Save Westport Now, a non-partisan political party devoted to preserving and enhancing Westport’s residential neighborhoods, historic resources, open spaces, and quality of life, announced its nomination of three candidates for Westport's November Planning and Zoning Commission election. P&Z incumbents Michael Cammeyer, Danielle Dobin, and Neil Cohn will all appear on line E, the Save Westport Now ballot line. 

 

"Michael, Danielle, and Neil will continue to bring the fresh vision, ideas, and tone to P&Z that have been hallmarks of their leadership since they first joined the commission," says Ian Warburg, SWN Co-Chair. "As an organization with forty-plus years of service to the community, we welcome voters who care about appropriate development, prioritize environmental conservation, and wish to preserve what makes Westport such a desirable place to live."

 

“We're thrilled to receive the endorsement of SWN,” says P&Z Commission Chair Danielle Dobin. “My running mates and I share SWN's values – we balance our promotion of smart, sustainable growth, the creation of new sidewalks/bike lanes and regulation changes to prepare for climate change with a strong, intentional commitment to preserve Westport’s New England charm, our quality of life, open spaces and coastal resources."

 

The three SWN nominees bring to the ticket significant experience on the P&Z commission and a vision for a sustainable future that combines innovative new ideas with commitments to both environmental protection and preserving the town’s unique historic and scenic resources that comes with having lived in Westport for many years. Danielle serves as the current P & Z Chair, Michael serves as the Secretary, and Neil chairs the Economic Development Subcommittee. During their tenure, they’ve been responsible for initiatives such as: resisting state efforts to densely develop downtown and Saugatuck by broadly upzoning every town in Connecticut; pushing for stronger drainage requirements in response to increased storm activity; founding the P&Z’s Affordable Housing Subcommittee; passing a Text Amendment to allow for the development of affordable housing for Westporters with special needs; passing a Text Amendment to allow for much-needed bus shelters; and the thoughtful expansion of outdoor dining. As a team, they bring unrivaled wisdom and experience to the P&Z, plus a love for Westport and a desire to usher us into a more sustainable future.  

 

Save Westport Now’s mission is to protect, preserve, and enhance Westport’s residential neighborhoods, historic resources, open spaces, and quality of life; to prevent over-building and over-commercialization via sensible planning and zoning enforcement; and to promote smart growth that preserves Westport’s small-town, New England charm. We accomplish our mission by supporting Westport residents, neighborhood groups, builders, and P&Z candidates who share these values.

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Full candidate bios here.