Colin Christ, a 15-year resident of Wilton, has been nominated by the Wilton Republican Town Committee to fill the vacant seat on the Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z), GOOD Morning Wilton has learned.
If approved by a vote of the sitting P&Z commissioners, Christ will fill the vacancy created by last month’s surprise departure of vice chair Melissa-Jean Rotini, who resigned unexpectedly at the start of the Monday, Jan. 26 meeting, citing the demands of her professional employment. Rotini’s official resignation was dated two weeks later, Feb. 9.
According to Director of Planning & Land Use Management/Town Planner Michael Wrinn, the vote to confirm Christ’s appointment is expected to be held during the next P&Z meeting on Monday, March 9, just days before the expiration of the 30-day window for P&Z to approve the nomination. Wilton’s Town Charter specifies that the decision would revert to the Board of Selectmen (BOS) if P&Z does not act by that deadline.
Christ, Senior Vice President, Global Supply Chain, for the Stamford-based print product manufacturer Cenveo and a member of the Wilton Republican Town Committee, ran unsuccessfully for P&Z in the 2025 Wilton municipal election, which saw voters elect Democratic majorities to P&Z, BOS, and the Board of Education.
Christ did not respond to an invitation from GMW to comment for this story.
[Update, Mar. 3: Christ contacted GMW to say he was on vacation last week when the original story ran and offered the following comment: “I am honored and thankful for the nomination, and look forward to the great opportunity to serve our town should it be approved by P&Z.”]
RTC Chair Peter Wrampe told GMW that the RTC “unanimously and enthusiastically” endorsed Christ.
“Colin was our candidate for this position last fall, and it is entirely appropriate that we nominated him for this open seat,” Wrampe said in a written statement. “He is dedicated to Wilton and is honored and eager to serve in this important capacity. He understands the significance of Planning & Zoning decisions for our town’s future.”
“Colin will devote the time and commitment necessary to represent the best interests of all of Wilton’s residents and will give this responsibility the full attention it deserves,” Wrampe added.
If confirmed, Christ will join fellow Republicans Jill Warren and Anthony Cenatiempo on the commission. Like Christ, Warren also lost her 2025 election bid, although she was almost immediately nominated by the RTC to fill the seat vacated by outgoing chair Rick Tomasetti, who resigned Nov. 17.
Nomination Meets Minority Representation Requirements
State law requires that the new P&Z commissioner be a Republican. That’s because Connecticut state law (CGS § 9-167a) requires that any appointee to fill a vacancy on an elected board must be registered with the same party as the person who vacated the seat. Although Rotini was registered as unaffiliated, she ran for the P&Z seat on the Republican slate; therefore, state law requires that the vacancy be filled by someone from the same party (unaffiliated applicants would not be eligible for appointment in these circumstances).
A Republican appointment also satisfies the state’s minority representation requirements under CGS § 9-167a, which states that no single party may hold more than six of the nine seats on an elected body. Currently, six of the P&Z commissioners are Democrats; appointing a Republican to the vacant seat would therefore ensure compliance with the statute.
If elected, Christ’s term will last until the next regular municipal election, scheduled for November 2027. Since Rotini’s term was set to end in 2027 anyway, the position will be considered an open seat with a full four-year term. At that time, should Christ decide to run to keep his seat, voters will once again have the opportunity to decide whether to vote for him.
Editor’s note: The story was updated to include a comment Colin Christ submitted after the story was published.
“Christ did not respond to an invitation from GMW to comment for this story. ” That’s getting off to a bad start. We need people in government to respond to inquiries from legitimate journalists. Even if the response is “no comment,” they need to get back to the media promptly and respectfully.