Regular Meeting of the 32nd Board of Representatives - September 8, 2026

The Board of Representatives of the City of Stamford held its regular meeting on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, at 7:31 p.m. in the Legislative Chambers at 888 Washington Boulevard and remotely. President Rami Shaw presided with 40 members present, a quorum. The meeting included an invocation by Alice Knapp (CEO, Ferguson Library), a pledge of allegiance, moments of silence for Vito Colucci, John Henry Jones Jr., and the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks, and communications about upcoming deadlines and meetings.

Consent Calendar

• Honorary Resolution (Item No. 1): Recognized the Back-to-School Shop for its 12th annual event providing clothing and supplies to over 450 underprivileged students. Approved unanimously by voice vote. Rep. Finkel read the resolution and presented it to the organization's board members.
• Fiscal Committee Consent Items (F32.093–F32.111, except F32.107): Approved unanimously by voice vote, with Rep. Pavia abstaining on Item No. 8 (police overtime grant) and Rep. Graham abstaining on Items No. 9 and 10 (early voting grants).
• Legislative & Rules Committee Consent Items (LR32.016, LR32.017, LR32.020): Approved unanimously by voice vote.
• Personnel Committee Consent Items (P32.012–P32.014): Contracts for Clerks of the Works Orazio Cirelli, Larry Ho, and Paul Montanaro. Approved unanimously by voice vote.
• CHESS Committee Consent Items (CHESS32.022, CHESS32.023): De-obligation and re-allocation of CDBG funds totaling $1,163,690.05 and $1,000,000. Approved unanimously by voice vote.
• Minutes (August 3, 2026 Regular Meeting): Approved by voice vote of 37-0-1 (Rep. Weinberg abstained).

Public Comments & Testimony

Public participation session was held from 8:02 p.m. to 8:32 p.m. Nine individuals spoke. Key positions expressed:

• Kieran Edmondson (remote): Voiced support for items F32.103 (police overtime for speed enforcement) and F32.106 (dispatcher salary funding), urging approval to enhance traffic safety and emergency response.
• Valerie Jada (in person): Described the death of her son in police custody in 2019, alleging officers failed to provide medical aid and did not activate body cameras. She appealed to the board to require the police chief to answer directly about policy compliance and officer actions.
• Josef Graham (Harbor Management Commission, in person): Spoke in strong support of the proposed boat ramp (F32.107), emphasizing its value as a public safety asset for fire and police marine response. He cited recent strain on resources and the need for redundancy.
• Dr. Damian Ortelli (Chair, Harbor Management Commission, in person): Described the commission's role and expertise, reiterated the need for a boat ramp feasibility study, calling it the top priority for harbor access and safety.
• Mike Papa (remote): Raised traffic safety concerns, questioned city maintenance priorities, and referenced a recent newspaper report about fire truck spending.
• Other speakers: Laurie Chase, Russ Hollander, Diana Kolaj, Laura Martin (positions not detailed in transcript provided).

Discussion Items

• BOE Liaison Report: Rep. Noah Lapine reported a smooth start to the school year despite construction at Roxbury and West Hill, announced the new CFO Benjamin Chan, and encouraged members to meet the new superintendent.
• Steering Committee: Under suspension of rules, the board took up two items: (1) appointment of members to attend Planning Board hearings for the Capital Program (S32.002) – approved unanimously; (2) Aquarion Water Authority Representative Policy Board resolution (S32.003) – approved 38-0-2 (Reps. Graham and Pollack abstained).
• Fiscal Committee: Co-Chair Eric Morson reported. Items 2–11 approved on consent. Item 12 (F32.107, Stamford Harbor Boat Launch Feasibility Study) was discussed separately; it had previously failed 10-26-3 in June but was resubmitted. A roll call vote was taken.
• Legislative & Rules Committee: Chair Michael McKeown reported. Three ordinances approved on consent (repeal of Appointments Commission, reporting requirements for mayoral appointments, delegation of Shellfish Commission authority to Harbor Management Commission). A resolution urging window safety legislation (LR32.021) was recommitted to Steering.
• Personnel Committee: Chair Carl Weinberg reported; three clerk contracts approved on consent.
• Land Use/Urban Redevelopment Committee: Co-Chair Ryan Hughes reported. Ordinance LU32.009 (establishing a Conservation Commission) was approved by roll call vote of 34-1-2 after the voice vote failed to be unanimous.
• CHESS Committee: Co-Chair Stephanie Sylvestre reported. Item CHESS32.021 (discussion of CDBG non-compliance) was recommitted; items 2 and 3 approved on consent.

Key Outcomes

• F32.107 – Stamford Harbor Boat Launch Feasibility Study ($125,000): Approved by roll call vote of 31-9-0. Reps. Blank, Bouchard, Boudreau, Bradford, Camporeale, de la Cruz, Didelot, Field, Finkel, Gardner, Gilbride, Goldberg, Gross, Hill, Johnson, Lapine, Morson, Pavia, Pelliccia, Pollack, Price, Salas, Sandford, Shaw, Shore, Stone, Sylvestre, Weinberg, Wirz, Yeager, and Zachary voted to approve; Reps. Adams, Beckham, Dorsey, Graham, Hughes, Hyatt, McKeown, Walston, and Weathers voted against.
• LU32.009 – Conservation Commission Ordinance: Approved by roll call vote of 34-1-2. Rep. Graham voted against; Reps. Gardner and Hughes abstained; Rep. Gilbride missed the vote; Rep. Walston left before the vote.
• Other approvals: All remaining consent agenda items adopted as noted (unanimous voice votes or as tallied).
• Next meetings: Steering Committee – September 14, 2026 at 7:00 p.m.; Regular Board – October 5, 2026 at 7:30 p.m.

The meeting was adjourned at 9:22 p.m.