Date: Fri 27-Feb-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: ANDYG

Quick Words:

P&Z-Nicholson-Rosenthal

Full Text:

Enforcement Officer Joins The List Of Land Use Office Departures

BY ANDREW GOROSKO

William Nicholson, the town's zoning enforcement officer for the past five

years, has resigned his post in the town land use office.

Mr Nicholson's last scheduled day of work was Friday, February 27.

His departure follows the resignations earlier this month of Kathy Reymers as

the land use office clerk and Christopher Majewski's as conservation official.

Mr Nicholson served as the zoning enforcement officer during one of the most

turbulent and controversial periods of local residential development. During

the past two years, residents living near the sites of many proposed

residential subdivisions have strenuously objected to new construction in

their neighborhoods, aggressively opposing such development.

As zoning enforcement officer, it was part of Mr Nicholson's job to interpret

the zoning regulations and investigate complaints about reported zoning rule

violations. (See related story).

This week, he spoke about his reasons for leaving.

"I'm Not Happy Here"

"Things are just not well here," Mr Nicholson said of the town land use office

in its temporary quarters at Canaan House at Fairfield Hills. "I'm not happy

here," he said. "I've been unhappy for a while, and it appears things aren't

going to change significantly."

"I've made the decision [to leave]. I feel very good about it," Mr Nicholson

said.

"The [zoning enforcement officer's] job is a difficult job in the best of

circumstances," he said. When an enforcement officer doesn't have a good

relationship with the Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) and with the town

administration which doesn't understand the nature of the officer's job, he

explained, it makes for a virtually impossible situation.

"What precipitated [my departure] is that Mr Rosenthal has decided to make a

major change in our department without consulting ... land use director [Town

Engineer Ronald Bolmer] or the employees of this department," Mr Nicholson

said. The other land use department employee is administrative aide Janet

Burns.

Mr Nicholson said he asked First Selectman Herb Rosenthal what is wrong with

the department's functioning and Mr Rosenthal could not provide him with an

answer.

"I don't know much about politics, but this seems to me like it had been

politically motivated," Mr Nicholson said of upcoming departmental changes.

"We weren't given the reasons for the change," he said.

"Probably, my main reason for leaving is my relationship with the [P&Z] or

lack thereof," Mr Nicholson said.

Mr Nicholson urged that P&Z members familiarize themselves with the specifics

of pending development proposals by reading pertinent documents before those

applications become the subject of P&Z meetings. Knowing those details would

help members address those applications, the zoning enforcement officer said.

On leaving the land use office earlier this month, Ms Reymers said she had

accepted a post with General Electric, hoping it will open up new

opportunities for her.

Mr Majewski, who came to Newtown after leaving a post at the state Department

of Environmental Protection (DEP), said he had intended to work in Newtown

longer. On leaving, Mr Majewski said he plans to travel and then pursue new

employment opportunities.

The three recent departures from the land use office follow the two abrupt

departures last March by former conservation official David Thompson and

former administrative aide Rita Macmillan. Neither Mr Thompson nor Mrs

Macmillan provided any reasons for resigning their posts.

After Mrs Macmillan left town employment as P&Z's administrative aide last

March, the town hired Ms Reymers. Land-use secretary Janet Burns was then

named administrative aide, and Ms Reymers assumed Ms Burns' former post of

land-use clerk.

Last May, Mr Majewski replaced Mr Thompson who left last March.

Rosenthal Responds

Mr Rosenthal has a different view of the situation in the town land use

office.

The first selectman said he has had discussions with Mr Nicholson, Ms Burns,

and Mr Bolmer on upcoming changes there. The first selectman said he asked the

staff members and received recommendations on how the department's functioning

can be improved. Mr Rosenthal said he has had numerous discussions with Mr

Bolmer concerning the department's functioning.

"The enforcement officers' jobs are very difficult," Mr Rosenthal said.

Mr Rosenthal said Mr Bolmer will be focusing his efforts on engineering and

will no longer serve as land use department head.

"I think [Mr Bolmer] should be more involved with the engineering of the

town," Mr Rosenthal said. Former first selectman Robert Cascella named Mr

Bolmer to be the land use department head. Mr Bolmer will still be reviewing

development applications submitted to the P&Z, Mr Rosenthal said.

Mr Rosenthal said he plans to name a person with extensive land use experience

to be the new land use department head. He declined to identify the person.

All planned changes have been extensively discussed with land use staff

members, he stressed.

Bringing in a new person will improve the town's handling of land use matters,

the first selectman said.

The planned changes are not a criticism of people working in the land use

office, but a reflection of the need to create a different structure there, he

said.

Bigger Role For Stocker

Elizabeth Stocker, the director of community development, will assume a larger

planning role with the P&Z, Mr Rosenthal said.

"My motivation is to get the [land use office] to work," he said. Mr Rosenthal

dismissed Mr Nicholson's charge that the planned changes are politically

motivated.

Besides several employees' departures from the land use office during the past

year, there has been much turnover on the P&Z, Mr Rosenthal said.

There were four different chairmen on the P&Z during a relatively brief

period, he said. As new members replace former P&Z members, new members must

learn to interpret the town's land use rules, he said.

The land use office is intended to provide service to the P&Z, the

Conservation Commission, and the public at large, Mr Rosenthal said.

He said he hopes to soon hire a new conservation official to replace Mr

Majewski. The vacancy created by Mr Nicholson's departure as zoning

enforcement officer is being advertised.