New Commission Begins Comprehensive Review Of Norwalk's Charter

NORWALK, CT — A local commission is working to completely revise Norwalk's charter, which was adopted over 100 years ago, according to city officials.

In a news release, city officials said the Norwalk Common Council formally established the Charter Revision Commission in August.

The following commission members were announced during a special meeting held Sept. 6:

• Patsy Brescia (Chair)
• Richard McQuaid (Vice-Chair)
• Carl Dickens
• Tyler Fairbairn
• Angela Wasunna
• Benita Watford
• Michael Witherspoon.

The Common Council previously selected attorney Steven Mednick to facilitate the revisions. He has been involved in charter revisions throughout several cities and towns in Connecticut and is considered an expert in this subject, according to city officials.

"The residents of Norwalk deserve to have a modernized charter that is easy to understand and gives them a better sense of how their government works," Common Council president Tom Livingston said in a news release. "The Common Council carefully selected an impressive group of commission members from across the city, who have diverse backgrounds and a broad range of experiences to strengthen this process. I have every confidence in the members we selected, and I encourage the community to share their input during the entirety of this public process. The charter revision process is a unique opportunity to make sure Norwalk has a charter that reflects the public's ideas, is easy to navigate and enhances good governance."

The commission will host its first informational meeting Wednesday at 5 p.m. and continue to hold bi-weekly hybrid meetings on Wednesdays. Their first public hearing will be held Oct. 5 at 5 p.m.

"We plan to take an objective review of the charter to try to make it clearer for everyone to comprehend," Brescia said in a news release. "By listening to the public's input, our goal is to reorganize the document to give residents a better sense of how their government works and enhance transparency and accountability."

City officials noted the commission will have eight months to revise the charter and present a recommendation to the Common Council for final approval, after which the question of whether residents want to adopt the new charter will appear on the November 2023 ballot as a referendum.

A comprehensive revision of the charter has not been conducted since Norwalk officially became a city in 1913, according to city officials.

More information on the charter revision is available here.