Community Organizations
Jon Zagrodzky 2025 Wave Strong luncheon

First Selectman’s Newsletter: 1. The Wave Strong Mental Health Organization, 2. Spending on Three Town Properties

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In his latest First Selectman’s edition of the Town of Darien Newsletter on Friday, Sept. 19, Jon Zagrodzky discusses what he heard and saw about a tragic suicide case described at the annual Wave Strong luncheon; he also discusses proposals to spend millions on three town recreational properties:
Suicide Prevention Described at Wave Strong Lunch
Yesterday, I attended, along with State Rep. Tracy Marra and Superintendent Dr. Eric Byrne, the second annual Wave Strong luncheon at Country Club of Darien. Founded in 2022 following tragic deaths by suicide of several people, including students, this organization is focused on “breaking down the stigmas of mental health for the betterment of Darien.” A worthy mission we should all support. You can learn more about Wave Strong here. The lunch speakers included Steve and Gina Meyer, a California couple who lost their daughter, a Stanford University senior, to suicide.

Darienites
Zagrodzky with Frank Kemp

First Selectman’s Newsletter: An Appreciation of Frank Kemp for His Spirit and Many Volunteer Contributions to the Community

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First Selectman Jon Zagrodzky devoted Saturday’s entire town government newsletter to discussing the late Frank Kemp, a town official and active member of the community who passed away on Aug. 30 at the age of 81. Here’s the full text:

Be like Frank. You may have heard that RTM member Frank Kemp passed away on August 30. He had not been well recently, even announcing earlier in the month that he’d be stepping down from the RTM in November due to heart trouble.

Darien Train Station 2025
Darien Train Station consturction 2025

Zagrodzky: Why There’s a Delay in Completing Refurbishing of Darien Train Station

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First Selectman Jon Zagrodzky went to Darien Train Station on Thursday, July 10, to talk with the state Department of Transportation construction team at the site. The project has been delayed from the original mid-August completion of work on the east side (northbound side) to mid-October, with full completion of the work on both sides of the tracks now expected in May 2026, Zagrodzky said. He said there are several reasons for the delay, including problems the manufacturer has with new electrically heated platforms will be installed as part of the project (Zagrodzky didn’t say what the problems are). Also the bankruptcy of the company supplying steel fencing along the platforms; and the discovery that the pipes and other underground structures at the site had not been mapped. More details are in the report Zagrodzky wrote up for the Town of Darien Newsletter:
Text from the Newsletter
I paid a visit to the CTDOT construction team at the Darien Train Station yesterday (July 10).

Affordable Housing 2025
Jon Zagrodzky Ned Lamont

Affordable Housing, Power Supply Discussed when Gov Met with First Selectman at New Restaurant in Town

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Providing new affordable housing in Darien, real estate development projects in town and providing more electricity in the state were discussed when First Selectman Jon Zagrodzky recently met with Gov. Ned Lamont at Roots Ocean Prime, a new restaurant in town. The Greenwich Democrat and Darien Republican spoke for about an hour on Monday, May 5, Zagrodzky said in his regular biweekly column in the latest Town of Darien Newsletter (sent out by email on Friday). Zagrodzky discussed how Darien officials in recent years have worked to encourage more affordable housing, with 200-plus units  built or renovated in the past 15 years and 40 more, not yet built but approved by town land use boards. He also pointed out that Darien is 98 percent developed, making it more difficult to build. “The governor seemed to appreciate our results,” Zagrodzky added.

Business

First Selectman: Traditional Buildings, Not Concrete Monoliths, When Corbin District Is Completed

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The massive concrete blocks constructed just off the Post Road near Exit 11 are only the cores of future buildings and not what people will see when the project is done, First Selectman Jon Zagrodzky said Friday in his fortnightly column. Zagrodzky said he’d been called by people concerned about whether the new buildings will look like the concrete monoliths. In the Town of Darien Newsletter, emailed on Friday, March 23, Zagrodzky passed on some of the information he recently received from the site’s developer, David Genovese, principal of Baywater Properties. (Darienite.com also has an article on the other part of the column, about the recent Superintendent’s Conversation meeting on the topic of bigotry and how to counter it.)

Here’s the full (brief) text of the part of Zagrodzky’s column on the construction site, along with all the pictures accompanying it:

I have received a number of calls about the concrete monoliths going up at the Corbin II project downtown. Rest assured, what you’re seeing is not the final form of this transformative development!

Education
2 of 3 pictures in the article, Rising reports of antisemitic acts

First Selectman: Increasing Hate Incidents Reported in Connecticut

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A “Superintendent’s Conversation” for school parents last Tuesday on the topic of acts of bigotry and the response to it was the focus of most of First Selectman Jon Zagrodzky’s fortnightly column in the latest town government newsletter. The meeting was held after graffiti with a racial slur (the “N” word) was found twice in a girls’ bathroom at Middlesex Middle School, once in January and again in February. In the Town of Darien Newsletter emailed on Friday, March 23, Zagrodzky passed on some of the information from the meeting and added some of his own comments. (Darienite.com has another article on the other part of the column, about the massive construction site downtown.)

Here’s the full text of the major part of Zagrodzky’s column and the pictures accompanying it:

At the invitation of Dr. Alan Addley, Darien schools superintendent, I had a chance to participate in his Superintendent’s Conversation for parents, which took place in the Middlesex Middle School auditorium this past Tuesday. The reason for the event was the discovery, again, of another racial slur written in one of the school bathrooms. As Dr. Addley said in his invitation to parents, “We must collectively and firmly stand against these actions, and I ask for your continued support in making this clear to our students.” The conversation was led by representatives from the area chapter of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).

Beyond Darien

First Selectman Zagrodzky on a Scam That Has Many Elderly Victims and a Problem Affecting Many Young People

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Editor’s note: While First Selectman Jon Zagrodzky’s biweekly column in Friday’s the Town of Darien Newsetter (you can subscribe here) isn’t specifically about Darien, Darienites can experience these problems — and it’s interesting enough to republish. Here it is:
Two stories for you this week. […]
First story. I got a call Wednesday from an old friend. He reported that his mother-in-law received an email notification that her LifeLock subscription was up for renewal.