The following is a statement issued by several Democratic leaders on Town of Wilton boards and commissions.
On Dec. 1, Wilton’s Democrats assume majorities on the Board of Selectmen, Board of Education and Planning and Zoning Commission, plus hold an even representation on the Board of Finance. We thank Wilton’s voters for this historic vote of confidence and trust, and each of us understands that it comes with responsibilities.
Wilton is in fact special, and we join all our neighbors in knowing how fortunate we are to live here. At the same time, we know that our town government needs to address several matters to put our community back on the right path. We look forward to working with Wilton’s Republican first selectman, other elected Republicans, the Republican Town Committee, independents and others to do just that.
Here are some of our near-term priorities:
Rebuild Town Hall Capacity and Financial Discipline
Top among our priorities includes filling the senior staff vacancies at Town Hall. Until we have the right people in the right positions, Wilton can’t hope to turn the corner on the challenges with financial management, controls and approval processes that over the last couple of years have troubled our town government and the services it delivers. We must fill the CFO position with a highly qualified candidate as soon as possible, and we must also accelerate efforts to identify the successor to the current town administrator. In particular, the Finance Department staff is key to addressing the “material weaknesses” identified by our town’s auditors in the 2023 and 2024 audits, and to addressing the delays and likely concerns in the still-pending 2025 audit.
As part of improving Town Hall performance, we hope to improve communication among town departments and strengthen coordination with boards and commissions where appropriate. We envision greater use of four-board and commission meetings.
Invest in Wilton’s Infrastructure
Wilton is currently saddled with more than $150 million in needed improvements. Caring for our buildings and infrastructure is essential to the town’s long-term health and to our vision of Wilton’s future. Fully understanding Wilton’s current and future capital and bonding needs is a crucial first step, and we support the efforts of the Wilton Capital Planning Committee. However, that committee’s mandate needs to be better clarified and its members perhaps could benefit from delegating some of their unwieldy focus to a second community-led committee. Importantly, we believe that long-term financial planning will help mitigate the cost impact so that we can deliver results in a more tax efficient manner while building a stronger, more resilient Wilton for the decades ahead.
Resolve Long-Outstanding Community Issues
We’ve supported lighting Guy Whitten Field since the start — lights on and lit, all fields safe and fit. It is hard to understand why this has been such a complex journey, yet despite this we’ll work with the relevant boards and staff to ensure the right result.
Similarly, the Ambler Farm lease negotiations have taken far too long and have engendered unnecessary frustrations. Ambler Farm is a Wilton gem and many people dedicate substantial time to keeping it wonderful and accessible. At the same time, the town needs to ensure it is not overcommitting now or in the future. We will balance these concerns and work to ensure the lease is completed soon.
Strengthen Community Voice and Engagement
Meeting many of you during the 2025 campaign confirmed our concern that people feel they have limited voice on development matters in town. Town counsel must be charged with identifying increased opportunities for people to share their perspectives, including enhanced opportunities to make public comment at Planning and Zoning meetings and for more of those meetings to be in-person. P&Z must follow legal guardrails regarding public comment, but listening is something that all elected officials should embrace.
Wilton government needs to provide wider opportunities to hear from more constituents. The newly elected Selectmen are eager to schedule mini town halls as listening sessions focused on specific topics such as amenities and the pace of development. It is essential to include all constituencies in those discussions, including Wilton’s merchants and landlords, parents and their kids, the professional real estate community, and of course our seniors. It is certain that Wiltonians have many (sometimes differing) views on these issues and opportunities, but we embrace the discussions so that we can ensure action where there is consensus.
The Democratic selectmen and all Democratic board members look forward to working with Republican First Selectman Toni Boucher. Toni has dedicated several decades to public service, and we have no doubt about her passion and affection for Wilton. At the same time, we understand why so many leading Republicans and others in town have voiced concerns about our town’s trajectory over the last couple years. The three Democratic selectmen and all elected Democrats will work to support Toni, but we recognize that our ultimate responsibility is to ensure that Town Hall is providing first rate governance, controls and services to all our residents.
On behalf of Wilton’s elected Democrats,
Ross Tartell (Board of Selectmen)
Tim Birch (Board of Finance)
Ruth DeLuca (Board of Education)
Ken Hoffman (Planning and Zoning Commission)
Mark Ahasic (Planning and Zoning Commission)