Date: Fri 06-Mar-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: STEVEB

Quick Words:

Rosenthal-MacMillan-land-use

Full Text:

Rosenthal Taps MacMillan As Land-Use Dept. Head

BY STEVE BIGHAM

First Selectman Herb Rosenthal has brought back former town employee Rita

MacMillan to head the town's land-use department.

Mrs MacMillan, who served as the Planning & Zoning Commission's administrative

aide before resigning last March, will begin work Monday.

The hiring of Mrs MacMillan is part of a complete restructuring of the town's

land-use department, which the first selectman announced last week. Town

Engineer Ron Bolmer, who had served as department head, has been moved to the

highway department.

"Ron's job description was to be town engineer and then sort of as an

afterthought, he was also supposed to be land-use director," Mr Rosenthal

said. "Ron's time is better served in engineering, not in land-use personnel."

Mr Bolmer currently has two offices, one in the land-use and one at the

highway department and, according to the first selectman, he spends 70 percent

of his time at the highway department.

Mr Rosenthal's announcement of his plans to hire a land-use director came less

than a week after the resignation of a fifth land-use employee in less than a

year. Late last month, Zoning Enforcement Officer Bill Nicholson resigned just

a few weeks after the resignations of Chris Majewski, the town's conservation

officer, and Kathy Reymers, land-use clerk.

When hired, the town's new zoning enforcement officer, conservation officer

and the two other land-use department employees will report directly to Mrs

MacMillan, as would the town engineer and town planner on land-use issues.

Mrs MacMillan, who will earn $40,500 in her new position, was once the

department head for a short time after the departure of Ann O'Donnell in 1990.

Both Stephen Koch and Heidi Winslow of the Planning & Zoning Commission

requested that Mrs MacMillan be hired, according to Mr Rosenthal.

Mr Rosenthal said he has received several applications for both the zoning

enforcement officer and conservation officer vacancies.