Board Of Selectmen Approve Nearly A Dozen Appointments To Town Boards, Commissions In New Canaan

NEW CANAAN, CT — The Board of Selectmen approved nearly a dozen appointments to various boards and commissions in town during their meeting Tuesday.

The board appointed Sven Englund and Mike Socci as regular members of the Fire Commission for three-year terms ending in December 2027 and December 2028 respectively.

First Selectman Dionna Carlson noted during the meeting Englund and Socci will be taking over for commission members Beth Jones and Jack Horner.

"Thank you both for agreeing to step into both positions," Carlson said. "I think you will be great additions to the Fire Commission."

Carlson also thanked Jones and Horner "for their many years of dedicated service to the Fire Commission."

According to Carlson, a number of members of the commission and the New Canaan Fire Department were in attendance at the meeting to show their support for Englund and Socci.

Both appointments were unanimously approved by board members.

"It's really amazing to see us transition into a couple of experienced guys who know this in an out," Selectman Stephen Karl said. "Our community is very fortunate to be able to have both of you guys step up and do this."

Tracey Hamill was also appointed to the Health and Human Services Commission for a three-year term ending in December 2028.

Carlson noted Hamill will fill a role previously held by commission member Tom Ferguson, who recently gave board members notice he was interested in stepping down after serving on the commission for a number of years.

"When we were looking for somebody," Carlson said, "Tracey's name came up from multiple places."

Hamill, who attended the meeting virtually, said she has known a number of the current commission members for many years.

She is also trained as an EMT and is one of the co-directors of the town's Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program, Hamill said.

"So there's a lot of overlap to what I'm already involved with and have been involved in," Hamill said.

Karl thanked Hamill for stepping up to the position.

"I can't think of a better person to assume this role," Karl said.

Her appointment was also unanimously approved by board members.

Board members also unanimously approved the appointments of Gene Goodman, Susan Lione, George Bennington, Timothy Kimpl, Douglas Murphy and Jeff Platt to the Parks and Recreation Commission for three-year terms.

Goodman and Lione's terms are set to end in December 2027 while Bennington, Kimpl, Murphy and Platt's terms will end in December 2028.

The reappointments of two Board of Finance members whose terms are set to expire, Todd Lavieri and James Yao, were also unanimously approved by board members, however both will have to go before the Town Council before being fully approved, Carlson said.