The next Representative Town Meeting (RTM) agenda (June 2, 7:30 p.m., Town Hall auditorium) includes:
- Approving $80,890 for over-budget railroad station snow removal
- Approving $135,000 for unanticipated town attorney legal fees
- Approving $931,225 for storm-related Department of Public Works expenses
- Approving $1,394,071 to renovate the Staples High School tennis courts
- Approving $200,000 to support the Wakeman Town Farm barn project (see below).
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A video recording of Wednesday’s Board of Education meeting, concerning an upcoming review of special education, is now available online. Click here to see.
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Wakeman Town Farm celebrated Drinking With Chickens Day Thursday night, with — appropriately — a chance for guests to meet, greet, and cuddle with some of them.
Food and drinks were served. Fortunately, chicken was not on the menu.
WTF staff and volunteers were in a great mood. The night before, the Board of Finance approved $200,000 to help replace a dilapidated barn. Wakeman Town Farm raised an additional $400,000 for the effort.
Wakeman Town Farm educator Chryse Terrill (holding a chicken, and wearing a chicken dress) and WTF supporter Alison Milwe Grace, at Thursday’s “Drinking With Chickens” event.
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On Thursday night, the lights went out at New York’s Ed Sullivan Theater. The final taping of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” was bathed in history — including an appearance by Paul McCartney, 62 years after the Beatles first appeared on the same stage.
Westport Country Playhouse artistic director Mark Shanahan once appeared there too.
Some years ago, he auditioned for, and was chosen to do, comedy sketches on “Late Night with David Letterman.” Here’s one:
Today, Mark says, “I remember standing on the stage thinking: This is where The Beatles played!”
Sadly, Colbert did not mention Shanahan’s connection to the iconic stage.
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From the Department of Don’t Believe Everything You Read:
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The 21st Century Dads Foundation supports fathers raising children with special needs.
On June 12 (Senior Center, 6 p.m.), Westport hosts a stop on their Special Fathers Network US tour.
Hosted by the Westport Commission on People with Disabilities, the free event allows fathers, mothers, caregivers and neighbors to come together, share experiences, and learn about local and national resources. Attendees will also receive a complimentary book.
“Dads Raising Children with Special Needs & Disabilities: A Guide for 21st Century Dads” by David Hirsch, founder of the 21st Century Dads Foundation, offers practical guidance and real-world perspective from fathers on similar journeys.
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“Out of Exile: The Photography of Fred Stein” — an award-winning documentary tracing the life and work of Fred Stein, including how his images survived as the Nazi threat forced him into exile — is set for the Westport Library on June 10 (6:30 p.m.).
The film also tells the story of Stein’s son Peter, who brought his father’s work back from obscurity after his death.
Following the screening, director Peter Stein will participate in a talkback.
The event is a fundraiser for the Alzhiemer’s walk at Sherwood Island on October 25. Click here for tickets, and more information.
Fred Stein’s photography.
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Women: feeling burned out?
Help is near. A free “Burnout Recovery Workshop for Women” takes place June 10 (6:30 p.m., TAP Strength).
It includes:
- An informational session on burnout recovery and nervous system regulation, led by NeuroMind co-founders Chelsea Elkind and Lauren Rosenblum
- A guided meditation led NeuroMind OT Lexi Hunn
- A light stretch session led by TAP Strength owner Lauren Leppla
- A community-building and connection talk with Fit4Mom Fairfield’s owner, Christine Gifis
Click here for more information, and to register.
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Westonite Chris Fuller’s “Cheese Fries & Chili Dips” — a moving and hilarious 2-person cabaret-style show — comes to the Westport Woman’s Club on June 12 (5:30 p.m. reception, 6:30 show; talkback immediately after, with mental health experts).
The production follows Chris as he chases his lifelong dream of playing on the PGA Tour while navigating the challenges of bipolar disorder, and the nonstop commentary inside his own head.
Tickets are $25. Proceeds help fund the WWC’s many philanthropic projects. Click here to purchase, and for more information.
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The “thread” that textiles weave through America comes alive at the Weston History & Cultural Center on June 6 (2 p.m.).
Margaret Liljedahl presents over 300 years of weaving arts, including its pivotal role in American homes, and significance in our early economy. Click here for tickets, and more information.
History also comes alive there on Sundays, from now through August. From 1 to 4 p.m., visitors can enjoy hands-on activities, immersive exhibits, guided tours and outdoor sculpture walks. Click here for details.
Margaret Liljedahl weaves at the Weston History & Culture Center.
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In today’s “Westport … Naturally” feature, Jonathan Alloy offers “the 4 types of classical column capitals, from ancient Greece to Westport: Ionic, Doric, Corinthian and House Finch.”
(Photo/Jonathan Alloy)
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And finally … in honor of the Ed Sullivan Theater, and its long history including the Beatles, Stephen Colbert and Mark Shanahan (story above):
(“06880” is where Westport meets the world — and where you never know what will pop up in this Roundup. We rely on reader support, so please click here to make a tax-deductible donation. Thank you!)
Regarding the appropriations coming before the RTM this week:
Unfortunately for all of us, what won’t be on the RTM agenda this week is the Planning Department’s request for $200K to create a new Plan of Conservation and Development, which is done once DECADE and is due next year.
Why, you ask? The Board of Finance has many questions about this appropriation, but did not have a clue as to what our POCD is and why it is so important. The view of some BoF members was that it is just another state-mandated useless study.
The state mandates A POCD for various purposes, such as qualifying for some state funding.
The POCD is our North Star. Our Vision Statement for the town we were, we are and we aspire to be.
Delaying the POCD appropriation is shortsighted. The BoF meeting this past week was the second bounce there and some members were ill-prepared for the review.
The Planning function at both the town administration and P&Z Commission level has been sorely neglected. I do not believe this is intentional. Rather, the rapid pace of development in Westport is sucking every ounce of attention from these staff and commissioners just to keep up at a transactional level.
It is sad the strategic side of our town — vision and planning — takes a back seat.
One ill-informed BoF member questioned why we need a POCD since we have a Master Plan for Parks and Rec nearing completion. Excuse me? At nearly every P&R Master Plan meeting/ discussion, and a few other times over the past 18 months, I publicly asked how the Parks Master Plan would square up with the upcoming POCD process. Blank stares all around.
I expect elected officials to provide far better strategic thinking about our town as they discharge their various duties. I don’t care if you are a funding body, a planning body, or a legislative body, you need to understand and support a vision. If you are appointed to a board or Commission, you need to participate in the visionary aspects of governing this town. If you are a paid to support this town, you must work toward supporting the vision. If you are a volunteer, you do so by choice and must work with a vision in mind. If you are ELECTED, you owe it to your constituents to work toward fulfilling a shared vision (no matter if we voted for you).
This is town governance common sense 101.
Now, if you want to know more about the inflation of the town’s attorney fees, I have some thoughts here:
https://open.substack.com/pub/tonisimonetti/p/my-badge-of-honor?r=1dhpe&utm_medium=ios
1.6 million for tennis courts and barns? How about cleaning and paving all of Compo Beach?
Thank you, Dan.
I was surprised to read my name in the town attorney’s justification for the budget, so I decided to write the RTM and BoF Members.
Dear Members of the Board of Finance and RTM,
Several people made me aware of Berchem Moses’ additional budget request.
As many know, I have been involved in the Westport water tank discussion since 2017. To my surprise, both my name and the water-related issues I am concerned about appear multiple times in the underlying matters referenced in the request. They come up in the context of FOI disputes, PURA proceedings, the Aquarion sale, and the water tank project itself.
As a reminder, I am unaffiliated with any political party and have never benefited directly or indirectly from the outcome of this or any related matter. That said, I am extremely concerned that the town attorney’s position appears to function according to whoever is in power; I vividly remember the “shall vs. may”-debate two years ago.
What many people may not be aware of is that Westport and several of its residents — first and foremost, the elected leaders in Hartford — have played a central role in one of the most consequential public utility oversight debates Connecticut has seen in recent years.
Allow me to provide several considerations regarding Berchem Moses’ request, organized into the good, the bad, and the ugly.
*The good*
– Westport residents’ efforts have contributed to major legislative reforms that changed the dynamics of utility oversight in Connecticut, including the “Take Back the Grid Act” (2020) and Senate Bill 7 (2023).
– In addition, Westport residents now have significantly greater transparency regarding the condition of local water infrastructure and fire protection capacity. This matters because Westport serves as a major distribution center within Aquarion’s service territory.
– As an example, Aquarion just informed the state regulator that it would not meet the 2029 state deadline for PFAS mitigation in Westport. These developments had before received very limited public attention despite their importance to residents and ratepayers.
*The bad*
– Private utility companies are among the largest taxpayers in nearly every municipality they serve and among the largest purchasers of legal services in Connecticut.
– In Westport, Aquarion and its parent company Eversource represent the town’s largest taxpayer by a substantial margin. Berchem Moses represented both Aquarion and the Town of Westport, presenting what many residents viewed as a clear and undisclosed conflict of interest. This raises legitimate questions as to whether the matter itself constitutes a subject of grievance and warrants further review.
– Importantly, utility tax payments are ultimately borne by ratepayers through customer bills. This dynamic creates structural incentives that complicate independent oversight and accountability, especially in Westport.
*The ugly*
– The proposed 2026 Berchem Moses legal budget still includes expenses related to the original 2017 FOI request. As of today, hundreds of public records and pages remain undisclosed from that original request. The FOI Hearing Officer found several of Berchem Moses’ practices unlawful, which allowed me and others to make some unbelievable discoveries.
– One item in the budget request includes $3,486 in expenses associated with a FOI request I submitted in March 2026. As of today — now three months later — I have not received a single responsive document and have therefore filed a complaint with the FOI Commission in Hartford. This single records request has generated more than $3,000 in legal costs without producing a single responsive record. Why is that?
– Notably, the FOI Commission previously offered the town an expedited document review process that would have reduced costs, but this offer was declined by Berchem Moses without any explanation provided. At minimum, this raises questions regarding efficiency, transparency, and the continued accumulation of legal expenses. It is an absurd system in which poor performance and inefficiency are effectively rewarded with taxpayer money. It is important to note that there are at least three items in the current budget where this appears to be the case.
– Separately, Aquarion and the town have, in my opinion, successfully minimized public discussion regarding longstanding fire protection deficiencies. As you know, previous ISO testing indicated that a substantial majority of hydrants failed to meet the company’s own referenced fire flow standards. In January 2026, the town also rejected a previously agreed independent review of Westport’s fire protection situation; this is also included in the current budget request.
To conclude, a number of residents and elected officials worked for years to raise these issues publicly and improve oversight. Those efforts contributed to broader regulatory reforms and, ultimately, to Eversource’s decision to sell Aquarion.
At the same time, public officials who challenged these systems have faced real and significant political and professional consequences.
That broader context is important, as residents will soon receive notice of Aquarion Water Company’s proposed rate increase of approximately 42%. The town should wake up to the reality that water-related challenges are emerging faster and more severely than even I expected — and 42% is only the beginning. Many households in Westport face even higher effective increases depending on their usage patterns under the relatively new ‘tiered base’ pricing structure.
The town should also begin thinking strategically about water starting with Longshore. As a golfer, I certainly enjoy its current preferential rate status and understand the argument that golf serves an important social function. But it is increasingly difficult to imagine that such exemptions will remain untouched indefinitely.
I am prepared to support these views with documentation and prior filings so that Board members, and RTM members can independently evaluate the underlying issues.
Based on the above, I would respectfully recommend rejecting the current budget request and independently reviewing the underlying legal matters and associated expenses.
Kind regards,
Marc Lemcke
$13,351.80…..ouch