Tesei Names Economic Development Team

Making good on a promise he made last spring - to appoint an 11-member economic advisory council whose charge is to help attract new businesses to Greenwich.

First Selectman Peter Tesei announced the committee with nine members who are residents and businessmen with long ties to Greenwich and the Greenwich Chamber of Commerce. In addition to attracting new businesses to Greenwich, the council will be responsible for keeping abreast with the competition posed by surrounding communities. The two nonvoting members are the chamber's director Marcia O'Kane, and a member of the town's Board of Estimate and Taxation.

It was that Tesei announced creation of the council in his annual State of the Town address.

The council will advise the first selectman "on feedback from the business community regarding the impact of town projects (and) initiatives ... the impact of federal, state and local regulations on the business community" and review federal and state programs that could help local businesses.

The committee will be comprised of James Aiello, James Rittman, Paul Settlemeyer, Leonard Szczesny, Scott Weiner, Jay Madia, Sabine Schoenberg, Kathy O'Malley and Tamara Ketler. They will serve on varying terms of one to three years.

A more formal announcement from the Chamber of Commerce is expected within a few weeks.