Land Use Agency Promotions Announced; Town Planning Role Redefined

By Andrew Gorosko

First Selectman Herbert Rosenthal this week announced that George Benson, who has worked as the town’s land use enforcement officer since 2005, has been promoted to the post of land use agency director.

Mr Benson’s appointment comes following the recent retirement of Rita Macmillan, who had served as the land use agency director since 1998.

Mr Rosenthal also announced that Rob Sibley has been promoted to the post of land use agency deputy director for conservation, which is a new position. Mr Sibley has served as the town’s conservation official since 2004, when he replaced C. Stephen Driver, who retired from that position.

Both the director and deputy director posts are management positions that are not covered by the town employees’ union. 

Additionally, Mr Rosenthal said that Elizabeth Stocker’s position would now be known as director of planning and community development. Until now, Ms Stocker’s job title had been director of community development. Ms Stocker has worked for the town since 1990.

Mr Rosenthal said that the management reorganization is intended to have the town capitalize on the three municipal employees’ professional strengths.

Also, in order to be better prepared to meet future municipal needs, the town has formed a new study panel known as the Ad Hoc Strategic Long Range Planning Committee.

That advisory panel, which is still in its formative stages, will study and report back to the selectmen on how the town can best financially plan for its various identified long-range facilities and staffing needs. That committee would be advised by town staffers in the areas of financial planning, community development, public works, and the school system. The planning panel would make quarterly reports to the Board of Selectmen.

As the land use agency director, Mr Benson will be the administrative supervisor for the Planning and Zoning Commission, the Inland Wetlands Commission, the Conservation Commission, and the Zoning Board of Appeals. He will supervise all personnel at the town land use agency offices at Peck’s Lane.

In the new position of deputy land use agency director, Mr Sibley will handle management tasks related to the Inland Wetlands Commission and the Conservation Commission. Mr Sibley will serve as the land use agency director in the absence of Mr Benson.

Mr Rosenthal said Ms Stocker’s job title has changed to more clearly reflect her continuing role as the town’s in-house planning expert. Ms Stocker has planning credentials from the American Institute of Certified Planners.

Ms Stocker’s revised job description states that she will coordinate the town’s land use planning, community development, and economic development efforts based on various town agencies’ established land use policies and strategies.

Ms Stocker advises the Planning and Zoning Commission and the Economic Development Commission, regularly attending those agencies’ meetings. The Economic Development Commission is an advisory panel that promotes local commercial/industrial growth with the goals of an expanded municipal property tax base and creation of new jobs. 

Mr Rosenthal explained that Ms Stocker will be the chairwoman of an ad hoc three-member planning team comprised of herself, Mr Benson, and Mr Sibley, which will address various planning issues facing the town government. Such an arrangement would formalize municipal channels of communication to improve the efficiency of town planning efforts, Mr Rosenthal said.

Mr Rosenthal added that Scott Sharlow, head of the town’s geographic information systems and technology department, will aid the town’s three-member planning team, as needed. 

Mr Benson said he expects the town will be hiring two part-time staffers at the land use agency to enforce the zoning regulations and the wetlands regulations. As land use enforcement officer, Mr Benson had worked in enforcing both those sets of regulations. Gary Frenette will continue as the town’s zoning enforcement officer.

“The whole will be greater than the sum of its parts,” Mr Rosenthal said of the various organizational changes being made.