Tag Archives: Old Lyme election 2025

Letter to the Editor: Don’t Reelect HROD Advocates Shoemaker, Lampos; Vote Row B

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Dear Editor:

The Halls Road Overlay District or HROD was fortunately defeated by the Old Lyme Zoning Commission, but only after the majority of Old Lyme voters and taxpayers made their voices known. The battle cry was: Overlay – NO WAY. Yay!

HROD would have allowed huge buildings for mixed-use housing, retail, and restaurants to be built with multi-story parking garages along the front of Halls Road. The whole scheme was an absurd attempt of a few people to forever alter Old Lyme’s character.

The fact that this proposal ever made it by the Town’s Planning Commission is staggering at best. What is more, the HROD proposal paid no attention to three main problems:

A. Halls Road is a State Road, not a town road and is the alternate traffic route through Old Lyme when I-95 backs up, a common occurrence. Traffic problems would become untenable.

B. There is not sufficient aquifer water for wells along Halls Road to support such development volume. This could lead to water quality issues for existing property owners.

C. There is not sufficient land present on Halls Road to provide adequate septic systems to make such growth feasible. This would lead to sewers being required and where would that take the town?

As a former owner (40%) of the Old Lyme shopping center for 20 years, I am very familiar with the septic situation in the area. Our system, though fragile, worked for many years, but for example, it can accommodate the sewage of only ONE real restaurant and no other major users of wastewater. As owners, we did, over the years, research the possibilities of sewage disposal in the area. Studies indicated the ground would not permit it.

I was shocked to hear of the proposed “overlay” project for so many dwellings along Halls Road in the shopping center. Had they not done their homework? Then, I was even more surprised to discover that two of our “Selectmen” were championing the crazy scheme. Martha Shoemaker and Jim Lampos were elected to “take care of the people of Old Lyme,” not to put them in jeopardy. Now, guilty of either irresponsibility or lack of sound judgment, they are asking the town to reward this incredibly dumb initiative by re-electing them. Go figure!!

This whole initiative was a boondoggle that would only have irreversibly changed Old Lyme and cost the town substantial legal and design study fees.

Don’t re-elect the Advocates of HROD.

Vote Row B this Election.

Bud Canaday,
Old Lyme.

TOP STORY: Old Lyme Zoning Commission Candidates Respond to Our Questions

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Hopefuls Weigh in on Halls Road, Regulation Rewrite and Why They’re Right for the Job

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OLD LYME–With the Zoning Commission deep into the first major rewrite of its regulations in over 15 years, a seat at the five-member table carries more weight than it has in a long time. 

As planners like to say, zoning is destiny. Those three words tell a story that would otherwise take hundreds of pages of local codes—and a stack of maps—to explain: The rules about what we can build, and where we can build it, are the most powerful tool a town has to shape its future.

Recognizing the commission’s critical role in a pivotal year, we invited the candidates to answer four questions. You can find the responses here in their own words. 

This year’s race for a full seat on the Zoning Commission pits current Zoning Commission alternate Michael Fogliano, an unaffiliated candidate endorsed by the Democrats, against former alternate Sloan Danenhower, an unaffiliated candidate running under the Republican banner. The term begins Nov. 18. Incumbent commission member Jane Marsh, R, is running unchallenged for a term beginning in November 2026. 

The candidates responded with a 350-word limit to four questions that we posed. We thank them for responding in a timely fashion and adhering to our rules.

Click on each name below to learn more about them in their own words. 

  1. Why are you running for the Zoning Commission, and what skills or experiences make you the right candidate for that role?
  2. Despite a decade-long effort to create a vision for Halls Road that the community can support, the goal remains out of sight. What do YOU want the future of Halls Road to look like, and what role should the Zoning Commission have in making it happen? 
  3. Old Lyme, like the other municipalities in the state, is being called upon to increase the availability of affordable housing. Do you think Old Lyme needs more diverse housing options, and what part does the Zoning Commission play in ensuring the appropriate amount of residential development in town? 
  4. In order of importance, what do you see as the top three challenges facing the commission over the next five years?

Candidates for Old Lyme Zoning Commission, term beginning 2025

Michael Fogliano (U)

Sloan Danenhower (U)

Candidate for Old Lyme Zoning Commission, term beginning 2026

Jane Marsh (R-incumbent)

Plan Ahead: Early Voting, Absentee Ballots, and Election Day in Lyme, Old Lyme

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LYME/OLD LYME —We’re doing all we can over the next few weeks to inform you about this year’s municipal election through candidate Q&A features, profiles of key races and a Letters to the Editor section open to all viewpoints.

Now, it’s up to you to turn knowledge into power at the voting booth. Check out this schedule to learn everything you need to know about where and when to cast your ballot in Lyme and Old Lyme. 

OLD LYME

Early Voting

Where: Old Lyme Memorial Town Hall Meeting Room,  52 Lyme Street

When: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Oct. 20–27, 29, 31

 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., October 28 and 30

 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., November 1 and  2

Election Day Voting

Where: Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School gymnasium, 53 Lyme St.

When: 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. 

Same Day Registration

Those who are not registered to vote may register in person every day of Early Voting at the Town Hall. If you want to vote on Election Day but have not yet registered, you may register in person on Nov. 4 at the Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School gymnasium. 

Absentee Ballots

Applications are available through the Town Clerk’s office. They can be returned by mail, deposited in the secure absentee drop box outside the town hall, or handed to the town clerk. Completed absentee ballots must be received at the Town Clerk’s office by 8 p.m. on Election Day. 

LYME

Early Voting

Where: Lyme Town Hall, 480 Hamburg Road

When: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Oct. 20–27, 29, 31

8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Oct. 28 and 30

10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Nov. 1 and 2

Election Day Voting

Where: Lyme Town Hall, 480 Hamburg Road

When: 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. 

Same Day Registration

Those who are not registered to vote may register in person at the Town Hall during early voting hours and on Election Day. 

Absentee Ballots

Applications are available through the Town Clerk’s office. They can be returned by mail, deposited in the secure absentee drop box outside the town hall, or handed to the town clerk. Completed absentee ballots must be received at the Town Clerk’s office by 8 p.m. on Election Day. 

TOP STORY: Old Lyme Board of Selectmen Candidates Respond to Our Questions

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Candidates Weigh in on Halls Road, Climate Change and Taxes

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OLD LYME–In a rematch of the election that put Democrat Martha Shoemaker in the town’s top spot two years ago, this year’s Board of Selectmen race promises lively discussions about successes, failures and each candidate’s vision for the future. 

The candidates responded with a 350-word limit to four questions that we posed. We thank them for responding in a timely fashion and adhering to our rules.

Click on each name below to learn more about them in their own words. 

  1. Why are you running for the Old Lyme Board of Selectmen, and what do you see as the most important challenges facing the town in the next two years?
  2. The pace and scale of development on Old Lyme has been a key issue in town, from the prospect of apartments on Halls Road to the implications that sewers might have for the shoreline gateway. How would you describe Old Lyme as it is today, and what is your vision for the town’s future?
  3. How important are shoreline environmental issues—such as flooding, beach erosion, water quality, and climate change—to Old Lyme’s long-term vitality, and what steps would you take to address them?
  4. What would you do to ensure that rising property taxes don’t make Old Lyme unaffordable for residents?

Candidates for Old Lyme First Selectman

Martha Shoemaker (D—incumbent)

John Mesham (R)

Candidates for Old Lyme Selectman

Jim Lampos (D—incumbent)

Jude Read (R—incumbent)

In Old Lyme, all Board of Selectmen seats are up for election every two years. Voters will be asked to vote for one candidate for first selectman and one candidate for selectman. The winner of the first selectman contest wins the title, with the next two highest vote-getters securing spots as selectmen. State law specifies no more than two members of the Board of Selectmen can be from the same party.

Absentee ballots for the Nov. 4 election are available now. Early voting begins Oct. 20.

In keeping with our long-held tradition, we will not be making candidate endorsements.