.
Miller’s margin of victory, 376 votes, was lower than the more 800 vote margins recorded with his first election in 2003 over Republican Kenneth Wexler and in 2005 over Republican Richard Stebbins. Miller was uncontested by town Republicans in 2007.
Miller, after receiving a congratulatory handshake from Marzi in the crowded town hall auditorium, said he looks forward to working with his election rival during the next two years. “We ran a very positive race,” he said. “I am looking forward to working with Joel on the board of selectmen and I think he brings instant credibility to the board.” Miller acknowledged he was “a little uncertain,” about the outcome in the final days of the hotly contested race, adding “I am grateful to the people of Essex for their support.”
Democrats won all of the other contested races on the ballot. About 2,500 of the town’s 4,572 registered voters cast ballots Tuesday, a turnout of approximately 54% percent.
Democrat Megan Dwyer Haskins was elected as tax collector, defeating Republican Mark Pratt on a 1,539-891 vote.
Incumbent Democrats James Francis and Fred Vollono were re-elected to the board of finance, outpolling Republicans Jeffrey Woods and Roger Kern. Francis, who serves as board chairman, received 1,394 votes, with 1,293 votes for Vollono. Woods had 1,071 votes, Kern received 1,005 votes.
Democrats Jennifer Clark and Chris Riley were elected to the Region 4 Board of Education, defeating Republicans Gregory Cassells and Philip Reynolds. Clark polled 1,380 votes, with Riley garnering 1,320 votes. Reynolds had 1,031 votes, with 958 votes for Cassells.
All three candidates for the Essex Board of Education will be seated on the board. Democrat Lon Seidman, who serves as board chairman, received 1,394 votes for the six year spot, with 971 votes for Republican Don Fitton. Incumbent Republican member Suzanne Helchowski received 1,550 votes for a two year seat.
Incumbent Town Clerk Frances Nolin and Town Treasurer Robert Dixon were uncontested for new four-year terms. Incumbent Democrat Anne Dougherty was also uncontested for a new term on the board of assessment appeals.
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Lon Seidman is a partner in LocalOnlineNews.TV LLC
By Charles Stannard
ESSEX — Democratic First Selectman Phil Miller is pointing to his six-year record in a Nov. 3 election contest with Republican challenger Joel Marzi that is focusing on management decisions Miller has made over the past year.
Miller, 51, was first elected in 2003 after making unsuccessful runs in 1999 and 2001 against former Republican First Selectman Peter Webster. Miller was uncontested for a third term by town Republicans in 2007 after defeating Republican Richard Stebbins on a 1,758-909 vote in 2005. A former director of the Bushy Hill nature center in the Ivoryton section, he is single and has lived in town since 1982.
Phil Miller
Marzi contends “leadership” is the major issue facing the town and suggests that problems arising from Miller’s management of town hall are preventing progress on other issues. He also suggests Miller has stepped back from previous campaign promises of open government, pointing to the cancellation of the board of selectmen’s evening meeting in September and this month as an example.
Marzi questions Miller’s decision to lay off town sanitarian Carol Lord last February, noting that a severance package paid to Lord negated any possible budget savings from the move. “It doesn’t add up at all,” he said.
Marzi said he would restore the position of full-time sanitarian pending a possible decision by town leaders and voters on joining the Connecticut River Area Regional Health District. He also contends Miller “acted unilaterally” in allowing a town police officer to obtain a dog for a possible police K9 program without approval from the other two selectmen.
Miller, declaring that Marzi “has never managed anyone in his life,” defends the decision to lay off the sanitarian as a cost savings to the town which now utilizes a part-time consulting sanitarian. He described the recent controversy over the prospective police dog as “a non-issue.”
Miller said complaints about his management style and relations with town employees are contradicted by a recent re-election endorsement from the local chapter of the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees, the union that represents town road crew workers and cafeteria staff in Region 4 schools.
Joel Marzi
Both candidates offer preliminary support to a plan for a full regionalization of Region 4 schools, though Marzi notes the Essex share of a regional education budget could rise when elementary school students are included in the school average daily membership calculation that is used to split the budget between the district towns of Chester, Deep River, and Essex.
Both candidates reject the idea of a four-year term for first selectman or other major changes to the structure of town government. But Miller said the time may have come for Essex to consider adopting a town charter because that is the only way the elected offices of town clerk and tax collector could be changed to appointed or hired positions at some future date.
Miller counts completion of three street improvement projects using state grant funding and the 2005 opening of the swimming area at Viney Hill Brook Park as accomplishments during administration He described Marzi as a “good worker” for the town, adding “that’s why I appointed him to the school building committee.”
Marzi said he would be a full-time first selectman if elected and would improve communications on the board of selectmen and with other town boards and commissions. He also promises a non-political approach to local issues. “I have never voted on a party line basis on any board or commission that I have served on,” he said.
For the first time in more than 15 years, the municipal contest has not featured a public debate between the two first selectman candidates. Marzi said his campaign had been requesting a public debate at town hall or some other venue since early September.
Both candidates have waged active door-to-door campaigns, visiting hundreds of homes since late summer.
Miller is running with Democratic Selectman Norman Needleman, a local businessman who was first elected with Miller in 2003. Marzi is running with Republican Selectman Vince Pacileo, who was also first elected in 2003.
The retirement of long-time Republican Tax Collector Nancy Stadalnik has set up a contest for the open position between Democrat Megan Dwyer Haskins, a former banker, and Republican Mark Pratt, a former Hamden firefighter.
Over the course of the municipal campaign, LocalOnlineNews.TV will be providing extended election coverage, including video coverage of the candidates running in Chester, Deep River, and Essex.
Below are the uncut nomination speeches of Democratic Essex First Selectman Phil Miller, and his opponent Republican Joel Marzi. We’ll post the Selectman candidates’ speeches later today followed by raw footage of both nomination events held yesterday.
Also be sure to read Charles Stannard’s full coverage of yesterday’s events.
Phil Miller:
Joel Marzi:
By: Charles Stannard
ESSEX— Democratic First Selectman Phil Miller and Republican challenger Joel Marzi received rousing nominations from party supporters Wednesday night to face off for the town’s top job in the Nov. 3 town election.
Miller, seeking a fourth term in the town’s top job, drew support from five top state Democrats in accepting the nomination from about 60 supporters gathered on the front lawn of town hall.
State Attorney General Richard Blumenthal was joined by two Democratic gubernatorial candidates, Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz and Stamford Mayor Dan Malloy, in expressing admiration for Miller’s record over the past six years. Also on hand were state Sen. Eileen Daily, D-Westbrook, and state Rep. James Spallone, D-Essex, with Spallone declaring Miller had provided “innovative and responsive leadership in Essex.”
Democratic Selectman Norman Needleman was nominated to seek a fourth term as Miller’s running-mate for Board of Selectmen. Needleman said Miller, who was uncontested for re-election by town Republicans in 2007, had shown “he is ready to make the hard decisions when he has to,” in the current difficult economy.
Marzi, a six-year board of finance member and former member and chairman of the zoning commission, was nominated by about 30 Republicans gathered in the town hall auditorium. In prepared remarks, Marzi questioned decisions made by Miller in February that included reorganizing town hall staff and laying off the town sanitarian, Carol Lord. He described Miller’s moves as an “unwarranted disruption” that was based on “misguided budgetary planning.”
Republicans nominated incumbent Selectman Vincent Pacileo for a fourth term as Marzi’s running-mate for board of selectmen. Pacileo accused the board’s Democratic majority of a “failure to communicate and a failure to reach out to others.”
Miller also referred to the February reorganization in his prepared remarks, describing it as “a tough decision for difficult economic times.’ Miller said he welcomes the Republican challenge, declaring “I’m glad it is a contested race this year so that we can present all of the pertinent issues to our residents.”
Both parties nominated new candidates for tax collector to replace Republican Tax Collector Nancy Stadalnik, who is retiring after nearly two decades in the job.
Democrats nominated Megan Dwyer Haskins, an Essex native who returned to town ten years ago after working in the financial services industry for A.G. Edwards and Sons and the local Ferrucci Company. Haskins, 37, is the mother of twins. Republicans nominated Mark Pratt, a retired Hamden firefighter. Pratt, 61, is a Vietnam War veteran and the first male member of the Essex Garden Club.
Republican Town Clerk Frances Nolin and Republican Town Treasurer Robert Dixon were cross-endorsed by Democrats for new terms. Nolin has served as town clerk since January 2000, Dixon has been town treasurer since 2003.
Democrats nominated incumbents James Francis and Fred Vollono for new six year terms on the Board of Finance. Francis has served as chairman of the finance board since 2003. Republicans nominated Jeff Woods, a member and former chairman of the Zoning Commission, and Roger Kern for Board of Finance.
Democrats nominated Jennifer Clark, who is a medical doctor specializing infectious diseases and wound care, for a six-year term on the Region 4 Board of Education. Republicans nominated Gregory Cassells for the six-year term on the Region 4 board. Republican Terry Stewart, the current chairman of the three-town board, is not seeking re-election.
Democrats nominated Chris Riley for a two year vacancy term on the Region 4 Board of Education. Riley was appointed to fill a vacancy on the board in May. Republicans nominated Philip Reynolds for the two-year term on the Region 4 board.
Democrats nominated Lon Seidman for a new term on the local Board of Education. Seidman currently serves as board chairman. Republicans nominated Don Fitton for a full six-year term on the local Board of Education, with incumbent Suzanne Helchowski nominated for a two-year vacancy term on the local Board of Education.
Democrats nominated incumbent Anne Dougherty for a new term on the Board of Assessment appeals. Republicans did not nominate a candidate for board of assessment appeals, but formed a vacancy committee that could endorse a candidate before a July 29 state ballot deadline.
Links:
Essex Democrats
Joel Marzi’s Website
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Lon Seidman is a partner in LocalOnlineNews.TV LLC
By: Charles Stannard
ESSEX— The contest for first selectman in the Nov. 3 election is expected to be a race between Republican board of finance member Joel Marzi and incumbent Democratic First Selectman Phil Miller.
Marzi said Wednesday has has already begun door-to-door campaigning in advance of the July 22 nominating caucus. Marzi, who has been endorsed by the Essex Republican Town Committee, will be running with three-term incumbent Republican Selectman Vince Pacileo as the candidate for board of selectmen. Marzi said he will begin public campaigning with Pacileo this weekend.
A resident of the town’s Centerbrook section since 1978, Marzi has served on the board of finance since 2003. He served on the town’s zoning commission for 17 years ending in 2003, including two separate stints as chairman during the 1990s. Marzi also served on the Essex Elementary School Building Committee which supervised the recently completed renovation and expansion of the elementary school. Marzi runs his own business, Essex House of Framing, as a home occupation.
Marzi said he is planning an active campaign that will include his own candidate committee working with the town committee. He said the candidate committee, Elect Team Marzi 2009, has already raised about $1,400 for the fall campaign.
Marzi said he views “leadership,” as the main issue in the coming election, calling for “better teamwork,” that includes “keeping our boards and commissions on the same track,” and “improved relations at town hall.”
Miller has indicated he will be seeking a fourth term this year, with a formal declaration of candidacy expected at the Essex Democratic Town Committee endorsement session on July 22. Democratic Selectman Norman Needleman, a local businessman, is expected to seek a fourth term as Miller’s running-mate.
A resident of the Ivoryton section and former director of the Bushy Hill Nature Center at Incarnation Center, Miller entered town politics in 1999 with an unsuccessful challenge to former Republican First Selectman Peter Webster. He was elected to the board of selectmen and lost a hotly contested rematch with Webster in 2001 before winning the top job in 2003. Miller defeated Republican Kenneth Wexler, who was serving as acting first selectman after Webster resigned in June 2003 and moved to Vermont. Miller defeated Republican Richard Stebbins by a wide margin in 2005 and was uncontested by town Republicans for a third term in 2007.
At the July 22 nominating sessions, town Democrats and Republicans will also select candidates for town clerk, tax collector, town treasurer, board of finance, board of assessment appeals, Region 4 board of education, and the local board of education.
