Wilton Bd. of Finance Appoints Ceci Maher to Replace Departing Richard Creeth

Tuesday’s (Dec.18)  meeting of the Board of Finance was the last for departing member Richard Creeth, but it was also the first for new member Ceci Maher, who was appointed as Creeth’s replacement. The BOF members voted unanimously Tuesday to approve Maher after a quick interview in open session.

Maher was nominated for the seat by the Democratic Town Committee. By law, the seat had to be filled by someone from the same political party as the departing member.

Maher had previously been considered by the Board of Selectmen to replace Michael Kaelin last July. While the Selectmen chose Josh Cole, the Republican Town Committee‘s nominee, to fill the seat, they asked Maher to get involved elsewhere because her skills would be very welcome.

Maher is the director of the non-profit agency Person-to-Person, located in Darien and Norwalk.

During her interview Maher told the BOF members that she and her husband have lived in town for many years, and have a long history of volunteering and participating. She explained why she was eager to serve on the BOF

“I really love this town, and I want a challenge. Clearly this is going to be a challenge. My strength is not in finance world. Yes, I run a non-profit, yes half my undergrad courses were in business, but I am not a finance person. What I will bring is the background I have as a social services person, who understand the needs of people, perhaps I can be a tempering element, and I plan to learn a lot,” she said, adding that she is a “highly collaborative person.”

She also noted that while she thought economic development was more under the purview of the Board of Selectmen, she thought Wilton Heights was a good example of the direction in which Wilton should be headed.

“You’ve got to start somewhere. No one thing will be the immediate response. If that developer who says he has other ideas for entities down Rte. 7, you’ve got to take the first step. That could essentially, having those apartments there, with different levels of housing, be of interest to younger people who can walk to town, to movies, to food, shopping, it’s a start, and we’ve got to start.”

The BOF also voted to recommended Maher to the selectmen as the BOF trustee on the Wilton Pension Fund.