Gordon Joseloff First Selectman

ent to the annual holiday gala luncheon of the Y’s Men of Westport/Weston today at Continental Manor in Norwalk (too bad we don’t have a place large enough in Westport for them) and there was a great turnout, as always.

The Hoot Owls—led by Ted Simons—performed as they have for the past 16 such holiday luncheons. It’s great to see so many Westporters—and ex-Westporters who have moved away but still participate—involved in the singing group.

The indefatigable Bill Meyer, the Y’s Men president, did the welcoming remarks while Jon and Dorothy Fox handed out some goodies.

It was good to see so many friendly faces and it was especially nice to see Diane Farrell there as well.  It was a nice break in the day.

ax Assessor Bill Gaffney addressed today’s brown bag lunch and explained the ins and outs of the reval.

He also showed a very interesting map that highlights the changes in valuation of each individual property in town. Properties along the shore and on the Saugatuck River appreciated the most.

There was also a jump in value of many commercial properties which Bill feels may have been assessed too low in the last round.

Brown baggers came up with many good questions. Bill encouraged all Westporters to give us feedback on properties or areas where you feel the values are too high or too low. Don’t forget the value is as of Oct. 1, 2005.

While every effort has been made to make the effort as accurate as possible, it is inevitable with so many properties involved that errors were made.

Our aim is to make adjustments where necessary and have a grand list ready to certify by the end of January.

etting some early reaction on the reval information posted on the Web. One caller said he felt his assessment was “right on.”

But heard from several others that there seemed to be a wide disparity on some neighboring properties that should have been much closer.

As we said in advance of the notices going out, we know that there will be some errors on this one. Given the enormity of the task, they are inevitable.

Residents should bring them to the attention of Tax Assessor Bill Gaffney. We won’t have instant answers but you can be sure they will be investigated.

Bill will be at Wednesday’s Brown Bag lunch to talk about these and other related reval issues.

fter conferring with the town attorney, we decided we would replace the large menorah in the lobby near the tree with a smaller one that had been used in previous years. The large menorah will not return to its place on the third floor.

Also, we will include a similar-size Christian symbol in a holiday display that will include the traditional Santa, snowman, etc., near the lobby tree.

The problem is that the courts have been inconsistent over the years about religious displays. Westport’s government ought not to endorse any specific religion, obviously, but we must be sensitive to all religions.

This is a short-term solution and we will review the policy for the future.

any well-wishers have asked me repeatedly in the three weeks I’ve been in office how I like the job. I’ve told them I’m enjoying it but still am getting accustomed to the pace.

To give you an idea of what it’s been like these past couple of weeks, here’s a rundown of how my day went Monday (with some excerpts from my notes and memory, such as it is).

8 a.m. – Reported to the headquarters of the Norwalk Transit District for my first meeting of the Metropolitan Planning Organization, known as the MPO. For those unfamiliar, the MPO is the federally-mandated transportation planning agency for our region that works hand-in-hand with the South West Regional Planning Agency (SWRPA).

Staffers briefed area CEOs on the status of various projects, ranging from the big (new rail cars on the New Haven line – coming in 2009, ugh) to the small (Westport’s Saugatuck train station will get a backlit display showing the Westport Transit District routes).

9:45 a.m. - After the formal meeting, Pamela Kilbey-Fox of the Connecticut Department of Health briefed us on an April exercise that simulates a bioterrorism incident. The Westport Weston Health District is participating and will go through an actual drill involving dispensing medication to residents at Bedford Middle School. (They need volunteers to participate – contact Sue Jacozzi at the district to sign up.)

More "A Day in the Life of the First Selectman"

t’s taken a little time to get up and running, but I am pleased to debut “Gordon’s Journal” as Westport’s first selectman.

I am the first Westport first selectman to blog and intend to use this to communicate with Westport residents in a more direct, timely manner.

During the recent campaign, I also had a “Gordon’s Journal.” It was an effective way of letting voters know my thoughts and those of Shelly Kassen, who now joins me on the Board of Selectmen.

Some of the entries here will be quick takes on something that has crossed my desk or something I found interesting. Others will be longer as the issue warrants.

In any case, I welcome comments and feedback. Send them to me at selectman@westportct.gov