Chairman’s View: Cap Town Spending for Three Years (Mar. 28, 2019)

Chairman’s View: Cap town spending for three years MARCH 28, 2019 BY JOHN ENGEL, CHAIRMAN, TOWN COUNCIL Town income is dependent on real estate values and the taxes they generate. Our revenues currently grow at 1% per year. I propose that we cap spending at 1.50% per year for three years, beginning now. We must limit our […]

Chairman’s View: New Canaan’s Fourth Estate (November 15, 2018)

Op-Ed: New Canaan’s Fourth Estate NOVEMBER 15, 2018 BY JOHN ENGEL AND ROBERT DORAN We live in challenging times for news. The Internet and the information age, professional pundits, fake news and 24-hour news cycles disrupted the old paradigm of trust and integrity in news organizations. Morley Safer of ‘60 Minutes’ said, “So much crap passes as […]

Chairman’s View: Advertiser, Hersam’s Served New Canaan for a Century (Nov. 21, 2018)

Op-Ed: Advertiser, Hersams served New Canaan for a century NOVEMBER 21, 2018 BY BY JOHN ENGEL ‘A good newspaper, I suppose, is a nation talking to itself’ — Arthur Miller The New Canaan Advertiser has certainly come to embody that ideal. We are a community talking to itself through our local newspaper. Whether you see evidence of […]

Chairman’s View: Picking Priorities (Dec. 6, 2018)

Chairman’s View: Picking priorities DECEMBER 6, 2018 BY JOHN ENGEL. CHAIRMAN, TOWN COUNCIL “I do have to pick my priorities. Nobody can do everything.” — Ray Kurzweil We held the first joint offsite meeting among the four funding bodies (Board of Selectmen, Town Council, Board of Education, Board of Finance) in over 10 years, an important step toward […]

Chairman’s View: Revaluation (Dec. 20, 2018)

Chairman’s View: Revaluation DECEMBER 20, 2018 BY JOHN ENGEL. CHAIRMAN, TOWN COUNCIL New Canaan’s real estate grand list fell by $570 million (7.15%) compared to 2017.In the recent revaluation: 4,861 parcels saw average decreases of 11%. 2,308 saw average increases of 13%. For homes worth more than $3 million, the average decrease was 14%. For $2 million […]

Chairman’s View: 11 Resolutions for 2019 (Dec. 31, 2018)

Chairman’s View: 11 resolutions for 2019 DECEMBER 31, 2018 BY JOHN ENGEL. CHAIRMAN, TOWN COUNCIL When Advertiser reporter Grace Duffield asked for a New Canaan resolution, I could hardly stop at one. Here’s 10 more. We have much to do in 2019. Bike paths from New Canaan to the Darien beaches. Darien suggested this. Get state permission […]

Chairman’s View: Not to Eliminate Buildings, But to Eliminate Expense (Jan. 22, 2019)

Chairman’s View: ‘Not to eliminate buildings, but to eliminate expense’ JANUARY 22, 2019 BY JOHN ENGEL, CHAIRMAN, TOWN COUNCIL In the fourth week of a federal government shutdown it’s a good time to reflect on the state of Connecticut and town government. There is cause for optimism. Newly elected State Sen. Alex Bergstein announced the State is […]

Chairman’s View: Revaluation and the Condo Market (Feb. 28, 2019)

Chairman’s View: Revaluation and the condo market FEBRUARY 28, 2019 BY JOHN ENGEL, CHAIRMAN, TOWN COUNCIL Condominiums rose 9% in value in a 5-year total revaluation that was down 7.19% The average condo owner will see a double-digit increase in their taxes, Specifically, 955 condos will see average increases in taxes of $1,137. Many condo owners are […]

Chairman’s View: Spoiler Alert. I Like New Canaan’s Prospects (April 11, 2019)

Spoiler alert. I really like New Canaan’s prospects. Here are 5 observations taken from the revaluation, the town budget, the state election, and the first quarter real estate sales. There is a happy ending. 1. The uncertainty coming from Hartford is probably worse than anything Hartford will actually do to us. We accept a certain […]

Chairman’s View: On Bags and Budgets (Feb. 4, 2019)

Chairman’s View: On bags and budgets FEBRUARY 7, 2019 BY JOHN ENGEL, CHAIRMAN, TOWN COUNCIL The Town Council is considering a proposed townwide ban of supermarket plastic bags. Letters are starting to pour in. Supporters of the ban cite the environmental impact. Opponents of a ban say we are chipping away at freedom and personal choice. Greenwich, […]

Article: Mead Park Barn Demolition Plan Remains in Place after Council Hears Pitch to Save It (Sept. 13, 2018)

Mead Park barn demolition plan remains in place after Council hears pitch to save it SEPTEMBER 13, 2018 BY GREG REILLY The brick barn at Richmond Hill Road and Mead Park.— Greg Reilly photo Even though the Town Council had no authority to take any action, they spent an hour-and-a-half of their four-hour meeting Wednesday night revisiting […]

Letter to the Editor: Second Opinion Needed on Reval (March 7, 2019)

Letter: Second opinion needed on reval MARCH 7, 2019 BY LASZLO PAPP  Editor, Advertiser: In his biweekly column in the Advertiser, Chairman John Engel suggested that nothing is wrong with the condo revaluation, but rather he questions if our zoning laws “adequately address an affordable condominium solution.” Having more than 30 years of involvement with our zoning laws, I […]
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