Breaking with tradition, the Westport-Weston Chamber of Commerce announced today it has picked a community leader, not a businessperson, as its new president and executive director—Matthew Mandell.

Matthew Mandell: “great opportunity” to make Westport better. Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

A longtime Westporter currently serving his fifth term representing District 1 on the Representative Town Meeting (RTM), Mandell has been a familiar, outspoken presence at RTM and myriad town meetings, championing causes the business community favors.

“Matthew has shown a rare ability to advocate and lead,” said Jonathan Baron, chairman of the chamber’s board of directors. “He’s imaginative and processes the right social and technical skills to break new ground in the changing landscape of business in our community.”

Baron said that Mandell caught the organization’s eye two-and-a-half years ago “with how he created the Slice of Saugatuck Festival to promote local businesses and his influence to promote what is now a new restaurant district on the west side of the river downtown.”

Westport’s unemployment rate in March was 4.7 percent, unchanged from February, the Connecticut Department of Labor said today.

The last time Westport’s unemployment rate was lower was in August 2008 when it was 4.5 percent, just before the recession began to be felt. The rate hit 7.0 percent in June 2009.

The department said the number of Westport unemployed in March was 580, down from 583 in February. The March labor force in Westport numbered 12,361, down from 12,366, in February.  There were 11,781 employed in March, down from 11,783 employed in February.

A year ago in March, Westport’s unemployment rate was 5.9 percent.

Three 2009 Staples High School graduates are celebrating the launch of their new product Nootelligence Focus—a 2-ounce “focus-enhancing shot” made from nootropics, which they describe as natural cognitive enhancers. They say they are a class of supplements, including amino acids, antioxidants and other nutrients, that can enhance mental functions such as memory and learning. The three Westporters behind Nootelligence Focus are Ian O’Connel (Boston University ‘13) (l), Jeff Moss (New York University ‘13) (r),and Parker Kligerman. the 23-year-old NASCAR Sprint Cup driver and Staples graduate. Nootelligence Focus is available online at www.nootelligence.com as well as more than a dozen stores in Westport. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Bob Eckman for WestportNow.com

Westport’s unemployment rate in February was 4.7 percent down from 4.9 percent in January, according to the Connecticut Department of Labor.

The last time Westport’s unemployment rate was lower was in August 2008 when it was 4.5 percent, just before the recession began to be felt. The rate hit 7.0 percent in June 2009.

The department said the number of Westport unemployed in February was 583, down from 613 in January. The February labor force in Westport numbered 12,366, down from 12,423 in January. There were 11,783 employed in February, down from 11,810 in January.

A year ago in February, Westport’s unemployment rate was 5.8 percent.

A little more than three months after she gaveled a New York Stock Exchange session to a close (See WestportNow Dec. 26, 2013), Westporter Johanna Rossi (wielding gavel) did it again today. She was with SmileTrain CEO Susannah Schaefer and staff and supporters in anticipation of the organization’s one millionth cleft repair surgery in 15 years. Rossi, s senior trader at Alden Global Capital, has been an active volunteer for many years with the New York-based charity. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Contributed photo