Residents urge council to delay appointment of John Huber to Planning & Zoning; council approves nomination

Public commenters and several council members pressed the Norwalk Common Council on Oct. 28 to delay or reject Mayor Harry W. Rilling’s nomination of John Huber as an alternate to the city’s Planning & Zoning Commission.

Diane Cece, a Norwalk resident, read a prepared statement into the record urging the council to reconsider the appointment and asking that the nominee withdraw or that the council table the item. “I’m concerned that the public was provided with inadequate notice of this candidate,” Cece said, adding that the candidate’s resume was posted only shortly before the meeting and that he “has limited relative experience or relevant experience.”

Selena Zuniga, another resident, told the council she believed the timing—“literally the eleventh hour, the week before election day”—reduced public confidence in the process and said she was concerned Huber had ‘‘recently moved here’’ and registered to vote in August. “It would be more appropriate to let the incoming administration participate in these decisions,” she said.

Council members debated the nomination before voting. Council Member (Mr.) Goldstein, who nominated Huber, said the candidate had shown a commitment to local land-use issues by attending commission meetings and by consulting with city staff and commission members during his application. “He’s deeply experienced… and he’s also a renter, which is a pretty rare thing to have on the planning and zoning commission,” Goldstein said.

Council Member Nidiosi Eichner and others argued that having a variety of perspectives—race, age, education and tenure—could benefit the commission and that an alternate is not a voting member unless seated for a contested vote. Council Member Dunn said she had reviewed the public materials and had not had sufficient time to vet the candidate; she stated she would vote no and described the process as lacking transparency.

After discussion and a roll-call tally of recorded positions (Dunn opposed; two members—identified in the record as Eddy and Ayers—abstained), the motion to appoint John Huber as an alternate to the Planning & Zoning Commission carried.

What happens next

The alternate appointment takes effect per the city’s usual appointment procedures. Because an alternate can be elevated to a regular commission seat if a vacancy occurs, several speakers noted the longer-term consequences of the selection. No table motion succeeded, and the council proceeded with other business.

Votes and record

The nomination was moved and seconded on the floor and passed after recorded opposition and abstentions were recorded in the minutes.