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Stratford Zoning Commission elects Harold Watson chair, Linda Lamberti vice chair; adopts updated rules of order
Summary
At an organizational meeting Jan. 8, 2025, the Stratford Zoning Commission elected Commissioner Harold Watson as chair and Commissioner Linda Lamberti as vice chair after procedural discussion and roll-call votes, and adopted minor edits to its rules of order to match zoning-notification requirements.
The Stratford Zoning Commission elected Commissioner Harold Watson as chair and Commissioner Linda Lamberti as vice chair during its organizational meeting on Jan. 8, 2025, and approved a small change to the commission's rules of order to align property-notification language with the town's zoning regulations.
The commission opened the meeting with Jay Hibanski, the planning and zoning administrator, explaining the nomination and roll-call voting process for the organizational session. "I will call for a nomination, and then a second for that nomination," Hibanski said, describing the order of business for electing chair and vice chair.
Nomination and voting produced protracted discussion about passing and abstentions before commissioners completed the chair vote. Commissioner Lamberti moved to nominate Harold Watson for chair; Watson seconded his own nomination. After an initial round with passes and procedural clarification, the commission completed a roll-call vote that resulted in Watson's election. The final tally recorded in the meeting was three in favor and two opposed (yes: Commissioner Joseph; Commissioner Lamberti; Commissioner Harold Watson; no: Commissioner Manos; Commissioner Leonard Petrucelli). The commission recorded procedural confusion earlier in the session as members navigated passing versus abstaining during the nomination rounds.
Nominations for vice chair initially produced a tie on the first candidate, and commissioners then nominated an alternate candidate, Linda Lamberti. A subsequent roll-call vote resulted in Lamberti's election as vice chair with a 3-2 vote (yes votes from Commissioner Ewald, Commissioner Lamberti and Commissioner Leonard Petrucelli; no votes from Commissioner Deborah Liberti and Commissioner Harold Watson). The commission closed the voting session and the newly elected chair, Watson, presided for the remaining business.
After the elections, Hibanski reviewed the commission's rules of order included in the meeting packet and asked commissioners whether they had suggested changes. Commissioners agreed to a single revision to make the rules consistent with the zoning regulations' updated notification requirement: notifying property owners within 100 feet rather than the prior, narrower language. "What changed was how we notify abutters. It is no longer notification of just the abutters, but it's those within a hundred feet," Hibanski said; a motion to adopt the rules as modified passed unanimously.
Commissioners discussed other administrative items briefly, including the infrequency of commission budgeting and how any direct expenditures would need to be forwarded to the town council for approval. Hibanski noted that the commission could request budget items but that such expenditures historically have been rare and would require council action.
The commission concluded by agreeing to schedule an administrative session in the coming months for orientation and to discuss commission operations in public session. A motion to adjourn passed and the meeting ended.
