Old Saybrook commission chair to resign after June; summer programs report strong enrollment

Mike Rafferty, chair of the Old Saybrook Youth and Family Services Commission, announced during the commission’s meeting that he will resign effective after the June meeting. “I am going to resign from the agency commission for the agency effective after the June meeting,” Rafferty said, noting more than three decades of community service.

Rafferty said he has discussed leadership succession with fellow commissioners and named Jeff Harter and Camille as the two candidates who have agreed to run for chair and co‑chair; he said he will preside at the June meeting during the quick election. No other candidates stepped forward during the meeting.

Director Heather McNeel delivered the commission’s director’s report and said registration for summer offerings is largely full. “Teen Trip Tuesdays are full except for one trip,” McNeel said, adding that Community Service Week and the Safe Sitter program have filled up and that Mission Ready is approximately 60% full. She described staff flexibility for specialty trips, pop‑up activities and a discreet scholarship process to help families afford program fees.

McNeel said three interns will join the department in the fall: two two‑year marriage‑and‑family‑therapy interns from Central and a 12‑month clinical mental‑health counseling intern from the University of New Haven. She said interns expand capacity for afternoon programming and school collaborations.

On prevention programming, McNeel said staff are proposing a substance‑abuse‑prevention program to potentially replace the current DARE curriculum. The next step is a conversation with the superintendent and outreach to parents seeking feedback on how the proposed program would differ from DARE before the commission decides whether it is viable for local schools.

The meeting closed with routine business and a reminder that the commission will reconvene in June, when Rafferty said the leadership election will occur.