Letter To The Editor: Farnen For Fairfield, Biden For America

Press release from Kathryn L. Braun:

October 30 2020

Local Environmentalist supports Brian Farnen for Fairfield… and Joe Biden for America

As a lifelong environmentalist who dedicated a large portion of my legal career to protecting parcels of land throughout Fairfield County from over-development, pollution and habitat loss, I put my vote with State Rep. Brian Farnen (132). I’m also voting for the Biden-Harris ticket on the national level (this letter will focus on the local race because the national discourse is already well known but suffice it to say the current president gets an ‘F’ on the environment).

We must maintain local control over the land without our Town’s boundaries – there are 169 municipalities in our State, and historically this has been so. The obvious need for regional guidance and collaboration does not negate the need to make land use decisions by local people who know the land, what it is adjacent to it and how it works in the best interest of our environmental, economic and public health and welfare.

Brian Farnen is a dedicated Fairfielder who will work hard to maintain that local control so that we can continue to protect our environmental health with wise legislation that doesn’t have devastating unintended consequences, such as the much maligned 8-30g statute which promotes affordable housing on the backs of the strength of our communities and our environmental health.

Land is finite and land is unique. Decisions are permanent and have far reaching impact and can’t be reversed. As a former founding member of FairPLAN, three-term RTM member (2009-2016), current Zoning Commissioner, this letter does not reflect my position on any specific issue or project but it reflects the level of understanding and deep concern I have about the impact of our State laws on land use and the far reaching, permanent, and sometimes destructive effects of land use decisions.

Our land use and the impact it has on our environmental health is not partisan. Our environmental health shouldn’t take a back seat to any other issue. We face profound issues that require strong, smart leadership recognizing that environmental health is as important as the need for example for housing- but we’re smart and we can and must deal with both issues.

The environmental issues we face run the gamut from the local and long term effects of the current US president’s dismantling of federal clean air and clean water regulations and practices; the effects of climate change (worsening storms, erratic weather shifts, flooding, sea level rise, draught), the impending collapse of the pollinators needed for the entire ecosystem and for our food supply, damage done locally by our dependence on fossil fuels, air pollution that travels east from the midwest, the effects of water, air, light and noise pollution on what remains of our natural systems.

We must prioritize and recognize that when we lose open space on both large and small parcels of land, we lose the multiple benefits natural land provides, from passive recreation to animal habitat, to migratory stopover for songbirds, to natural greenways, to riverine protection, to natural flood control to air and water pollution remediation.

As a lifelong environmentalist I support State Rep.Brian Farnen and implore you all to do so - once we lose our ability to control and protect our land we lose the ability to protect our environmental health and the welfare of our community.

Brian is smart and dedicated- please help him to help our Town! Vote for Brian Farnen for State Assembly (132).

Kathryn L Braun

This press release was produced by Kathryn L. Braun. The views expressed here are the author’s own.