Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.
The Milford Board of Adjustment convened at 10:00 a.m. on August 13, 2026, with a full quorum present. The board held two public hearings on variance applications, deferred one application because of a noticing error, approved five variances for an infill house application, and unanimously approved the minutes and seven prior findings of fact.
Call the meeting to order the first anybody signed up for the open public comment, which is not part of the regular meeting. Have we had anyone sign up? I looked at the list. There's no one who is signed up. I don't know if there's anyone online. Anyone online wish to make a general comment before the meeting start? Please raise your hand. Looks like we have one. Let me. Yes, Julie Morris. Um, I just want to speak specifically. Yep, Julie Morris 21142 Cedar Beach Road, Milford. Um, I want to speak specifically about the leadership and independence of the board of adjustment. Brendan Wharfle has chaired the board for many years now. He's also a local builder whose professional work involves construction and development. That fact alone does not disqualify someone from serving, but when combined with the extraordinary authority this board possesses to grant relief from the city's zoning requirements, residents have every right to expect the highest standards of independence, transparency, and accountability. And I'm increasingly concerned that we're not seeing that standard upheld. Last August I came before city council and objected to Wharfle's appointment, reappointment. I raised concerns about this board's repeated approval of significant variances in what appear to be a pattern of treating the zoning code as something can be routinely negotiated around rather than consistently enforced. I also place on public record my concerns about the VIP NASCAR tickets. Despite those concerns, Wharfle was reappointed. But the larger issue extends beyond one appointment. The mayor has significant influence over who serves on city boards and commissions because members are appointed by the mayor. When the may when the chair of a quasi-judicial board has a relationship with city leadership that raises legitimate questions about appearances, residents should not simply be told to trust that everything is independent. Public confidence requires more than assurances. It requires visible independence. This board's responsibility is to apply the law to the evidence presented in each case. Its role is not to advance any administration's development priorities, nor to reshape zoning requirements to fit whatever project happens to be before it. Just as importantly, no chairperson should appear to predetermine outcomes before fellow board members have had the opportunity to independently evaluate the facts and the law. So today I'm asking every member seated at this dais to remember that you're not one board member following a chairperson. You're five independent decision makers with an obligation to exercise your own judgment. You do not work for Brendan Warfall. You do not work for Todd Culata. You're here to determine whether each applicant has met the legal standards required for the relief being requested. I will be listening. Constituents will be listening today, not only to how the chair votes, but to whether every member asks questions, examines alternatives, evaluates the evidence independently, and explains the basis for his or her decision. Because the public confidence in this board depends on residents believing that decisions are made here in public based on the law and evidence rather than somewhere else before the meeting ever began. Thank you. All right. That will close the open public comment. We'll move into the regular meeting. We do have a full quorum today. Please rise and we'll pledge allegiance.