Selectmen Admonish Building Committee Member

One building commitee member's reappointment was a subject of contention at the Weston Board of Selectmen's meeting Thursday night.

Two selectmen expressed concerned when Richard Wolf, a frequent thorn in the side of town government, came before the committee to ask for reappointment.

"I have serious reservations about your appointment because of your behavior on the cemetery committee," First Selectman Gayle Weinstein said, noting that she had three specific areas of concern.

"I was very concerned that you felt that $30,000 was an insignificant sum of money," Weinstein said, referring to the cemetery committee's draft plan.

Weston residents , eliminating the possibility of a town cemetery in the near future.

"The other issue is Revson," she added. 

Revson Field has been plagued with drainage problems for years; Weston is currently reviewing bids to fix the field, with all estimates ranging well over $100,000. A prior Revson renovation proved to be a wasted effort.

"There were certainly mistakes made that are costing the town money," Weinstein continued, noting that Wolf was on the committee during the initial renovation.

"The other issue I have [is] the letter you wrote to the Forum," she said. "Do you think you can work effectively with me as First Selectman."

Selectman David Muller agreed.

"In a clear violation of trust, you forwarded a private email exchange" between the two to a public forum, Muller said. "I am not pleased with how you handled your chairmanship."

Selectman Dan Gilbert defended Wolf, stating that "a healthy difference of opinion is what healthy government is," while acknowledging that there was "a lively debate" on the cemetery issue.

"There's no question in terms of skill," Gilbert said.

Wolf appeared to consider his response carefully.

"We were pretty passionate on the cemetery committee," he said. "We felt that the wrong question was asked [and] we were upset with the way it was handled.

"Individuals in your position have to accept that," Wolf added.

Weinstein returned that "there's a difference between disagreeing and being disrespectful," she said. "I welcome difference of opinion, but this went beyond that."

Current building committee chairman Don Gary spoke strongly in support of Wolf's reappointment, taking issue with Weinstein's suggestion that Wolf had been cavalier with the potential use of town funds.

"I've never known Richard to be flippant about $30, forget about $30,000," Gary said. "And Revson, there's more than enough blame to go around there.

"That shouldn't define what Richard did during that period of time," he said, noting that the committee needs a member with contractor experience.

"That's the discipline that Richard has," Gary finished.

The selectmen voted unanimously to reappoint Wolf, with Weinstein's admonishment that Wolf must work to "keep [himself] in check."

"If I find your behavior during your term to be egregious, I will come back to the board and ask for your removal," she finished.

Building committee member Jack Davidoff was due to be interviewed next.

Davidoff hesitated and said, "are you sure you want me?"

Davidoff, who also supported Wolf's reappointment, was reappointed unanimously and without difficulty.

In other notes:

• Commission on the Arts members Gary Betsworth, Peter Catucci and Margaret Brooks were unanimously reappointed. "We're starting to come up with some really interesting ideas," Catucci said, adding that in the future, smaller events would be considered. Brooks added that "we've done a fair job and stayed within budget."
• Rabbi Levi Stone, who was not in attendance, was unanimously reappointed as Police Chaplain.
• The fuel cell project hit an unexpected snag, according to Don Gary, due to "murky" wording causing a difference of opinion between Connecticut Light and Power and the town. "We are still working on it," he said. "Right now the issue is clarification." 
• The board unanimously approved Weston Little League's batting cage gift, valued at $8,000; the League also agreed to maintain it.
• The Weston Women's League requested that the fee related to its special permit that allows it to run the popular Saturday morning farmer's market be waived by the town. The selectmen agreed unanimously, but said that waivers in future years would require a new request from the League. The market, unbeknownst to many, has apparently been operating unlawfully due to a planning and zoning rule that disallows farmer's markets on property not owned by the town; meanwhile, the market has been operating for 20 years, albeit in many locations. "I said, why are you making them jump through hoops," Weinstein commented, referring to the planning and zoning board.