Brennan Issues Statement About FOI Complaint

Following news that three residents had filed a complaint with the Freedom of Information Commission against him, two other town officials and the town, first selectman Bill Brennan issued a statement to the press.

“The allegations in the recent complaint to the FOI Commission, as assessed by Town Counsel, are without merit.
Within the FOI Commission’s investigative process, these allegations will be answered, as the Town has appropriately done in the past,” he said.

The three individuals who filed the complaint–Marissa Lowthert, Kevin Hickey and Detlef Fuhrmann–allege that violations against Freedom of Information laws were made by Brennan and two other officials (Dick Dubow and Warren Serenbetz) in proceeding with a search for a new Chief Financial Officer for the town. The three complainants have asked for an expedited decision from the FOI Commission and for a cease-and-desist order on all search activities.

Vanderslice Reacts to Selectmen’s Switch Opting to Search for Interim–Not Permanent–CFO

At Monday night’s Bd. of Selectmen meeting, the board debated at length and eventually voted to look for an interim replacement for departing CFO Sandy Dennies, rather than a permanent one. With a change in office holders scheduled to take place following the Nov. 3 election, the debate had centered on who should lead the search — current (and outgoing) first selectman Bill Brennan or the next first selectman — and should the search firm focus on finding an interim candidate rather than someone permanent.

As a member of the current Board of Selectmen, first selectman candidate Deb McFadden was able to weigh in on the discussion Monday night. GOOD Morning Wilton asked her opponent, Lynne Vanderslice, for her comment. She emailed the following statement to GMW on Tuesday:

“I enthusiastically support the decision made by the majority of the Board to focus on an Interim CFO and allow the hiring decision to be made by the newly-elected BOS. Although I do not agree with his vote, I agree with Selectman [Dick] Dubow‘s statement that he wants ‘someone that’s independent, strength of character, to challenge the First Selectman, if appropriate.’ These are all qualities necessary in a strong interim and eventual permanent CFO candidate. I am confident the newly-elected Board will have a strong candidate to consider.”

Vanderslice referred to Dubow being the lone dissenter in the vote which ultimate focused the search on an interim CFO candidate.

Presentation at The Greens at Cannondale on “Medicare and Home Heatlh Care”

Ridgefield Visiting Nurse Association (RVNA) and The Greens at Cannondale are presenting an informative talk tomorrow, Thursday, Sept. 24 on the subject of “Medicare & Home Health Care: What You Need to Know” at The Greens at Cannondale.

Health care in the U.S. is changing rapidly right now, and one of those changes is that patients now have choices in how they receive health care. Additionally, patients are being discharged from hospitals earlier than ever before, which means home health care is increasingly important.

RVNA’s Natalie Farrar, MSN, RN, will share information that will be helpful to those patients and families that are trying to navigate through the intersection of these two trends, such as:

  • which home health care services are covered by Medicare and which are not
  • how eligibility for home health care services is determined
  • the role of the physician in home health care
  • what rights patients’ have in this system

This event is open to the public. Light fare will be served at 6 p.m., and the presentation will begin at 6:30 p.m.. To attend, please RSVP to The Greens at Cannondale at 203.761.1191. The Greens at Cannondale is located at 435 Danbury Rd..

Natalie Farrar has more than 30 years of experience in the health care industry, including skilled nursing, home health care, hospice and assisted living management. She has both a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in nursing. She is a legal nurse consultant, and is certified in palliative care, hospice, and pain management. She is also a Certified Dementia Practitioner. She is currently RVNA’s senior director for business development, overseeing RVNA’s relationships with other health care providers.

Register Now for weir Farm’s Fall Impressionist Painting Workshop for Beginning Artists

There has been a tradition of Impressionist painting at Weir Farm National Historic Site since Julian Alden Weir, the father of American Impressionism, acquired this rural, rustic retreat in Branchville, CT in 1882. To honor and continue this tradition, Weir Farm National Historic Site will be offering a two-day Fall Impressionist Painting Workshop on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 3 and Oct. 4 from 10 a.m.-3 p.m..

Designed for beginning art students and artists, this workshop will engage participants interested in learning more about the science and poetry of Impressionist landscape painting. Participants must have a basic understanding of their selected art form and be able to handle their own equipment for plein air fieldwork as well as for the studio workshop environment. Workshops will include introductory classroom lectures, field demonstrations, and critique of the participant’s artwork. Registration for this workshop is free, but space is limited to twelve artists, so please call early to secure a spot! First choice will be given to artists that have not participated in a previous Impressionist Painting Workshop at Weir Farm National Historic Site. However, for those artists who wish to return, names will be placed on a wait-list and be considered as space allows.

This workshop is just one in a series that will be offered at Weir Farm National Historic Site. The How to be an Impressionist Painter Workshop Series will be taught by Impressionist artist and educator Dmitri Wright, of Greenwich. Wright seeks to continue the Impressionist discipline through his preservation and progress of American Impressionism as the Artist-in-Residence of the Historical Society of the Town of Greenwich and as an instructor of Impressionist drawing and painting at the Greenwich Art Society, Silvermine School of Art, and Weir Farm National Historic Site.

To register for the workshop or for more information, please call 203.834.1896, ext. 28.