UPDATE: First Selectman Reflects on Reappointment of Greenwich Harbor Master

UPDATE June 12 10:00am: During his weekly Ask the First Selectman show on WGCH 1490 on Friday morning, Peter Tesei fielded a question from WGCH radio intern Sara Jarosz, who asked Mr. Tesei to weigh in on MacMillan’s reappointment by Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy, a Democrat.

“There’s been a lot of misunderstanding as to the harbor master’s role. It’s a very narrow role,” Tesei said, referring to MacMillan’s reappointment as a “patronage position.”

Mr. Tesei said the accountability for performance and conduct for the harbor master rests with the Governor, but that Greenwich provides far in excess of what is required. “We provide a boat. We provide an administrative staff person to assist with collection of mooring permitting fees,” he said. “We also provide for expenses directly related to the duties proscribed by the statute. Our financial support is discretionary and predicated on prudent use of the resources in adherence to town policies.”

“A good analogy someone made to me early on is to think of the mooring fields as like a parking lot for boats, and the harbor master is in charge of seeing to it as those boats are properly moored or parked.” – Peter Tesei

“He’s the Rita Azrelyant of the water,” radio host Tony Savino joked, referring to the Town’s director of parking services.

Mr. Tesei said the Town would continue to provide resources and use discretionary funds according to Town policy. “These are discretionary funds, and are not required,” he said.

Original Story Thursday, June 11 6:45pm: Ian MacMillan, Greenwich’s Harbor Master, has been reappointed as Harbor Master for the harbors and navigable waterways of Greenwich. In a letter from Monika Lazauskas, Executive Aide to the General Counsel Office of Connecticut Governor Dannel P. Malloy Dated June 11, MacMillan learned of his reappointment by the Governor.

As Harbor Master for Greenwich, MacMillan is a Public Official of the Executive Branch.

Mazza Re-Elected Chair of Harbor Commission. Public Feedback Sought on Harbor Plan Draft Chapters

Harbor Management Commission Hoists Delta Flag: Maneuvering with Difficulty

Harbor Master’s Disputed Phone Bill Gets a Resolution

Harbor Management Commission Denies Parks & Rec Request for $2,900 to Upgrade Key Buoys

Mantra for a Harbor Master: Dilution is the Solution to Pollution.

The Current State of Planning for Greenwich Harbor and the Mianus River

Making a Plan for a Harbor Management Plan? Hire a Consultant?

Harbor Management Commission Discusses Harbor Ambiguities

Harbor Management Commissioner on Unpermitted Moorings: “Ian Was Right”

Harbor Master Expenses Discussed at Harbor Management Commission Meeting