Submitted by Margarita Alban
Last week, I learned I am a white man, and an elderly one at that. Until then, I had believed myself to be a Hispanic woman.
How did this information reach me? It came first in an email, then in the media and, finally, this week, in a newsletter from the CT Senate Democrats. It was reported as the findings of a study: “Local Land-Use Boards In Fairfield, New London Counties Don’t Reflect Communities’ Demographics.”
What led to this discovery? A group called the Center for Housing Opportunity (CHO) claimed to have studied Land Use Board membership in Fairfield and New London Counties. CHO is an initiative of a broader group called The Housing Collective which also includes other housing advocacy groups. Their stated goal is to “solve homelessness and ensure safe and affordable housing for all.”
When only 43% of the towns in Fairfield County responded to the CHO survey, the “Housing Collective staff filled in survey data gaps…Resources utilized included municipal webpages and town charters, CT Secretary of State website, voter records, municipal property records, LinkedIn, Facebook, board and commission meeting recordings, and name searches.”
That’s how my gender and ethnicity were changed overnight. So you know, my Facebook profile photo is, in fact, of a male but he’s a Collie. He’s young and he’s only part white.
When I wrote the Housing Collective objecting to the ‘study,’ they replied: “Once we compiled the data, we were pretty shocked by the results. After a lot of deliberation, we decided to publish them…”
Um. Yes. When you fill in the blanks like that you might surprise yourself with the results. Or not.
The Housing Collective also wrote me that the report was not meant “to shame and blame the many hard working volunteers who give their time to their local communities.”
I haven’t yet decided how I feel about becoming a white man but I do feel baselessly attacked. That seems akin to being shamed and blamed. The study ‘data’ that so ‘shocked’ the Housing Collective was deeply flawed but it is being used to discredit Land Use Boards. Can you imagine filling in missing data from random internet sources for a school term paper, much less doing so to criticize a group of volunteers, weaponizing your supposed ‘findings’ to advance a political agenda?
You might ask why Greenwich didn’t supply correct information. Quite simple. Our volunteers file an application with the Town and are then interviewed and appointed. Greenwich approaches volunteer interviews with the same respect toward the law as it does for paid positions.
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Age Discrimination Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act all prohibit employers from asking discriminatory questions during interviews. These laws protect applicants from questions about their race, religion, national origin, age, gender, disability, marital status and other personal characteristics that are not related to job performance.
The Town of Greenwich doesn’t ask interviewees illegal questions and did not reply to the survey.
There is something else odd about the study. It compares town board compositions to that of their counties. County governments stopped existing in CT in 1960. We retain the names but they have no relevance to municipal governance. Why cite them?
Still, the Housing Collective is making much of its supposed discovery and has publicized it broadly. Is there actually something new to worry about here?
Before you opt for blowing up CT Land Use Boards, consider this data about what else doesn’t reflect resident demographics:
US Congress: Women comprise around 28%, significantly lower than their 50.5% share of the overall U.S. population. About 78% of the members are white, while the national average is around 58%. The average age of Congressional members is 58 whereas the median U.S. age is around 39.
CT Legislature: Women make up 37% but they are 50% of the CT population. Between 2015 and 2020, the number of white legislators in CT rose from 74% to 82% whereas only 63% of the State is white. The average age of a legislator is almost 53; the median age in the State is 41.
Yet, in their ‘Capitol Dispatch’ the CT Senate Democrats broadcast the claim that Land Use Board compositions don’t represent their communities. Their lead was “new report hints at why Connecticut towns and cities have been slow to approve affordable housing plans: the people weighing such projects are often older white male homeowners.”
Hmm. Don’t tell Bernie Sanders. But do consider funding some mirrors for the CT State Legislature. Truth is the white male gerontocracy runs our nation. Donald Trump is 79. The average age of the US Senate is 64; the House is 58. Our oldest Senator is 91 and a surprising number in both Chambers is male white and over 80. Why would someone choose to single out municipal land use board members? Surely not to shame and blame.
I’m not clear how the composition of Land Use Boards relates to better housing affordability and decreased homelessness in CT. But I’m certain it is not constructive to publicize made up data to undermine towns which are making strides toward greater housing diversity and inclusion. Greenwich is among those towns making a genuine effort and you can read about that here.
The Housing Collective /CHO report is titled “Room at the Table: Increasing civic participation in local land use decision-making.” I have no idea how they connected the dots between supposed board domination by older while males to lack of civic participation.
Please know that Greenwich Land Use boards embrace public participation. You can find their meetings on this town web page: Town of Greenwich Agendas and Meetings. Most of the meetings are virtual – specifically to facilitate public attendance and input.
You can also apply to join a Town of Greenwich Board or Commission by using this link:/Selectmens-Nominations-Advisory-Committee.
Finally, for what it’s worth, until the report was issued, the Greenwich Planning & Zoning Commission was 43% female and 14% minority.
Margarita Alban*
*The Greenwich League of Women Voters awarded its 2025 Community Impact Award to Margarita Alban for her commitment to transparent democratic process and inclusive leadership. She wrote this LTE as a private citizen although she is a long time member and current Chair of the Greenwich Planning & Zoning Commission.