Letter to the Editor: Who is Old Lyme’s Ethics Ombudsman?

To the Editor:

Who is Old Lyme’s Ethics Ombudsman?

The answer depends on which town official you ask.

When asking  the Ethics Commission Chairman, she indicated that she wasn’t sure that the position exists.

When asking the Town Clerk’s office, they indicated that the current Democratic Registrar of Voters is the Ethics Ombudsman … but that can’t be. Old Lyme’s Code of Ethics states that the Ethics Ombudsman cannot hold any other elected or appointed office in the town. This would clearly be a violation of the Ethics Code.

A review of meeting minutes of the Ethics Commission indicated there is no record of vote to appoint an Ombudsman. The Ethics Commission has the responsibility of appointing the Ombudsman; failure not to appoint the Ombudsman would be a violation of the Ethics Code.

The losers here are town officials and town employees, who are not afforded the option of seeking advice about ethical and conflict of interest issues that arise in their duties.

Sincerely,

William Folland,
Old Lyme.

Nov. 12 COVID-19 Update: Two New Cases in Old Lyme Take Cumulative Case Total to 446, Lyme Holds at 132

Photo by CDC on Unsplash,

LYME/OLD LYME — The Daily Data Report issued Friday, Nov. 12, at 4 p.m. by the Connecticut Department of Health(CT DPH) shows two new, confirmed COVID-19 cases in Old Lyme taking that town’s total of cumulative cases to 446.

No new cases were reported in Lyme, meaning cumulative cases in that town remain at 132.

This is the third day in succession that no cases have been reported in Lyme.

The state does not issue reports over the weekend nor on public holidays. The next report from CT DPH will be issued Monday, Nov. 15, at around 4 p.m.

On Aug. 26, Old Lyme’s cumulative case total stood at 372, meaning there have been 74 new cases there since that date. Meanwhile, Lyme’s cumulative total on Aug. 26 was 114 indicating 18 new cases have also been confirmed there during the same period.

Lyme-Old Lyme Schools started the new academic year Aug. 26.

COVID-19 Cases in Lyme-Old Lyme Schools

This is the latest information that we have with the most recent cases first — there may have been further updates, however, which we have not yet received.

On Wednesday, Oct. 20, Lyme-Old Lyme Schools Superintendent Ian Neviaser informed the school community that a positive case of COVID-19 impacting Lyme-Old Lyme High School had been reported.

On Wednesday, Oct. 5, Neviaser informed the school community that a positive case of COVID-19 impacting Lyme-Old Lyme High School had been reported the previous evening.

On Thursday, Sept. 16, Neviaser informed the school community that a previously reported positive case of COVID-19 is now impacting Mile Creek School and Center School.

On Monday, Sept. 13, a positive case of COVID-19 impacting Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School, which had been reported the previous day, was announced.

On Wednesday, Sept. 1,  a positive case of COVID-19 impacting Mile Creek School was announced.

On Tuesday, Aug. 31, Neviaser informed the school community that late on Monday, Aug. 30, a positive case of COVID-19 impacting Lyme-Old Lyme High School had been reported.

On Saturday, Aug. 28, Neviaser informed the school community that late on Friday, Aug. 27, a positive case of COVID-19 impacting Lyme School had been reported.

In all cases, contact tracing was completed and those individuals who needed to quarantine were notified. They will be able to return to school following their quarantine period. All other students and staff will continue to attend school as scheduled.

Fatalities Due to COVID-19 in Lyme, Old Lyme

There is no change in the number of fatalities reported in either Lyme (0) or Old Lyme (3).

The first two fatalities from Old Lyme, which were reported in 2020, were a 61-year-old female and an 82-year-old male. Details of the third, which was reported in 2021, have not been made available.

A Veterans Day to Remember in Lyme-Old Lyme Schools

Herb Arico gave the keynote address at the Veterans Day Assembly at Lyme-Old Lyme High School. At 99 and a half years of age, he captivated the audience with tales of his experiences in World War II. All photos by Lyme-Old Lyme Schools.

OLD LYME — In the words of Lyme-Old Lyme Schools Superintendent Ian Neviaser, “What an amazing day!” He continued in his email to LymeLine, “I have always said that Veterans Day is one the best days of the year in our schools … and this year was no exception.”

The flags were out at each school in the district …

… and each veteran was given a rousing welcome.

Ceremonies were held at every school including an ‘Introduction of Veterans’ followed by a Town Meeting Assembly at Lyme Consolidated School  …

… and various classroom visits and activities honoring veterans throughout the day at Mile Creek School .

At Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School a Breakfast honoring veterans was held followed by an Assembly …

and at Lyme-Old Lyme High School similarly there was a reception for the veterans followed by an assembly.

Neviaser noted, “For the first time in a long time, we had not one, but two World War II veterans.  One was 98-years-old and the other was 99 going on 100.” The latter, Herb Arico, delivered a keynote speech about his time during the war at the high school assembly and completely captivated the audience as he shared his experiences.

Neviaser commented with a smile, “The students were so impressed they all wanted photos with him [Mr. Arico] after his speech.”

Neviaser admitted that COVID had been a concern saying, “I was worried that COVID might scare away some of our older veterans, but that clearly was not the case as we averaged about 50 veterans at each school.”

Editor’s Note: Here at LymeLine, we echo the respect paid to our veterans by Lyme-Old Lyme Schools on Nov. 11, and thank the veterans sincerely for their service.

Nov. 11 COVID-19 Update: One New Case in Old Lyme Takes Cumulative Case Total to 444, Lyme Holds at 132

Photo by CDC on Unsplash.

LYME/OLD LYME — The Daily Data Report issued Thursday, Nov. 11, at 4 p.m. by the Connecticut Department of Health(CT DPH) shows one new, confirmed COVID-19 case in Old Lyme taking that town’s total of cumulative cases to 444. Prior to this case, Old Lyme had gone six days in succession with no cases.

No new cases were reported in Lyme, meaning cumulative cases in that town remain at 132.

This is the second day in succession that no cases have been reported in Lyme.

The state does not issue reports over the weekend nor on public holidays. The next report from CT DPH will be issued Friday, Nov.12, at around 4 p.m.

On Aug. 26, Old Lyme’s cumulative case total stood at 372, meaning there have been 72 new cases there since that date. Meanwhile, Lyme’s cumulative total on Aug. 26 was 114 indicating 18 new cases have also been confirmed there during the same period.

Lyme-Old Lyme Schools started the new academic year Aug. 26.

COVID-19 Cases in Lyme-Old Lyme Schools

This is the latest information that we have with the most recent cases first — there may have been further updates, however, which we have not yet received.

On Wednesday, Oct. 20, Lyme-Old Lyme Schools Superintendent Ian Neviaser informed the school community that a positive case of COVID-19 impacting Lyme-Old Lyme High School had been reported.

On Wednesday, Oct. 5, Neviaser informed the school community that a positive case of COVID-19 impacting Lyme-Old Lyme High School had been reported the previous evening.

On Thursday, Sept. 16, Neviaser informed the school community that a previously reported positive case of COVID-19 is now impacting Mile Creek School and Center School.

On Monday, Sept. 13, a positive case of COVID-19 impacting Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School, which had been reported the previous day, was announced.

On Wednesday, Sept. 1,  a positive case of COVID-19 impacting Mile Creek School was announced.

On Tuesday, Aug. 31, Neviaser informed the school community that late on Monday, Aug. 30, a positive case of COVID-19 impacting Lyme-Old Lyme High School had been reported.

On Saturday, Aug. 28, Neviaser informed the school community that late on Friday, Aug. 27, a positive case of COVID-19 impacting Lyme School had been reported.

In all cases, contact tracing was completed and those individuals who needed to quarantine were notified. They will be able to return to school following their quarantine period. All other students and staff will continue to attend school as scheduled.

Fatalities Due to COVID-19 in Lyme, Old Lyme

There is no change in the number of fatalities reported in either Lyme (0) or Old Lyme (3).

The first two fatalities from Old Lyme, which were reported in 2020, were a 61-year-old female and an 82-year-old male. Details of the third, which was reported in 2021, have not been made available.

Nosal Wins Seat on Zoning by Six Votes in Monday Night’s Recount

Old Lyme Selectwoman Mary Jo Nosal (File photo)

OLD LYME — UPDATED NOV. 11 at 1pm with a comment from Selectwoman Nosal. The final result in Monday evening’s lengthy recount of the votes cast last Tuesday for a five-year term starting 2022 on the Old Lyme Zoning Commission was as follows:

Mary Jo Nosal (D): 1,600
Sloan Danenhower (R): 1,594

This result confirmed Nosal, who currently serves as Old Lyme Selectwoman but did not seek re-election, as the winner of the race.

Asked her reaction to the recount result, Nosal told LymeLine in a text, “The recount validated the Nov 2nd election results. Clearly Mr. Dannenhower and I were supported by many voters in Old Lyme. It was a good race.”

She added, “I look forward to being seated on the Commission next year to fairly apply our regulations on the local concerns that come before the Commission.”

The unofficial result announced the night of the election was:

Mary Jo Nosal (D): 1,600
Sloan Danenhower (R): 1,593