Evonne Klein former First Selectman Department of Housing Commissioner

Former First Selectman Evonne Klein Receives Award for Promoting Access to Housing

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Former Darien selectwoman and current state Housing Commissioner Evonne Klein has received an award in part for “her efforts to expand access to affordable housing through legislative action that would discourage exclusionary zoning practices,” the state Department of Housing announced. Another reason she received the Edward M. Kennedy Legislative Advocacy Award from the Connecticut Fair Housing Center was for her efforts to “eliminate archaic and undefined terminology in the state’s zoning statutes,” the announcement said. “Breaking down the barriers to opportunity means acknowledging that the pockets of segregation in our society did not happen by chance,” Klein said.  “They were formed as a result of carefully crafted government policies in the early 1900s. “Exclusionary zoning, redlining, and housing discrimination are now illegal thanks to the federal Fair Housing Act of 1968,” she continued.  “However, the effect of their long term existence is a challenge we still face.  We need organizations like the Connecticut Fair Housing Center to work on the front lines, battling discriminatory housing practices and segregation each and every day.”
As co-chair of the state’s Fair Housing Working Group, Klein oversaw the introduction of five legislative proposals that would promote inclusivity and fairness — making Connecticut a better place to live, work, and raise a family. Each year, the center selects recipients who have made significant strides to bring fair housing issues to the forefront of the legislative process.

Karl Kilduff

Town Administrator Karl Kilduff Hired to Head CT Housing Finance Authority

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Town Administrator Karl Kilduff has been named the new executive director of the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority and start in the new job in August, the agency announced. The chairperson of the agency’s board, Evonne Klein, worked with Kilduff when she was Darien’s first selectman. Klein now heads the state Department of Housing. [Update: Kilduff has been working for the town government since early 2008. He said Monday night that he hoped to provide CHFA decisionmaking with more of the perspective of what those involved in municipal governments are concerned with in housing matters.]

Here’s the news release from the CHFA:
The Connecticut Housing Finance Authority (CHFA) Board of Directors voted unanimously to appoint Karl.