Category Archives: Town Hall

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Fogliano, Candidate for Old Lyme Zoning Commission, Explains His Reasons for Running

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To the Editor:

As a 33-year resident of Old Lyme, raising a family here with my wife Susan, I am deeply invested in our town. I have seen the town change over the decades, along with the challenges to land use policy and practice that change brings. This has motivated me to accept the Democratic Town Committee’s endorsement to run for the Zoning Commission, and to ask for your vote in the upcoming election.

My priorities as a Zoning Commission candidate are clear: advocating for sensible regulations and development that protect Old Lyme’s essential qualities – our cultural legacy, our small-town lifestyle, and the fragile ecosystem we share – while also recognizing our economic development and housing needs. I’m dedicated to making rational decisions based on thorough preparation and open dialogue with all stakeholders.

Over my career as a scientist and senior leader, I developed a pragmatic, data-driven, results-oriented approach to solving problems and making decisions. Through my service as Chairman of the Affordable Housing Commission and the Regional Housing Committee, and currently as a Zoning Commission alternate, I have gained an understanding of public policy that affects – and increasingly threatens – our local land use decisions. With your support, I will bring this insight and foresight to the Zoning Commission.

I look forward to a public discourse on the issues before us, and am eager to work together both within town government and with you to ensure that Old Lyme continues to be a great place to live for generations to come.

Sincerely,

Michael Fogliano,
Old Lyme.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: So Many Unanwered Questions on Sewers, OLWPCA Member Urges Community to Get Involved

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To the Editor:

I recently volunteered to join the OLWPCA [Old Lyme Water Pollution Control Authority] because I wanted to serve my community and the town.

 I was hoping that I could help decipher for my neighbors and friends the ambiguity regarding 10-year-old testing, affordable alternatives and ever-increasing project costs. I wanted to learn all I can, but it seems the more we hear, the less we understand. The issues are huge!

 Sewers have become the hot topic on the beach, at the coffee shops and all over town.

 As a WPCA member and a resident of Old Lyme I would like to provide my neighbors with answers to their questions. I cannot! My neighbors and I read the local news and listen to meetings and do our best to stay informed. But there seems to be so much that we still don’t know.

We know Miami Beach bids will be in early to mid August, but Old Lyme Shores has not even set a date yet to go out to bid. They both are supposedly going to be a part of the project. What if they don’t join in? Who pays for their potentially applicable shares of this project? I understand that the OLWPCA Chair is proposing town meetings and referendums for late August and early September, I wonder why, since significant financial factors to the Town may not be clarified by then.

We hear there is still uncertainty regarding the Cost Sharing Agreement [CSA}. The OLWPCA Chair tells us that the WPCA’s are reviewing and discussing the CSA.

I cannot do what I hoped to do as a member of the OLWPCA. I cannot help my community understand the why, the when or how much this project will cost them. I cannot tell them if it is ‘affordable’. Clearly there is a goal to make this project sound affordable in order to meet the state’s 2% income guideline. My concern is that this ambitious goal will result in many expenses that should beconsidered part of the build and incorporated therefore also in the ‘EDU’ value, will be pushed under the blanket of usage and maintenance. If included as part of the build costs, the entire project could ultimately be construed as UN-affordable! As residents of the beach communities under the gun to get sewers, un-affordability (which many of us already think it is) is very true. We are potentially looking at tens of thousands of dollars in costs! I don’t have that kind of money … do you?

Contractual fees to New London and East Lyme, are not usage. The estimated $700,000 that I think we may owe for bridge work, is not usage. The $100,000 in easements, is not usage. Change orders already identified (before a shovel even goes into the ground), are not usage. Whatever has already been spent in legal fees, consultants, etc., by the OLWPCA and or by Old Colony in regard to the Shared infrastructure, are not usage. Frankly I cannot see how any project expense incurred at this point can be categorized as usage since there has been no usage!  That changes the affordability of the project.

My opinion and that of many is that the Town should take the lead and demand an audit of what the OLWPCA, both past and present and Old Colony with respect to the “Shared group” have spent to date, how much is owed and how much is projected to be owed. My opinion and that of others is that the Town should not move forward without that information.

Come to WPCA and Selectmen’s meetings and speak up, please.

Sincerely,

Brian Cornell,
Old Lyme.

TOP STORY: Old Lyme Racks Up About $13,000 in Legal Fees for Withholding Documents While Shoemaker Foots Bill for $250 Fine

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OLD LYME—Costs for the Town of Old Lyme have exceeded $13,000 to resolve a Freedom of Information complaint from a local news outlet that Old Lyme First Selectwoman Martha Shoemaker held back serious allegations against a member of the independent Old Lyme Ambulance Association.  

A review of legal bills filed at the Town Hall shows the town has spent at least $13,035 to defend Shoemaker in front of the state Freedom of Information Commission (FOIC) since the case began more than a year ago. That is when the CT Examiner appealed to the transparency watchdogs to compel Shoemaker to comply fully with its request for documents, including any allegations of sexual assault or harassment going back to the beginning of 2024.

Shoemaker ultimately produced two incident reports containing accusations that an adult Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) touched an intern inappropriately and repeatedly, according to the testimony of CT Examiner reporter Francisco Uranga. But FOIC hearing officer Valicia Dee Harmon noted 168 days had elapsed since the news outlet asked for the information, and it was only provided after the commission got involved.

The commission in June ordered the town to respond promptly to requests for public documents going forward.

A state police spokesman said the law enforcement investigation into the EMT concluded in December. He was never charged.

The legal invoices from the New London-based Suisman Shapiro firm span the alleged incident in March 2024 through the current bill cycle. 

Since the bills in many instances were not specific enough for LymeLine to independently verify which fees pertained to the case against Shoemaker, the first selectwoman sat down with LymeLine to identify the relevant expenses. 

Included in the legal fees was $3,250 for attorney Kristi D. Kelly to prepare for and attend FOIC hearings in December 2024 and April 2025, plus a meeting of the full commission last month.

Attorneys John A. Collins III and Michael P. Carey, as well as a member of the paralegal staff, joined Kelly in billing the town for numerous emails, conference calls and meetings. Other expenses included reviewing files, redacting documents, corresponding with a commission ombudsman regarding complaint resolution, reading CT Examiner articles on the subject and writing hearing briefs. 

The town pays the attorneys $185 per hour, while paralegal staffers receive $95 per hour. The attorneys receive $37 for any task that takes less than 20 minutes. 

Rare Fine

The FOIC last month also upheld Harmon’s decision to issue a rare $250 civil fine.

Shoemaker took responsibility for the fine. From her office in the Town Hall this week, she showed LymeLine a copy of the check dated earlier this month from her personal account and the green postcard from the United States Postal Service confirming receipt. Russell Blair, spokesman for the FOIC, on Friday said the payment had not yet been processed. 

“I made a mistake,” Shoemaker said. “I paid the fine. And we’ve revamped.” 

Shoemaker in a written follow-up was more specific about the mistakes she made in handling the request for public documents.

She acknowledged receiving the two incident reports in March, which she said she “failed to recall” while responding to multiple Freedom of Information requests in June. 

“When I became aware of the outstanding incident reports at the December FOIA hearing, I directly provided them to the FOIA hearing officer and CT Examiner,” she said.

Kelly last month told the commission she had “no knowledge as one of the town’s attorneys that an incident report even existed” until the December hearing. 

Old Lyme Republican Selectwoman Jude Read, in response to a request for comment, said it sends a bad message when Town Hall officials cover up allegations of sexual assault.

Read is running for reelection on the Republican ticket along with first selectman candidate John Mesham.

“Yes, the town has wasted probably thousands of dollars. Yes, the First Selectwoman has chosen to break the law,” Read said in a written response to LymeLine. “But more importantly, what does it say to every other young man or woman subjected to this kind of thing in the workplace? It says, ‘keep quiet. Don’t talk. We don’t want to know about it.’ And I think that’s just plain wrong.” 

Shoemaker this week apologized for failing to recall the documents.

“I am sorry for this oversight,” she said. “I take full responsibility for it, and have initiated additional FOIA processes at Town Hall.”

The hearing officer in her decision acknowledged Shoemaker has implemented a more formal process for logging and tracking Freedom of Information requests, assigned an administrative assistant to be the point person, and signed up for yearly FOI education training with the commission’s public education officer.

Shoemaker emphasized the trooper investigating the case had access to all of the documents at the onset of his investigation.

The state police spokesman said troopers submitted an arrest warrant to the court, but prosecutors declined to move forward with the case.

Editor’s Note: This article was updated with information from the FOIC spokesman.

TOP STORY: Lyme Democrats Support Unaffiliated Petitioning Candidate Christy Zelek for First Selectman

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The Lyme DTC this week announced a slate of nine candidates while pledging support to two petitioning candidates. From left to right are: (back Row) John Kiker, Walter Burhans, Jim Miller and Kristina White; and (front row) Anna James, Toni Phillips, Christy Zelek, Joan Motyka and Adam Brevoort. Not pictured: Carol House and Susan Leon. Photo courtesy of Lyme DTC.

Democrat Kristina White Seeks Reelection as Petitioning Candidate for Selectman 

LYME–The Lyme Democratic Town Committee (DTC) this week endorsed nine candidates for the Nov. 4 municipal elections, while pledging support to unaffiliated petitioning candidate Christy Zelek for first selectman and Democrat Kristina White for selectman. 

The group met in a Tuesday caucus to approve its slate, according to a press release. 

Zelek will face Republican Tom St. Louis in a rare contested race for first selectman. Election data from the Secretary of the State going back 25 years shows only two elections included challenges for the town’s top spot. 

Lyme DTC Chair John Kiker said Zelek will be the town’s first female first selectman if elected. 

“Christy Zelek has the skills to do a great job as our first  selectman and has our full support,” he said. 

A list of qualifications provided by the DTC show Zelek, who has raised three children in the school system since she moved to town in 2008, has held leadership positions in parent-teacher groups at the high school, middle school and elementary school level and in the local Boy Scouts organization.

She previously served as a member of the Lyme Ambulance Association Board of Directors for four years, including two as vice president. During her tenure there, the board created and expanded an investment program; pursued grants and private funding; and updated the retirement plan with the Lyme Fire Company.

Zelek works as an administrative assistant at Westbrook Middle School.

She told Democrats on Tuesday that she looked forward to the possibility of serving as first selectman. 

“I am grateful to have received the support of the Lyme DTC. I’m running for office because I love this town. My priorities will include keeping our town the beautiful, historic place it is; keeping our financials in check;  keeping our taxes low and supporting our schools; and continuing to address our town’s capital  needs, such as our roads, bridges and town equipment,” she said. 

Lyme DTC Nominating Committee Chairperson Liz Frankel touted the slate, which includes incumbent candidates John Kiker for selectman, Jim Miller for Board of Finance and Anna James for the Region 18 Board of  Education.

“All totaled, we are supporting a group of 11 candidates for each available board and  commission opening this year to ensure our values continue to be well-represented on town  boards and commissions,” Frankel said. “We are proud to support this talented group of individuals who are  not only highly qualified, but extremely interested in serving the town we all love and cherish.” 

Frankel said state election law dictates the committee can nominate only one candidate for selectman, so Democrats will once again run Kiker on the slate while “actively supporting Kristina’s reelection as a petitioning candidate.”

“They’ve both done an excellent job on the Board of Selectmen and we want to see them both continue to serve our town,” she said.  

Connecticut’s minority representation laws prohibit more than two members of the same political party from serving on a three-member board. In Lyme, each party may nominate only one candidate for selectman.

The following candidates were endorsed by the DTC to run on the Democratic ballot line in the November election. They are all serving currently.

John Kiker – Selectman 

Jim Miller – Board of Finance (U)

Walter Burhans – Board of Finance Alternate (U)

Anna James – Board of Education 

Carol House – Planning & Zoning Commission 

Toni Phillips – Zoning Board of Appeals 

Adam Brevoort – Zoning Board of Appeals Alternate 

Joan Motyka – Library Board of Directors (U)

Susan Leon – Library Board of Directors 

TOP STORY: Lyme Republicans Endorse Tom St. Louis for First Selectman

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The Lyme RTC this week announced a slate of 11 candidates. From left to right are: (standing) Mitchell Etess, Steven Deveaux, Tom St. Louis, Corey Lomas, Isaiah Griffith and Stephen Buccheri; and (sitting) Jennifer Tiffany, Mary Powell-St. Louis and Lannie Mossberg. Not pictured are Harry “Skip” Broom and Lori Caine.

Mitchell Etess, Retired Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority CEO, Tapped for Board of Finance

LYME–The Republican Town Committee (RTC) this week endorsed the husband-and-wife team of Tom St. Louis for first selectman and Mary Powell-St. Louis for selectman. 

The Republican’s 11-member slate also includes retired Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority CEO Mitchell Etess for Board of Finance. 

St. Louis will face unaffiliated petitioning candidate Christy Zelek in a rare contested race for first selectman. Election data from the Secretary of the State going back 25 years show only two elections included challenges for the town’s top spot. 

St. Louis on Wednesday said he retired from Pfizer two years ago as the director of a manufacturing group operating across multiple facilities. He cited familiarity with federal and state labor law and experience managing people and budgets. 

The candidate said he was compelled to run after the Connecticut General Assembly passed a comprehensive bill to make housing more accessible. Gov. Ned Lamont vetoed the bill largely because of opposition from town leaders, who didn’t want to be required to plan for more housing based on targets set by the state. 

He said he could see the local implications of the proposal from his seat as an alternate member of the Planning & Zoning Commission for more than three years. 

“It was apparent that the state was now clawing back at the autonomy that they had given us decades ago to manage our own zoning,” he said.  

He is not running for reelection to the Planning & Zoning alternate seat, which is up in November. 

St. Louis and Powell-St. Louis raised three boys in the local school system and served as longtime leaders in the Boy Scout organization. 

Powell-St. Louis, who is the RTC chairman, previously served two terms on the Region 18 Board of Education. She said she was spurred to run for selectman this year after successfully engaging the public in reversing a decision by the school board to eliminate a music teaching position from the district budget that she said would have a cascading effect on arts instruction across the district.   

She said the Republican slate includes a mix of experienced and first-time candidates. Among the newcomers is Etess, who expressed an interest in serving after being approached by St. Louis and Powell-St. Louis with the idea. 

“I think the Lyme Republican Town Committee is very enthusiastic about our slate,” she said. “We are very happy to be able to have options for the community of Lyme, and all of us that are on the slate are looking forward to serving.” 

The following candidates were endorsed by the Lyme RTC to run for election in November: (*incumbent, +current alternate)

Tom St. Louis – First Selectman

Mary Powell-St. Louis – Selectman

Mitchell Etess – Board of Finance 

Corey Lomas – Board of Finance Alternate 

Harry Broom Jr.* – Board of Assessment Appeals

Lannie Mossberg – Board of Education (U)

Jennifer Tiffany+ – Planning & Zoning Commission 

Steven Deveaux – Planning & Zoning Commission Alternate

Stephen Buccheri – Zoning Board of Appeals 

Isaiah Griffith – Zoning Board of Appeals Alternate 

Lori Caine* – Library Board of Directors

Editor’s Note: This article was updated with a name omitted from the slate.