.JPG)
Me, Myself and I, a for-women-only wellness center, opens at 1869 Post Road East in the Old Sasco Mill center, on Nov. 9. According to owner Westport resident Gail Heitz, a veteran psychotherapist, the venture offers life coaching sessions, classes in fitness training and yoga-meditation classes. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Contributed photo
Sponsors
With Saugatuck Booming, Finance Board OKs Master Plan Funds
By James Lomuscio
With Saugatuck on the move, Westport’s Board of Finance tonight unanimously approved $440,000 for a transit oriented development (TOD) study to be reimbursed 100 percent by the state.
Railroad Place opposite the Metro-North tracks would be among areas included in the study. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com
First Selectman Jim Marpe made the request for funds, which he said would be 100 percent reimbursable via a state Responsible Growth and TOD grant “with no strings attached.”
“While we will be submitting our results of the planning to the state, they have no particular say or oversight on what we do and how we go about the plan,” said Marpe.
He said he was in the process of establishing a steering committee, “and it will be representative of the Saugatuck area.”
Westphal Sworn In to Finance Board
Westport’s Board of Finance tonight officially welcomed Republican James W. Westphal to its ranks, replacing Clarissa More who stepped down Aug. 3.
Town Clerk Patricia Strauss swears in James Westphal tonight as the newest member of the Board of Finance. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) WestportNow.com photo from Westport Town Television
He was sworn in by Town Clerk Patricia Strauss, who gave Westphal a temporary name plate before he took his seat on the seven-member board.
Westphal, 53, was approved for the post by the finance board on Sept. 25 following his selection by the Republican Town Committee’s (RTC) Board of Finance Vacancy Committee. He will serve out Moore’s term, ending in November 2019.
Westphal has a background in the investment banking and finance industry and, according to an internet listing, is managing director of Westport-based Logistics and Business Services Capital, LLC, a provider of strategic and financial advisory services in the global transportation, freight, logistics, and business services sectors.
Malloy Names Cybersecurity Chief
By Mark Pazniokas
Arthur H. House, who has had an up-and-down relationship with Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, stepped down today as chairman of the three-member Public Utilities Regulatory Authority to become the first cybersecurity chief for the state of Connecticut.
Arthur House and Gov. Dannel P. Malloy. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Mark Pazniokas for Ctmirror.org
House, 74, who has held senior posts in Congress, intelligence agencies and the private sector, authored a cybersecurity plan in April for the state’s utilities, warning that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security had concluded that “the technology deployed in shutting down parts of the power grid in the Ukraine in December 2015 confirmed that cyber attacks could disable American utilities.”
House said he will be a part of a U.S. delegation next month to the Ukraine to study the attack, the first confirmed instance of hackers shutting down a power grid. Power was restored in a matter of hours, House said, only because workers were able to take physical control of switching equipment.
Months later, the computerized control centers in the Ukraine still were not fully operational. Such an attack might be more difficult to overcome in the U.S., which does not have the same degree of manual backup controls, according to an examination of the incident by Wired.
Former Westport Broker Jailed in $1M Swindle
A former Westport wealth management advisor today was sentenced to 41 months in prison for stealing more than $1.2 million from an elderly Weston client.
Robert Tricarico: sentenced to 41 months. LinkedIn photo
Robert N. Tricarico, 60, of Milford and formerly of Darien, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to 41 months of imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release, said Deidre M. Daly, U.S. Attorney for Connecticut.
Until April 2015, Tricarico, a registered securities broker, was associated with RNT Wealth Management at 181 Post Road West, prosecutors said. His LinkedIn profile said from 1992 to 2009 he had worked in Westport for Wells Fargo, Smith Barney, and Merrill Lynch.
A U.S. Attorney’s Office release said he had previously worked for or been associated with firms that included Northstar Wealth Partners, LPL Financial, and Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network.
State Legislature Candidates Face Off
Incumbent Democratic state Rep. Jonathan Steinberg of the 136th Assembly District and Republican challenger Catherine Walsh faced off today in a forum at the Westport Library hosted by the Westport Weston Chamber of Commerce.
State Democratic Rep. Jonathan Steinberg and Republican challenger Catherine Walsh faced off at the Westport Library in a session moderated by Alan Nevas, retired senior U.S. district judge and one-time holder of the 136th Assembly District seat. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com
Steinberg, 60, who is seeking his fourth two-year term to represent the district that includes most of Westport, and Walsh, 61, chair of the Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z), both portrayed themselves as having the experience to help the state out of its fiscal woes.
Retired senior U.S. District Judge Alan Nevas of Westport, who held the 136th seat for six years in the 1970s, served as moderator and posed questions to the candidates before a noontime McManus Room audience of about 50 persons.
Steinberg, a former member of the Representative Town Meeting (RTM), touted his first-time endorsement by the Connecticut Business & Industry Association (CBIA) and efforts on behalf of the moderate caucus among legislative Democrats to make the state more business friendly.
Comings & Goings: The Flat Opens on Railroad Place
.jpg)
The Flat, a home furnishings, accessories, contemporary lighting and vintage furniture store has opened at 24 Railroad Place, opposite the Saugatuck train station, according to owner Becky Goss, a Westport resident for over 20 years. With contiguous retail neighbors Indulge by Mercene and Eleish Van Breems this segment of Railroad Place is emerging as a boutique fashion area. The space was formerly occupied by Casa Ryan and Olivette. Hours are Wednesday through Saturday, 11 a.m.- 6 p.m. or by appointment. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com
Motor Club to End DMV Services to Non-Members
AAA Northeast has informed the state it will discontinue offering driver licensing services for people in southwest Connecticut who are not members of its motor clubs.
The AAA office in the Compo Shopping Center before it closed in 2015. Previously it had been on Saugatuck Avenue. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Contributed photo
The decision brought an angry response today from Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, who called the action “unacceptable” and threatened legal action to resolve the issue.
AAA Northeast has offered this service to all Connecticut residents since 2001, regardless whether they were members.
Eight AAA Northeast offices are affected. They are in Branford, Danbury, Fairfield, Hamden, Milford, Norwalk, Stamford, and Waterbury. The Westport office closed in 2015.
Controller Reports a Balanced Budget – But Has Big Concerns
By Keith M. Phaneuf
State Comptroller Kevin P. Lembo today raised concerns — for the second consecutive month — about the stability of the current state budget, though he stopped short of reporting a deficit.
In his latest monthly budget forecast, Lembo affirmed the conclusion of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s administration that the $19.7 billion budget adopted in June for 2016-17 is on pace to finish $200,000 in the black, just as it was written.
But Connecticut’s chief fiscal watchdog also expressed caution about both spending and revenue trends in the current budget.
Republican legislative leaders already have said they believe state finances are in deficit and that Malloy is masking this problem to help his fellow Democrats in the legislature’s majority survive this fall’s state elections.
Innovative Organizations Sought for Venture Funding
Westport’s Social Venture Partners Connecticut (SVP Connecticut) wants to close the opportunity gap in Connecticut.
The venture philanthropy organization once again is seeking innovative organizations operating in Connecticut interested in receiving multi-year grants of up to $25,000 per year and pro bono strategic consulting.
The group announced that it is accepting letters of interest for investment with a submission deadline of Monday, Oct. 17. All submissions must be made online at the SVP Connecticut website, http://www.socialventurepartners.org/connecticut.
A public information session to learn more about SVP Connecticut and its innovative model of engaged philanthropy will be held on Wednesday from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. in the McManus Room of the Westport Library.
Subscribe
Enter your email address to get WestportNow.com delivered to your inbox:
Powered by FeedBlitz
Of Interest
Support a classroom.
Build a future.
What's inside
Property Transfers
Arts & Leisure
Business
Community
Health & Fitness
Education
Politics
Real Estate
Sports
COVID-19 Info
Westport Info
Westport Weather
Westport Traffic
Of Interest
Westport YouTube
Social Media
Westport-Area Blogs
Suggest a Westport-area blog by sending email to: editor@westportnow.com
