Susan Cameron, previously chair of the Darien Planning & Zoning Commission, resigned her seat on the board, saying in a letter Tuesday that she was doing so for “an accumulation of personal reasons.”
In the letter, released to news organizations by current P&Z Chairman John Sini, Cameron said she was not resigning because of differences with the rest of the board members, although she said she does have differences with them about the approach to the Baywater Corbin project in downtown Darien:
I want to assure you this is not about the Corbin redevelopment, although I do feel out of step with the rest of you [on the board] on this one. I commend you on the job you have done as chairman. I know how much work it entails. You have done an admirable job.
Susan Cameron, chair of the Planning & Zoning Commission, giving her “State of the Town” address in December 2015 before the Representative Town Meeting.
Sini had taken over the job of chairing the commission from Cameron late last year, and Cameron said at the time that she did not object to Sini doing so.
Both before, during and after Cameron chaired the commission, she was active in researching information about applications that came before it, and she often visited sites where work was proposed.
At commission meetings, no member seemed to have more knowledge about zoning regulations, technical information on soil and flooding or even plant species.
At meetings of the board, Cameron frequently asked questions, generally more bluntly than other board members, and made her concerns known. In some cases, she was more critical of applications, including the recent application for a zoning variance from Shake Shack for larger signs than town regulations allowed.
The P&Z Commission members are elected, but not all at once. When a vacancy occurs on the commission, the party town committee that the resigning member was affiliated with will generally suggest candidates for the full commission to choose.
Cameron said in her letter that she was confident a good replacement board member could be found:
“I leave with the knowledge that there were several good candidates for a Republican spot when we selected Jim Rand. Hopefully that will speed the process of choosing a replacement for me.”
Here’s the full text of Cameron’s letter:
March 21
Dear John [Sini]:
It is with regret that I am writing to resign from the Planning & Zoning Commission. There is no one reason, but an accumulation of personal reasons that brings me to this decision. I have several new demands on my time and I am feeling overwhelmed with it all. I need to drop something to restore balance to my life.
I want to assure you this is not about the Corbin redevelopment, although I do feel out of step with the rest of you [on the board] on this one. I commend you on the job you have done as chairman. I know how much work it entails. You have done an admirable job.
I leave with the knowledge that there were several good candidates for a Republican spot when we selected Jim Rand. Hopefully that will speed the process of choosing a replacement for me.
Sincerely,
Susan Cameron
Susan Cameron’s resignation letter.