Submitted by Peter Lauridsen
Selectman Fred Camillo’s appointment to a board position at S.E. Minor & Co., a local land use consulting firm, is fraught with potential conflicts of interest between his full-time job as First Selectman and this new board position.
At more than 34 billion dollars, Greenwich has the largest grand list in the state of Connecticut. Real Estate has consistently been one of the largest industries in Greenwich. This industry is heavily regulated by the town of Greenwich, requiring land use approvals which are granted or denied by town commissions, committees, boards and agencies. Also required in the approval process are permits which are issued by the Department of Public Works (DPW).
S.E Minor & Co is one of several land-use consulting firms in Greenwich that obtains these approvals and permits on behalf of its clients.
For its clients, S.E. Minor & Co. submits applications for: Subdivisions, Site Plans, Special Permits, Municipal Improvements, Wetlands Applications, Zone Changes and Variances. These applications are taken up by the Planning and Zoning Commission, Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Agency, Planning and Zoning Board of Appeals and Conservation Commission.
Members of these commissions, committees, boards and agencies are all nominated by the Board of Selectmen. This presents the potential for multiple conflicts of interest.
For its clients, S.E. Minor & Co. also obtains Sewer Permits, Septic Permits, Drainage Permits, Fill Permits, Sedimentation & Erosion Control Permits, Street Opening Permits, Driveway Permits and Building Permits, all of which must be reviewed and approved by multiple departments of the DPW, which are all under the direct supervision of the First Selectman’s office. This presents the possibility of many additional direct conflicts of interest.
By having the First Selectman’s name on its Board of Directors, S.E. Minor & Co. will receive an unfair passive advantage over its local competitors. Potential clients of land use consulting services in Greenwich will naturally opt to use the one company that has the First Selectman’s name listed as a board member. In addition to the clear conflicts outlined above, this is just bad form.
Peter Lauridsen began a forty-three-year career in Real Estate and Development with a five-year stint as a Planner with the Greenwich Planning and Zoning Commission from 1981 to 1986.
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Note: Due to the number of letters to the editor received in advance of the upcoming RTC primaries on March 5, we are unable to publish them all and have stopped accepting letters on behalf of candidates.