Date: Fri 03-Apr-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: ANDYG

Quick Words:

Driver-Porwitzki-land-use

Full Text:

Town Hires Two Land-Use Officials

BY ANDREW GOROSKO

The town has hired two new staff members for its land-use offices -- a

conservation official and a zoning enforcement officer.

The positions had been vacant with the recent resignations of Christopher

Majewski as conservation official and William Nicholson as zoning enforcement

officer.

The town has hired C. Stephen Driver as the new conservation official at an

annual salary of $45,000. He has already started working for the town.

Also hired is Mara Porwitzki as the new zoning enforcement officer at $37,000

annually. Ms Porwitzki starts work April 6.

Mr Driver, a Redding resident, is a member of the American Institute of

Certified Planners. He has served as the Housatonic Valley Council of Elected

Officials' representative to the King's Mark Council, a group which performs

environmental analyses of development projects.

Mr Driver has been a senior member of engineering and planning consulting

firms. He has represented landowners and municipal agencies in various

development applications. He has been a land-use consultant to businesses and

municipalities in the state.

He has served as a member of his local planning and wetlands commissions.

In a letter of application to First Selectman Herb Rosenthal, Mr Driver states

that nearly all of his employment has been connected with the management of

municipal growth and natural resources conservation for both the public and

private sectors.

State Rep Julia Wasserman recommended that Mr Driver submit an application for

the conservation officer's post. Mrs Wasserman is a former member of the

town's Conservation Commission.

As the conservation official, Mr Driver will administer and enforce regulated

environmental activities in wetlands, open space areas, forests and

floodplains. He will serve as a consultant to the Conservation Commission,

which is the town's wetlands agency.

The job description for the post has been modified. The position formerly was

known as the environmental official.

Ms Porwitzki has served as New Fairfield's zoning enforcement officer since

1991. She is a New Fairfield resident.

As the enforcement officer, Ms Porwitzki will administer and interpret the

zoning regulations. She will investigate complaints in enforcing the town's

zoning regulations, including those regulations concerning sand and gravel

mining, mobile homes and trailer parks.

The officer answers the public's questions on the zoning regulations. She is

charged with issuing zoning permits, sand and gravel permits and construction

permits.