Government & Politics

Government and political news

Government & Politics

Improvement Project for Intersection at West and Noroton Aves OKed for State Funding

By DARIENITE.COM | December 21, 2021

Funding for intersection improvements at the intersection of West and Noroton Avenues was one item in a long list of state transportation grants approved Tuesday afternoon by the State Bond Commission. The Darien project is among more than 100 local roadway projects that would be financed in whole or in part with $51 million from the Local Transportation Capital Improvement program. Overall, $839 million in various transportation funding was approved by the commission after Gov. Ned Lamont announced he was proposing the spending. The governor serves as chairman of the commission and determines which projects are put on its agenda. The upgrades are long overdue, Lamont said in an announcement Tuesday.

Government & Politics

Mark Your Calendars for Darien’s Christmas Tree Pick-Up Schedule

By DARIENITE.COM | December 15, 2021

The Darien Department of Public Works will conduct its annual Christmas tree pick-up program according to the following schedule:

[Not sure where your street is on this table? Here’s a Google map (just zoom in with the plus sign).]

THE FOLLOWING ARE A FEW IMPORTANT REMINDERS:

· Christmas Trees must be at the curb by the first morning of the scheduled pick-up. · Christmas Tree pick-up is conducted on public streets only. · Residents are asked to refer to a Town map to determine their designated area for schedule. · The schedule has been rotated from last year.

CodeRed 2021

McNally: 43 New COVID-19 Cases This Week, Half of Town Kids Aged 5-11 Get 2nd Dose Saturday

By DARIENITE.COM | December 9, 2021

The Delta variant continues to roll through town, with 43 more cases found this week, First Selectman Monica McNally told the town in a CodeRed statement late Thursday afternoon. Half of all Darien children ages 5 to 11 are scheduled to get their second vaccination shot on Saturday at a special town clinic, and the vaccine should be fully potent by Christmas Day, McNally said. Although the town’s Moderna booster shot clinic is fully booked on this coming Tuesday, the first selectman urged residents to try to get the shot elsewhere, and she asked for volunteers to help staff the Tuesday clinic. McNally’s full statement is below, and below that, the COVID-19 cases report from the Darien Public Schools Nursing Director Alicia Casucci and Superintendent Alan Addley:

Full Text of the First Selectman’s Message
Good evening. This is First Selectman Monica McNally with a COVID-19 update for Thursday, Dec.

First Selectman Code Red Message 2021

‘Noteworthy Uptick’ in COVID-19 in Darien as Booster Shots and Kids’ Vaccinations Continue

By DARIENITE.COM | November 24, 2021

First Selectman Monica McNally provided a short update on “a noteworthy uptick” of COVID-19 cases in town, discussed how they seem to be spreading, asked people to be careful during Thanksgiving gatherings and gave information on when booster shots and flu shots are available in Town Hall. She said 742 Darien school children received their first vaccine shots already and are due to receive their second shots the first two Saturdays of December. “There have been 47 new cases and no hospitalizations since my last Code Red update on Nov. 16,” McNally said. “[W]e are seeing a noteworthy uptick in local COVID cases, in spite of Darien’s very high vaccination rate.”

Alan Addley 2021

Coronavirus illustration CDC wide for facebook

Uptick in New COVID-19 Cases in Darien — 40 in Past 12 Days, 20 on Monday Alone

By DARIENITE.COM | November 16, 2021

The number of COVID-19 cases in Darien shot up in the past 10 days, a group of town officials, including health officials and school officials, said in a letter to town residents released Tuesday afternoon (full text below). The officials asked residents to be sure to follow health guidelines, although school children have been getting only “mild” cases. “In the past 10 days we have seen a surge in COVID cases across the school district, especially in our elementary school population. Fortunately, the level of illness of the individual positive cases continues to be mild. Increases in COVID cases have also been reported in the town,” the letter said.

Darien Board of Education 2021

Michael Burke Board of Ed LWV forum 10-26-17

Burke Wants Selectman Seat as Selectman Search for Democrat; Ochman Stays on Board of Ed [Updated]

By David Gurliacci | November 11, 2021

UPDATED, Friday, 11:16 a.m. — Michael Burke, a Democratic candidate for Board of Selectmen in the last election, has told the board he’d accept a seat on the board if offered. He added that with first selectman candidate Tara Ochman declining to take a seat on the board didn’t mean that he was automatically elected to the seat. With Ochman declining, the decision to fill the seat simply went to the new Board of Selectmen. The seat must be held by a Democrat, in accordance with state election law on minority-party representation on a town board. Ochman was one of the top five vote-getters in the election, entitling her to take a seat, even though she lost the first selectman race to Republican candidate Monica McNally.

Board of Education Election 2021

Official Darien Vote Count, Including Representative Town Meeting

By David Gurliacci | November 3, 2021

At 4:38 p.m. the Darien Registrars of Voters Office released the count of both absentee ballots, ballots from newly registered voters and votes cast at polling stations around town. The vote count had been stopped by the head moderator for the vote count on Tuesday night. Both Susan Gray, the Democratic registrar, and John Visi, the Republican registrar, said they didn’t know why the count had been stopped, but the Secretary of the State’s Office had consented to it. At that time, the two registrars expected the vote count to resume late the next morning and perhaps be over by 12 noon. Instead, the count stopped again by the head moderator, who left the registrars office for a time.

Darien Elections 2021

McNally Stevenson tweet GOP win election night 2021

GOP’s McNally Wins First Selectman Race, Republicans Win Board of Ed Seats

By David Gurliacci | November 2, 2021

Although official vote totals from the Darien Registrars of Voters Office were not available Tuesday evening, joyful Republicans said they won the first selectman race and the contest for Board of Education seats. A dejected official in the town Democratic Party said the same. First Selectman Jayme Stevenson tweeted that Monica McNally, the GOP candidate to replace her, had “won in a landslide.” This article, originally published at 10:33 p.m., Tuesday, was updated at 11:11 p.m., with new information. Susan Gray, the Democratic registrar of voters said absentee ballots were not expected to be counted until late Wednesday morning.

Around Town

With New Federal Disaster Declaration for Storm Ida, You Can Apply for Assistance Thru Town Website

By DARIENITE.COM | November 2, 2021

With President Biden approving Gov. Ned Lamont’s request for a federal disaster declaration for Tropical Storm Ida on Oct. 30, Darien residents can apply for disaster assistance. A Storm Ida FEMA information page has been added to the town government website, First Selectman Jayme Stevenson announced. “We have accumulated available information from both FEMA and the U.S. Small Business Administration, including the application process and associated deadlines,” the announcement said. “This page will be updated as new information becomes available.”

Board of Education Election 2021

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

By DARIENITE.COM | October 28, 2021

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.