Charter panel reviews case for electing New Canaan planning board
Other Committee · Meeting of March 2, 2026
New Canaan charter panel weighs asking voters to elect the planning board. At a sparsely attended March 2 special meeting, Charter Revision Commission member Joseph Paulo walked fellow commissioner Steve Casease through a case for recommending the town council put the appointed-versus-elected Planning and Zoning Commission question to voters in the panel's May 4 draft report. Paulo said 15,000 residents holding 87 percent of the town's $10 billion grand list have no direct voice in land-use decisions made by 36 appointed officials, and that New Canaan's commission meets only 50 percent of its own stated skill-set goals versus 70 to 83 percent in benchmark towns Darien, Ridgefield, Westport and Wilton.
"The case for keeping PNZ appointed is mostly anecdotal and is frequently contradicted by the data," Paulo said. Casease raised concerns that election rules could bar residents in certain careers from serving, and floated a hybrid elected-appointed board. Commissioners Angela Jameson and Chris Leris were absent; the meeting closed on a unanimous voice vote.
In the full story:
- The complete report — 912 words
Source: the Other Committee meeting of March 2, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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