Letters to the Editor
Letter to the Editor Horse brown

Friends of Animals President: ‘Trees are the Planet’s Lungs’ With Multiple Benefits for the Environment

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To the editor:

I’m unnerved when I hear that morbid sound of trees being dismembered, limb by limb until they’re pulverized into saw dust. It’s a racket outside my office window in Darien this morning. In the backyard of a home that abuts our parking lot, I can see a red band tied around the trunk of the huge tree, which a tree cutter in a cherry picker kills, branch by branch, without ceremony. I don’t know why people so easily kill trees, but it’s done with reckless abandon, and watching each limb cut and remain suspended in the air for a while incenses me. Last weekend, I heard the same jarring, tree-killing sound of a chainsaw in a neighbor’s yard on McKinley Street in Rowayton, and the weekend earlier, it interrupted a visit to a friend’s home in Hilton Head, South Carolina.

Darien Board of Selectmen 2022
Letter to the Editor Thomas Jefferson

Darien Board of Selectmen Endorse Sanity and Civility in Public Discourse

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To the editor:

We are so fortunate to live in a town that includes hundreds of amazing volunteers and elected officials who volunteer thousands of hours of their time to help make our town the wonderful place we call home. We are a strong community made up of people who are passionate about contributing to the success of our town. As fellow community members, it is important we are respectful of each other and appreciative of the efforts of those who choose to serve our town. In their roles as elected or appointed officials, they are acting as public representatives and do not deserve to be attacked personally for how they discuss an issue or how they vote. Strength and leadership come from sharing and discussing differing views.

Board of Education Election 2021
Letter to the Editor two cents' worth

Julie Best Has Demonstrated an Ability to Connect with Students, Teachers, Parents, Administrators

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To the editor:

On Nov. 2, I hope you will join me in voting for Julie Best for Board of Education. Her leadership, experience, and dedication make her an ideal choice to guide our school system as we continue through some exciting but challenging times. I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Julie since our oldest daughters entered Tokeneke Elementary School almost eleven years ago. In that time, I’ve seen Julie get involved in almost every facet of the school community.

Letters to the Editor
Letter to the Editor Pilgrim

McNally Has a Strong Work Ethic, Dedication to Darien and Financial Acumen

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To the editor:

I strongly urge the voters of Darien to elect Monica McNally as our first Sselectman on Nov. 2. Having worked with Monica for many years on the Representative Town Meeting, she has earned the highest respect of her peers and is recognized as a true leader. Her dedication, work ethic and financial acumen are the perfect combination we need in our next first selectman. Monica’s extensive experience with our town government has provided her with the practical know-how to manage Darien through the inevitable uncertainty that lies ahead.

Letters to the Editor
Letter to the Editor Washington brown

For Years, Julie Best and Stacey Tie Have Each Been a Go-To Person for Info About Our Schools

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To the editor:

When I first heard that Julie Best and Stacey Tie were running for seats on the Board of Education, I was surprised — because I assumed they were both already on the board. For years, each has been a go-to for information about our schools. Both are active and very visible volunteers in schools and in the community. I watched Julie testify in Hartford to maintain local control of schools and worked with her on the Tokeneke PTO. Stacey has selflessly provided hours of advice to help me navigate the special education system and regularly reminds local parents to attend and participate in the critical BOE meetings and budget discussions that shape our schools.

Letters to the Editor
Letter to the Editor Thomas Jefferson

Vote Your Conscience, Not in Response to Propaganda and Hate

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Letter to the editor,

This week I received a very disturbing call from a member of the Darien Republican Town Committee. As a lifelong Republican and someone who has always supported the Republican candidates, I politely explained that my vote this time would be for Tara Ochman. My response was met with false innuendos and fear mongering over low income housing, as the caller cited the business profession of her “two largest donors.” Interestingly, I personally know that his references were untrue. When I questioned his facts, with the truth, the phone fell silent. It is disturbing to think that some within my own party are stooping this low.

Letters to the Editor
Letter to the Editor 2 cents Parcel Post

Ochman Responds to Letter Writer Who Said He Didn’t Get a Reply From Her on Zoning Testimony

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UPDATE: Earlier today, Wednesday, Darienite.com published a letter to the editor (below) from Benoît Jamar of Raiders Lane saying that first selectman candidate Tara Ochman had said in the candidates debate that she had testified in Hartford against the “proposed ‘take over'” of town zoning regulations by the state. He said Ochman’s campaign had not responded to his request for the transcript of that testimony. Ochman has replied today in a letter to Jamar (also below) that she had not, in fact, testified in Hartford about zoning, only about education matters, and, after reviewing the debate video, she confirmed that she didn’t say in the debate (or anywhere else) that she had testified about zoning. Ochman sent Darienite.com her emailed reply to Jamar, dated Oct. 24 (this past Sunday), and a copy of her second reply, sent today (Wednesday).

Letters to the Editor
Letter to the Editor Washington 1932

If You Get a Call/Text Saying Something Nefarious About a Candidate — Just Ask the Candidate!

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To the editor:

I’ve lived in Darien for over 30 years and cherish so many things about this community — its generosity of spirit, its commitment to excellence, its drive to excel, its general decency! I know politics is certainly not a sport for the faint of heart, but I was deeply dismayed the other night when a dear friend declared, “It’s just politics” in response to learning about

continued lies and whisper campaigns against Tara Ochman. I have known Tara ever since she and her family moved into Darien nearly 15 years ago. I have been blown away by her intelligence, work ethic and devotion to public service. So many things are better in Darien because of her contributions to the library and Board of Education.

Letters to the Editor
Letter to the Editor Columbus

Darien Should Have Its Own State Senate District — Write to the Reapportionment Committee

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To the editor:

In concert with the Federal census, Connecticut is constitutionally bound to review the state population every 10 years and reapportion legislative district boundary lines. The 2020 census was completed four months behind schedule and as a result, Governor Lamont has appointed a Reapportionment Commission; Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff, a Democrat, is a member of the commission. The Commission has until the end of November to complete their analysis and vote on the reallocation of district boundaries. Darien is presently divided by the 25th and 27th state Senate districts; the incumbent State Senators are Bob Duff (25th District, Norwalk and Darien) and Patricia Billy Miller (also a Democrat, 27th district, Stamford and Darien). The boundaries of these two districts mix the population of Darien with that of Norwalk and Stamford.

Letters to the Editor
Letter to the Editor Swords WWII

McNally Takes on Causes She Feels Passionately About, Thinks Things Through

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To the editor:

Monica McNally should be our next First Selectman. I wouldn’t put something in writing that I didn’t believe in and I strongly believe in Monica and her team. I met Monica over 20 years ago when our children were in St. Luke’s nursery school together. I have always been impressed by Monica‘s ability to assess a situation.

Letters to the Editor
Letter to the Editor Abraham Lincoln

Terrie Wood: Monica McNally Understands Finance, Listens With Open Mind and Heart

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To the editor:

It’s a pleasure to write this letter in support of Monica McNally as Darien’s next first selectman. Currently serving on the Board of Selectmen, Monica brings a wide range of relevant experience to the responsibilities of first selectman. She’s served in leadership roles for eight years on the RTM and knows the operations of our town. She was a successful financial advisor for 10 years with Smith Barney and thoroughly understands bond markets, interest rates and cash flow. Monica was a founding member of OPUS for Person to Person and has chaired several other community organizations.

Letters to the Editor
Letter to the Editor Washington 1932

Tara Ochman Reaches Across Political Divides, Is Keen to Find Solutions, Watches Spending

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To the editor:

I am writing to express my unqualified support for Tara Ochman as first selectman of the Town of Darien. As a community, we have lived through an exhausting pandemic, increasingly volatile weather patterns, and increasingly vitriolic political discourse. At the same time, we have been blessed with a sizable influx of new Darien residents, who have strengthened our community by just being a part of it. Tara is uniquely qualified to provide the leadership that our town needs at this time. She is a visionary, keen to find solutions for the local impact that storms and flooding will have on our homes and businesses.

Letters to the Editor
Letter to the Editor Internal Revenue Stamp

Kindness Matters? Kindness With Action Matters. Let’s Practice What’s Being Preached

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To the editor:

Here is a quote from a Darien High School student speaking at the Board of Education meeting on Oct. 12.:

“I was at a friend’s house and a group of DHS boys I had never met came up and started shouting ‘You’re a dyke!’ and the words ‘faggot’ and ‘lesbian’ were also shouted. They then hurled a can at my head and splashed their drinks in my face.”

Three more students also described incidents of racist and homophobic acts at DHS. Some described the fear of attending the school. In the words of so many yard signs in Darien: Kindness matters.

Letters to the Editor
Letter to the Editor John Greenleaf Whittier

Tara Ochman Has the Experience and Mindset to Tackle Darien’s Challenges

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To the editor:

Although I am a Democrat, I believe many key issues facing Darien are less about partisanship, and more about sound, competent, forward-thinking strategy and fiscal management. That said, I’ve been researching our two candidates, Tara Ochman, and Monica McNally, to make a truly informed decision on the best candidate for the job, and I have concluded that person is Tara Ochman. As a 15-year resident of Darien, I have been impressed with Tara Ochman’s astute leadership of the Board of Education over the last several years, and in particular, during the unprecedented challenges of the last 18+ months. I credit her, and the BOE, and of course our administrators, teachers, and school staff, with keeping our schools open and functioning throughout most of 2020/2021 in either hybrid or full-time mode, something many other school systems did not accomplish. After watching Candidates Night hosted by The League of Women Voters to get a better sense of Mrs. Ochman and Mrs. McNally’s positions, it is apparent that Mrs. Ochman has a clear and informed vision, strategy, and the leadership chops to evolve Darien during these complex times.