Politics & Government

'We Can Choose Our Dance Partner'

Written by Aaron Boyd.

Connecticut is going to cut the number of regional planning agencies statewide from 14 to eight or five, and local first selectmen are concerned about who the Danbury region will merge with.

Will it merge east along the I-84 corridor with Waterbury? Will it merge south along Route 7 and Metro North with Stamford? Will it merge southeast with Bridgeport along Route 25?

"I think we should be pro-active and not wait," said First Selectman Rudy Marconi of Ridgefield.

The greater Danbury area regional planning area is called the Housatonic Valley Council of Elected Officials, and it includes the towns of Danbury, Bethel, Ridgefield, Redding, Brookfield, Sherman, New Fairfield, New Milford, Newtown and Bridgewater. 

Matt Knickerbocker, first selectman of Bethel and HVCEO chairman said, "Reallignment is going to come. We can choose our dance partner or they'll choose one for us."

Marconi and Knickerbocker have said they think a merger with SWRPA would be best for the Danbury region. SWRPA stands for South Western Regional Planning Agency, and it includes the towns or cities of Darien, Greenwich, New Canaan, Norwalk, Stamford, Weston, Westport and Wilton.

"HVCEO looks south," Knickerbocker said, "along Metro North and the Route 7 corridors."

"We want to be in a position where we're in an organization that shares Ridgefield's social and economic character," Marconi said. That is probably SWRPA. "We're somewhat rural, a little suburban."

Marconi said the new, larger regional planning agency can't lose sight of the needs of its smaller members. He said in HVCEO the towns took turns on road projects, except in emergencies. In emergencies, those with the greatest needs were taken care of first. He said HVCEO shared the wealth.

Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton said he worries Danbury's needs will be lost in a larger organization. Like Marconi and Knickerbocker, Boughton said HVCEO works well, and as usual, state government is setting out to, "fix something that isn't broken."

"We don't want to get swallowed up by a big town," Boughton said.

In Brookfield, First Selectman Bill Davidson said, "There are going to be even fewer planning agencies. Let's not even get into that debate. As smaller towns, Danbury included, we may not get the attention we deserve."

Davidson said it looks like HVCEO will either merge with the planning agency in Waterbury, Bridgeport or Stamford. 

"Resources will be squeezed. I think SWRPA would be a good fit," Davidson said.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here