Tag Archives: zoning commission

Op-Ed: Can Old Lyme Government Make Better, Faster Decisions? Thinking Outside The Box

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Editor’s Note: This op-ed was submitted by George Frampton Jr. of Old Lyme.

The unusual partisan political divisiveness that crept into the elections in Old Lyme last week seems to have been laden, at least in part, with charges on both sides (and some public concern) about how Town government operates. 

These charges include complaints that local officials don’t move important issues forward diligently, that decisions sometimes take place ‘behind closed doors’, that the public is not provided with enough of the factual information key to those decisions, and finally, that officials omit how that information is being evaluated and processed to reach final decisions. 

Any such local disaffection can hardly be a matter of partisan ideology, however, since Republican, Democratic and unaffiliated voters in Old Lyme all favor strikingly similar goals and policies for the Town. What is more clearly responsible are the limitations imposed by the structure of the government itself.

As a resident who visited family here for decades and moved here permanently five years ago, and started off in a dispute with Town government, I have had an opportunity to observe intensively how Old Lyme government actually works (or rather, doesn’t work).  I have seen, in particular, how it has addressed two major issues facing the community over the past decade — beach sewers, and the development/zoning of Hall’s Road.

As it turns out, local government in Connecticut often doesn’t work well because state public meeting laws and traditions dating to colonial times make it extremely difficult for the main body of the community’s elected decision-makers — the Board of Selectmen (BOS) — even to communicate with one another about difficult policy decisions except at publicly noticed formal board meetings. 

In turn, the BOS struggles to communicate with the slew of semi-independent ‘commissions’ that also have an important and decentralized (even balkanized) role in final decisions. This situation creates a dynamic in which it is even harder for government officials easily to share their analysis or have robust discussions with the public. These antiquated legal restrictions seriously impede voters’ ability to review and evaluate how public officials are marshaling and analyzing the information necessary to make sound choices. 

There are some potential fixes for these built-in handicaps. But they don’t lie in partisan politics. Rather, they require leadership and innovation to institute workarounds that could at least marginally improve the decision-making process, facilitate internal and external communication, and foster a greater sense of transparency in Town government.

For major issues facing the Town, two workarounds involve centralizing leadership and making sure boards with authority work together. To accomplish both goals as they relate to major Town projects, a single ‘project director’ should be engaged — hired part-time or full-time — to manage and oversee the Town’s work under the supervision of the First Selectperson (who generally does not have the time or bandwidth to develop deep understanding or manage the necessary coordination to move such issues forward). The project manager would be working, however, on behalf of and reporting to the full Board of Selectmen and, when appropriate, to the public. 

This is an idea that has been put forward before, most articulately in an article by Howard Margules published in olwenonline.com/ last year. Given the rhetoric of the last election, now is clearly the right time to embrace it. 

For example, the future of Hall’s Road clearly requires a complete Town reset and is an important enough long-term issue — key to the Town’s personality and economy for many future decades — to justify hiring and empowering a project director. 

Then, rather than tasking the Zoning, Planning and Economic Development commissions with working together on the challenge (a necessary but virtually impossible task), the project director could engage flexibly and in alignment with each, and as the connecting link between all of these committees and the BOS —take the lead in engaging and reporting the outcome of these discussions to the public.

The first job of the Hall’s Road project manager should be simply to sketch out roughly three or four different preferred ‘visions’ for what the north side of Halls Road should look like, then conduct a quick Town survey and a workshop or two to identify the most attractive alternatives, or possibly the top two approaches. This is initially a planning issue and an economic development issue more than a zoning issue. 

The project manager would then be able to steer collaboration between all three commissions and the BOS in the upcoming overall Town-wide zoning review to design a template that maximizes the incentives for any owner-developers to implement the Town’s vision for the north side of Hall’s Road and consider more creative alternatives that might be available to ensure that the Town’s vision is realized.

Should the beach community sewer issue also require a reset, a project manager would be essential in considering the bewildering slew of bodies that have some jurisdiction over ultimate decision-making. These include several independent water/sewer bodies for the Town and beaches, the state Department of Environment (DEEP), the finance commission, the BOS, and others. 

To explore a whole new set of options is certainly going to require much more involvement with DEEP and probably other state agencies, new pollution studies and serious exploration of the new technology that has come available in the past ten years. 

A new project director would be essential to work with the relevant local boards and authorities as well as the State of Connecticut, to develop new alternatives and ensure both decision-makers and the public receive transparent information necessary to make final decisions. 

There are other more detailed ways to adjust and even revise current procedures for how Town boards bodies operate to increase public engagement, efficiency and public transparency that are well within the bounds of existing state open meeting laws. Now is the time for an administration that has just retained its mandate but needs to continue to merit public support to assess and adopt such steps. 

If Old Lyme voters want more effective Town government, the best route is not to complain and blame those in either political party, who devote substantial parts of their lives to public service in this effort, but to support innovative ways to enable them to do their jobs better.

Old Lyme Zoning Commission Resoundingly Rejects Overlay Proposal, Calls for Cooperation in Determining Future of Halls Road

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An audience of around 80 in the Town Hall Meeting Room and those watching remotely listened as the Old Lyme Zoning Commission voted 4-1 to reject the Halls Road Overlay District proposal.

Controlling Destiny … and Density

OLD LYME – Change is going to come to Halls Road, but the Zoning Commission on Monday said now is not the time. 

In front of an audience of around 80, the commission voted 4-1 to deny a proposal created by the Halls Road Improvements Committee (HRIC) for an Overlay District to allow apartments and condominiums to be built above, or behind, ground-floor businesses set close to the street. 

Commission members credited their decision to a groundswell of opposition manifested in “Overlay? No Way!” signs all over town as well as in comments on social media and at public meetings. Concerns revolved around the hazards of allowing multi-family residential development in a commercial area with limited septic availability and no sewers. Critics also called out a lack of information and not enough opportunity for residents to get involved in the process. 

Denise Savageau, a former alternate member, who was elected to a full seat last November, told commission members during their deliberations that she shared the frustration of residents that felt they were left out.

A retired environmental planner, who now serves on numerous state-level commissions concerned with natural resources, Savageau said there needs to be more involvement from the Planning Commission, Zoning Commission and other relevant agencies in coming up with changes to Halls Road regulations. And the discussions need to be conveyed clearly to the public at every step.

“I want to stress that this is not about the Halls Road Improvement Committee, but about the silos that have been created by all of the land use commissions in town,” she said. 

She described issues such as climate change and a lack of affordable housing options — both of which are subject to more state mandates with each passing year — that require local regulations to evolve. 

“The changes are going to come,” she said. “We need to plan.” 

The failed overlay district application is the latest in an effort going back more than a decade to improve the three-quarter-of-a-mile strip between two Interstate 95 interchanges that feed the town’s historic district and its shoreline. First there were calls for sidewalks; then came the possibility of village-like storefronts and apartments, a pedestrian bridge and more greenspace. Much disagreement and several discarded plans later, one of the only areas of widespread agreement is that Halls Road remains unattractive.

Some want big changes. Some want more modest aesthetic improvements. Others are fine with the way things are.

Member Jane Marsh in her deliberations recalled the commercial zone’s origin in the middle of the last century as a place people could easily access and find a place to park amid the rise of suburbanization. 

“It was created because it wasn’t going to be the most fabulously beautiful location in town. It was going to be functional and pragmatic for people, and that’s how it got built,” she said. “… It serves its purpose. It may not be very beautiful, but I don’t expect it to be beautiful, actually. I expect it to be the way it is.”

The overlay district proposal was approved by the Board of Selectmen in a 2-1 vote in November. It was endorsed 5-0 by the Planning Commission in January. 

Having a Conversation

One of the loudest voices against the overlay proposal was Robin Breeding, an artist whose social media posts and graphic design helped galvanize the opposition. Many people did not find out about the overlay district proposal until she began to publicize the issue after a sparsely attended public hearing in January. 

She welcomed the Zoning Commission’s decision in a phone interview Tuesday. 

“People didn’t know this was happening a month and a half ago,” she said of the overlay district proposal. “They thought it was going to be the sidewalks and that pretty stuff that they talked about in the beginning. And then they started to realize that it wasn’t that any longer. And they started to learn about what it was.”

She said the contention that the plan would help address a need for affordable housing was inaccurate. With the state pushing for towns to ensure at least 10% of their housing stock is affordable to lower income households, she argued the Halls Road Overlay District plan to require one out of every 10 housing units to be rented or sold at affordable rates wouldn’t advance the town’s obligation by even one percentage point. 

Only 1.58% of the town’s housing stock is currently affordable by state standards, according to data from the state Department of Housing. 

She said the overlay proposal threatened to drive out existing small businesses — many of them service providers in office settings — through its focus on new development and ground-floor retail options to be built over time if there’s enough interest from developers. 

“And so it was basically saying, ‘We don’t care about you now,’” she said of the plan. “‘We only care about some future pie-in-the-sky version of what this could be, but we can’t guarantee it.”

She said the ongoing overhaul of the zoning regulations by an outside firm presents a new opportunity for the public to learn about and become involved in the process of improving the town, including Halls Road. 

The $129,776 update of the town’s zoning regulations is being conducted by the Hartford-based FHI Studio. 

The planning and design firm was hired late last year to embark on a year-and-a-half-long project to clean up existing language in the regulations and then engage the public in discussion about potential changes as to what can be built in town, and where. 

When it comes to the kind of changes that residents of Old Lyme have a tolerance for, Breeding cited sidewalks as a good place to start. 

“And let’s have a conversation with the town, and talk to the town about how they want to move forward,” she said. 

For and Against

Commission Chairman Paul Orzel during the hearing said the public opposition brought to light some questions that have gone unanswered. 

Estimates for how many units could be built under the overlay application range from 200 to 1,200, depending on who’s doing the calculation and which variables are considered. 

“I’m a firm believer in controlling my destiny,” Orzel said. But the proposal as he saw it left too much to chance. 

Member Mike Miller applauded the residents, who spoke up against the plan. He said he shared their concerns related to the environment, tax increases and the effect of more residents on the school system and the delivery of public safety services. 

He called for a return to the basics. 

“There are many things that the HRIC brought up to our attention that are good. For example, the original charter of sidewalks and landscaping,” he said. “I think we need to have a safe corridor for pedestrian traffic for the kids from school. We have our students that come into town and work the shops. There are things that we can do.”

The lone vote not to deny the application came from Mary Jo Nosal, a former selectwoman who disputed the contention that the public hadn’t been a part of the process. She cited public surveys, various workshops, town update meetings, annual budget approvals, and reviews and input by local agencies including the Zoning Commission, Planning Commission and Board of Selectmen. 

She recalled that a master plan to guide improvements on Halls Road emerged as a response to efforts from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to run high-speed trains through Old Lyme. 

Fears of the FRA’s plan slowed home sales and threatened business closures, according to Nosal. 

“The town also faced a scarcity of housing and office space options, and still does,” she said. “Long time residents had nowhere to live once they sold the family home; our children could not return to their hometown as there was nowhere for them to live and certainly afford; and community workers — teachers, healthcare workers, beauticians, grocery store workers — could not find an affordable home in town. Electric Boat was beginning its exponential growth but these professionals could not find a home here.”

She said the guiding question at the time was how to maintain and attract business and make housing more available, “While making it harder for the FRA to bulldoze our community.”

“The result was the development of the master plan for Halls Road and the effort to protect and improve our town center while being able to apply for state and federal grants for various improvements and bring in design experts to guide the process,” she said.

Nosal acknowledged many in the community feel the process behind the overlay proposal was flawed. 

“The Town of Old Lyme could look to improve the process for future town regulations and assure that more town meetings, land use joint meetings and significant planning occur as a lead-up to planning and zoning review,” she said. “But it cannot be denied nor should we dismiss the fact that many residents, the non-profits and business owners were represented in the process.”

Next Steps

After the vote First Selectwoman Martha Shoemaker said the Board of Selectmen will discuss the issue at a meeting over the next few weeks. She said Halls Road Improvements Committee Chairwoman Edie Twining has already expressed interest in working together to plan the next steps.

Twining on Monday night declined to give her own comment. But she referred to Denise Savageau’s speech on the need for town boards and commissions to work together — rather than in silos — so they could better inform and invite participation from the public. 

Twining could be seen during the meeting taking notes as Savageau spoke.

“Denise was 100% correct,” Twining said.

Editor’s Notes: i) Mary Jo Nosal is a financial supporter of LymeLine.com, but has no input to the editorial process, which remains completely independent.
ii) A reminder of Our Policy on Comments.

News in Brief: Old Lyme Zoning Commission Rejects Controversial Overlay Proposal

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OLD LYME – The Zoning Commission on Monday evening voted decisively to quash a proposal intended by its proponents to transform Halls Road over time into a livable, walkable, ‘shoppable’ town center. 

Members of the commission credited vocal opposition evident in the “No Way Overlay” movement and called for engagement from local land use officials and residents in crafting an alternate future for the short span of road between two highway interchanges. 

The vote to deny the application passed 4-1. The lone dissenting vote came from Democrat Mary Jo Nosal.  

The proposal hinged on the creation of a voluntary overlay district on Halls Road that would allow apartments and condominiums to be built above, or behind, ground-floor businesses set close to the street. The underlying commercial district that had allowed for construction of strip malls and mostly one- and two-story businesses over the latter half of the last century would have remained intact for property owners who weren’t interested in adding a residential component to their plans for retail shops, restaurants and offices. 

The overlay district proposal, created by the Halls Road Improvements Committee, was approved by the Old Lyme Board of Selectmen in a 2-1 vote in November. The application to the Zoning Commission was signed by First Selectwoman Martha Shoemaker. 

Shoemaker earlier in the day resisted calls to withdraw the application. She said she would let the zoning process come to its own conclusion.

Zoning Commission member Jane Marsh, in explaining her decision, referenced the final session of a public hearing that concluded last week in front of an audience in the Lyme-Old Lyme High School auditorium that maxed out the room’s 550-person capacity and left upwards of 100 people unable to get in. 

A majority of those in attendance at the time held “Vote No” signs. They spoke about the potential for too many apartments and condominiums – anywhere from 200 to 1,200 of them, depending on who was doing the calculation and which variables were considered – in a location with limited septic options and no public sewer system. They called out a lack of information throughout the years-long process and not enough opportunity for residents to get involved. 

Marsh said she voted against the proposal, “Primarily because of everybody who came to that public hearing.”

Shoemaker after the vote said the Board of Selectmen will discuss how to move forward on improving Halls Road at a meeting over the next few weeks. She said Halls Road Improvements Committee Chairwoman Edie Twining has already expressed interest in working together to plan the next steps.

Twining on Monday night declined to give her own comment. But she referred to an impassioned speech from Zoning Commission member Denise Savageau, who called on members of the Planning Commission, Zoning Commission and other relevant agencies to work together with input from the public – instead of working in “silos” – to come up with a new plan.

Twining could be seen during the meeting taking notes as Savageau spoke.

“Denise was 100% correct,” she said afterward.

Editor’s Notes: i) This story has been updated with a change in the opening sentence.
ii) Full story coming Tuesday.
iii) A reminder of Our Policy on Comments.

Letter to the Editor: First Selectwoman Not Withdrawing Halls Rd. Overlay District Application, Review Process to Continue Per State Regulations at Zoning Meeting Tonight

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To the Editor:

An Open Letter to the Residents and Taxpayers of Old Lyme:

During the past few weeks, hundreds of residents have expressed their opinions, both positive and negative, to the Board of Selectmen, the Planning Commission and the Zoning Commission regarding the Halls Road Overlay District (HROD) application. 

As interest in the application has grown, so have questions about the application process. 

I want to take a moment to assure all residents of two things. 

First, the Town of Old Lyme is following the application process that every town in Connecticut is required to follow when it comes to potentially changing zoning regulations. The process is designed so that elected officials on all relevant boards and commissions can review the application in the context of a town’s Plan for Conservation & Development, solicit public input and then make the best decisions for the town. 

Second, everyone’s opinions – whether of concern or support – have been reviewed and carefully considered by the members of the Board of Selectmen, the Planning Commission, the Zoning Commission and the Halls Road Improvement Committee. Public input and feedback are an integral part of the application process. 

After the most recent Zoning Commission meeting on April 9, which was attended by some 550 residents, I have received multiple requests from opponents of the application to withdraw the application from further consideration. 

I am not planning to do that for the two reasons I just mentioned. We are following the required process, and the appropriate boards and commissions are soliciting and considering everyone’s opinions. 

I will also add that, in recent weeks, some of the public comments being made on social media have morphed into personal attacks against the volunteers who have served on the Halls Road Improvements Committee. These comments are unkind and do not relate to the issue. 

As the application process moves forward, I would like to request that everyone be respectful of the dedicated volunteers who give their time and skills to our town, even when and if their opinions may be different from your own. 

Sincerely,

Martha H. Shoemaker,
Old Lyme.

Editor’s Note: The author is the First Selectwoman of Old Lyme.

Halls Rd. Overlay District Proposal Faces Uncertain Future in Old Lyme, Overflow Crowd Overwhelmingly Opposes Project

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The Old Lyme Zoning Commission closed the public hearing on the Halls Road Overlay District application April 9, 2025 in front of a packed auditorium at the Lyme-Old Lyme High School. All photos by E. Regan.

OLD LYME—About 550 people converged in the Lyme-Old Lyme High School auditorium Wednesday evening, many of them armed with “Vote No” signs and deeply-held ideals about preserving their small town’s character, as they fought a plan to bring apartments and condominiums to Halls Road. 

The Old Lyme Zoning Commission voted unanimously to close the public hearing on the Halls Road Overlay District around 9:45 p.m. after roughly 40 people got up to speak. The subject was a highly controversial application for the creation of an overlay district on Halls Road that could allow as many as 40 housing units per acre to be built above, or behind, ground-floor businesses set close to the street in the 40-acre zone.  

Residents and vocal project critics Ron and Julie Malloy said they had about 500 of the “Vote No” signs printed. By the start of the meeting, only a few were left in their stack. There were also up to 100 people waiting in the hall because Old Lyme Fire Marshal Dave Roberge, per state fire code, could let no more people inside the room. 

The intent of the proposal, which has evolved over multiple years under the guidance of the Halls Road Improvements Committee (HRIC) and its chairwoman Edie Twining, is to create over time a vibrant, walkable neighborhood where strip malls now stand. 

The overlay district proposal, created by the HRIC, was approved by the Old Lyme Board of Selectmen in a 2-1 vote in November. The application to the Zoning Commission was signed by First Selectwoman Martha Shoemaker. 

The HRIC was represented at the hearing by Attorney William Sweeney, who told the commission he’s been working with the group since 2022. 

The long-awaited meeting was the culmination of a process that had invited public input since January. No new information can be presented now that the hearing has concluded. The commission has 65 days to consider the evidence and reach a decision.

While demands for a town wide referendum on the issue have been a popular refrain on social media and in public meetings, Land Use Coordinator Eric Knapp said that’s simply not possible. 

Once a town creates a zoning commission, according to Knapp, state law is clear that only the zoning commission has the power to make or amend regulations. 

“You can’t call a referendum on this. The only choice you have at this point is abolish the zoning commission, abolish zoning regulations and start over,” he said, adding, “Which I don’t recommend.” 

Opposition Arguments

Differing interpretations of the overlay proposal estimate there could be anywhere from 200 to 1,200 apartments built if the plan goes into effect. But even on the low end, opponents decried what they characterized as a disastrous effect on the environment, school enrollment, traffic and their overall quality of life in the rural community of 7,628 year-round residents. 

The lack of sewer service in the area was also cited as a roadblock by many residents.

Proponents argued the proposed district would bolster the local economy and meet a vital need in a state where demand for housing exceeds the supply — and in a town where a vast majority of places to live are single-family homes. They said young adults, who grew up here, can’t afford to come back and older people looking to downsize, can’t stay. 

The arguments in favor of the overlay district didn’t sway an immigrant from Argentina, a young adult living with her grandmother, and a San Diego transplant who each called for Old Lyme not to change. 

Elizabeth Rex said she couldn’t afford to live in California again—even if she wanted to. 

“I couldn’t even afford a studio apartment there now. But I’m not going to go home and demand that housing is built to accommodate me because I want to move back,” she said. “No! I moved to glorious Connecticut, which I love. I love this small town. It’s stunning. I love the farms nearby. I love the rivers. It’s gorgeous. Keep it this way.” 

Maddie Sylvestri came to Old Lyme to live with her grandmother after growing up in Pittsburgh. She said the component of the overlay plan, which calls for 10% of the housing units to be rented out at rates considered affordable by state standards, won’t make a dent in the housing problem. 

“Only 10% affordable living is just not going to meet the needs of young people in this economy,” Silvestri said.  

Under the affordable housing provisions of the proposed overlay district, a single person making $69,840 a year would qualify for a rent of $1,746 per month for a studio apartment, according to the most recent rent limits set by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. 

Resident Russell Todd, a member of the Historic District Commission who said he was speaking only for himself and his wife, said the proposal, “Represents a significant shift toward urbanization.” 

He said the amount of housing, the size of the buildings and the lack of attractive green space threaten Old Lyme’s small-town identity that drew the couple to Old Lyme in the first place. 

Robin Breeding, a familiar name on social media in posts bringing attention to the overlay district proposal, said the plan is full of contradictions.

“On one hand, advocates of the overlay say their plan calls for only a couple of hundred new apartments on Halls Road. On the other hand, they insist again, against the advice of this commission, to include parking garages,” she said. “That would only make economic sense if they build over a thousand units.”

She also argued against the contention that the overlay district would prevent construction of new gas stations and highway services. That’s because the underlying commercial district is still in place as an avenue for those who don’t want to build mixed-use developments on Halls Road.

The Pros

Proponents of the plan outlined a vision for a Main Street-type feel that was characteristic of nearby Lyme Street before most commercial offerings were pushed off the historic, tree-lined expanse and onto Rte. 1. They said the proposed regulation includes more modern requirements to protect the environment and relies on design guidelines that go further to enhance the town’s rural feel than the existing commercial zone. 

In similar fashion to Breeding—but this time, supporting the proposal—Kimberly Thompson, chairwoman of the Old Lyme Democratic Town Committee, spoke of contradictory information from those against the plan.

She cited concerns from opponents about the lack of space for septic systems, proximity to the river and ensuring that open space remains protected.

“By definition, those things are going to limit the development in this area,” she said. “And I support the overlay district because those things exist, because there’s going to be review of septic and wastewater plans, because The Lieutenant River is governed by the Gateway Commission, and they are going to have input on what can go there. And because the land trust owns spaces here and their mission is to preserve that space.”

Alex Twining, a successful real estate developer and brother of the Halls Road Improvements Committee Chairwoman, said Halls Road is currently functional but not inviting. 

“Imagine a better vision: A tree-lined Halls Road with sidewalks, bike paths, and shops you can stroll between, park once, stop in a few stores, meet your friend at a cafe, and maybe keep walking to the river or boat landing. Less driving, less hassle, and more pleasant,” he said. 

This vision won’t happen overnight, and places like Big Y will be there for a long time. But with time, new shops and restaurants can begin to open along the street,” he added. 

The businessman invoked the ire of the raucous crowd, which was again reprimanded by Zoning Commission Chairman Paul Orzel, to be respectful. 

Edie Twining has been the subject of speculation on social media by those, who accuse her of seeking financial gain for her family, by advocating for the overlay district. 

Nell Twining stood up to defend her husband and sister-in-law against what she described as, “Paranoid speculation, conspiracy theories, and repulsive accusations.” 

“Neither Alex nor I own property nor have any financial interest on Halls Road or in the proposed overlay district,” Nell Twining said. 

“And to those who express suspicions of why my sister-in-law has worked so hard as a volunteer on the Halls Road Committee: Volunteer community service has been important in the Twining family for generations,” she added. 

The 550-person capacity of Lyme-Old Lyme High School ‘s auditorium was reached Wednesday night before the Old Lyme Zoning Commission’s Public Hearing on the Halls Road Improvements Committee Overlay District proposal began.

Being Heard

The public hearing had been open almost three times as long as the 35 days authorized in state statute. The commission was forced to close it when an extension already granted by the applicant was not renewed Wednesday. 

Multiple people had called for the hearing to remain open so those who had been turned away would have time to hear and be heard. 

Knapp, the land use coordinator, explained early in the meeting that technological limitations at the high school made it impossible to broadcast the meeting remotely.

The move to close the hearing came after Zoning Chairman Orzel, at the request of member Michael Miller, asked if the applicant would be willing to extend the public hearing. State statute specifies all extensions must be approved by the applicant. 

Sweeney said his client was “not interested in extending” the hearing. 

Edie Twining could not be reached for comment Thursday, and Sweeney said he was not authorized to speak for the committee. 

Shoemaker, Old Lyme’s First Selectwoman, on Thursday acknowledged calls by residents like Shaun Mastroianni for her to withdraw the application she’d signed in November. 

Mastroianni ran an unsuccessful campaign for state Senate as the Republican candidate in the 20th District race against Democrat Martha Marx. 

Mastroianni used his two minutes at the microphone during the public hearing to emphasize he does not want to see Old Lyme become another Mystic and to ask residents to reach out to the Board of Selectmen to get them to withdraw the application. 

“I urge you, tonight, tomorrow, to write to your first selectwoman that is sitting – hiding – in the back,” he said. 

Shoemaker said she was in the first row of the balcony. 

“I wasn’t hiding,” she said. “I was listening.” 

Shoemaker said she would hold off on making any decisions on rescinding the proposal until Thursday’s 7 p.m. meeting of the Halls Road Improvement Committee was over. 

“I’m waiting to hear their thoughts,” she said. “And I think that because they had put so much time and effort into it, I owe them the time for discussion.”

Editor’s Notes: i) Visit this link for our brief story published earlier today shortly after Wednesdays’ meeting ended.
ii) Visit this link to read our preview story of Wednesday evening’s meeting, which contains a great deal of background to the current situation.
iii) Visit this link for a reminder of Our Policy on Comments.