It’s usually common around this time of year to receive phone calls from political pollsters asking questions about who you plan to vote for, but now scammers are mimicking those legitimate calls.

Consumers are warned by the BBB that the mid-term elections are likely to generate scammers pretending to be pollsters, campaign volunteers, fundraisers, and even candidates.

Here are some common political scams and frauds to watch out for:

Fundraising: You get a call from someone claiming to represent a political candidate, raising money to support the campaign. They may be collecting funds for a specific cause, such as healthcare reform, or on behalf of a group such as veterans. Reports claim that callers are typically pushy and demand immediate action.

Polling: The call is from someone claiming to be conducting a political survey. The pollster wants to ask you questions about the upcoming election. In exchange for a few minutes of your time and opinions, you’re promised a gift card or reward. After asking several legitimate-sounding survey questions, the caller typically then asks you to provide your credit card number to pay for the shipping and taxes of the “prize” you’ve won.

Impersonation: You get a call that sounds like one of the candidates, or perhaps even the president, asking you to make a special contribution. This scam uses real audio clips of politicians’ voices, likely lifted from speeches or media interviews. At some point you’ll be asked for a donation. This is usually followed by a request that you push a button to be redirected to an agent, who will then collect your credit card information. Since real politicians use pre-recorded calls, it’s challenging to tell which ones are fake.

In all of these cases, sharing your personal information and/or credit card number can open you up to the risk of fraudulent charges and even future identity theft. Although these examples are primarily telephone scams, fraudsters can use other methods to reach you as well. Mail, email, social media, text, or even showing up at your front door are all likely.

Tips to avoid political scams:

• Donate directly to the campaign office: Donations made over the phone can be valid, but to be sure you are donating directly to the campaign, donors should give either through the candidates’ official website or at a local campaign office.

Margarita Alban and Nick Macri at the Planning and Zoning briefing on Monday, Oct 29, 2018

The Monday Planning and Zoning briefing was the first meeting without Richard Maitland. His term would end two days later on the 31st.

Maitland, a retired architect, had led the commission for 3 years, after rising from alternate to full member over the course of 18 years.

Maitland chose not to attend after being ousted two weeks ago following an RTM vote of 72 in favor, 98 opposed and 12 Abstentions.

Per Robert’s Rules, Margarita Alban who has seniority on the commission and had been serving as secretary, was moved up to become acting chair.

Commissioner Nick Macri offered to serve as acting secretary.

Alban and Macri will serve as chair and secretary until the commission holds an election for officers, which they decided not to do until they have five full members.

Given the stunning RTM vote against Mr. Maitland and passionate testimony from the public and RTM members suggesting the commission has been soft on developers and responsible for over development including encroachment of schools and religious institutions into residential neighborhoods, many are waiting with bated breath to learn who the commission will vote in as the next chair.

Before the commission can pick their next leader, first the Board of Selectmen must vote in an alternate to become a full member.

This week, the Selectmen have scheduled interviews with the three alternates: Dave Hardman, Victoria Goss and Dennis Yeskey.

In the past, the person who has served as an alternate the longest has been elevated first to full member, though precedent had not adhered to recently.

Fred Brooks stepped down in July 2015. In August Selectmen Peter Tesei and John Toner voted (against Drew Marzullo) to elevate alternate Andy Fox ahead of Nancy Ramer, who had seniority.

At the time, First Selectman Tesei said he had “agonized” over the nomination.

Ramer was elevated six months later, on Nov 15, 2015, to fill an opening after longtime chair Donald Heller resigned.

Just a year later, in Nov 2016, she resigned.

Given the assertion at the RTM meeting that P&Z commission was too soft on developers, the backgrounds of the commissioners is interesting.

Mr. Maitland was a retired architect.

His predecessor, Donald Heller had real estate development experience as President of J.S. Karlton, a private real estate and management company.

Fred Brooks, Donald Heller and Richard Maitland in TownHall, in 2015. File photo: Leslie Yager

Richard Maitland smiled after Katie Deluca announced he had been elected chair of the Planning and Zoning commission during the April 6, 2016 P&Z meeting. Right, Margarita Alban. Credit: Leslie Yager

Commissioner Peter Levy, whose bio is available on website of Kamber Management Company, (Kamber owns and operates commercial and retail real estate) is a real estate manager who attained a Master of Architecture degree from Columbia University and since joining the Kamber in 1989 has run the daily operations of Kamber’s properties.

Margarita Alban, who has served on the Planning and Zoning Commission since March 2006, was a Corporate Brand Manager at Exxon Mobil Corporation where she worked for 23 years. She has work experience in long range planning, as well as facility construction and environmental compliance.

Alban earned a B.A. in Psychology from William Smith College, and a Master’s  in Management from Simmons College. She has also completed coursework from Yale’s Graduate School of Public Health, and has an Advanced Professional Certificate in Accounting from the NYU Stern School of Business.

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Andy Fox, according to the RTM website, has 30+ years experience in the real estate development industry. Currently he is a partner at Stone Harbor Land Co, Stone Harbor Project Advisors and Fox Development Corporation. He has served at AP Construction Co and as VP of Development for Einstein/Noah Bagel Corp where he was responsible for the rapid development of over 360 stores in two years. Prior to Einstein’s, Fox was VP of Development for a regional franchisee for Boston Market, Einstein Bros Bagels and Blockbuster Video.  He has a BS in Civil Engineering from North Carolina State University.

Nick Macri who has a BS in Architecture, runs his own local architecture firm, Macriture, LLC.  According to LinkedIn, Macriture provides expediting and municipal permitting, zoning and property research, design & architectural consulting, CAD services and client representative services. Both Residential and Commercial sectors are served.

Macri previously worked for Granoff Architects and John R. Mastera & Associates Architects.

Prior to becoming an alternate and then a full member of P&Z Macri was a member of the Architectural Review Committee for 15 years. ARC is advisory to P&Z. Macri has practiced architecture for a long time. Back in the 1980s, in his first job, he was a Planning Technician for the Town.

Alternates:

Alternate Victoria Goss is an attorney with a BA and MA in French Literature from Duke University and a JD from Walter F George School of Law. Goss most recently worked for the State at Stamford Superior Court assisting judges during courtroom hearings and short calendar from 2011 to 2014.

Mr. Yeskey is a consultant who runs Yeskey Real Estate Consulting & Investment. He retired from Deloitte as a Senior National Partner after 45 years in the business world principally in the real estate investment arena.

The newest alternate, Dave Hardman is, according to the Warburg Pincus website, involved with the firm’s real estate investment activities. Previously he was a managing director at Morgan Stanley, where he last led US real estate investing.  He received an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School, a BS from the United States Military Academy and served on active duty as an infantry officer in the United States Army.

Watch on Thursday for our coverage of the Tuesday, Oct 30 P&Z meeting application of The Mill in Glenville who seeks to convert office space to 69 residential apartments.

See also:

RTM Ousts Planning & Zoning Commission’s 18 Year Member Richard Maitland

RTM Appointments Committee Votes on New Term for P&Z’s Richard Maitland

RTM Land Use Group Holds Contentious Vote on New Term for P&Z’s Richard Maitland

Information provided by Coxe & Graziano Funeral Home, Greenwich

John J. Cibulay, of Greenwich, Connecticut, passed away unexpectedly on Friday, October 26, 2018. Born in Manhattan on April 18, 1957, he was the beloved son of the late Veronica and Edward J. Cibulay of Larchmont, New York. John attended Mamaroneck High School in Mamaroneck, New York and the University of Hartford in Connecticut where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science (BSEE), Electrical and Electronics Engineering. He worked for various companies, including AT&T, Fuji and Dictaphone, during his technical and sales career.

John is survived by his sisters Deirdre Corwin of Larchmont, New York, Kim Stetson of Cromwell, Connecticut and Nancy Dyer also of Larchmont.

He was a devoted uncle to his niece and nephews and was just getting to know his very young great nieces and nephew too. John will be fondly remembered as a great raconteur, quick wit, car lover and avid Yankee and Jets fan.

He made many friends wherever he went and had the Irish gift of gab. His memory will live on in our hearts forever.

Margarita Alban served as acting chair and Nick Macri as acting secretary during the first regular meeting of the P&Z commission since Richard Maitland lost the RTM vote on his additional 3 year appointment.

During a proposal on Tuesday night to convert office space into 69 rental apartments with terraces at The Mill complex along the Byram River in Glenville, a member of one of the four families that own the property, Steven Schacter, addressed the P&Z commission.

Schacter described the project as an adaptive reuse. He said The Mill complex is comprised of five buildings: the 1881 building, the railroad building, the mansion, the central mill building and the 1981 building.

Of those, three will have office space converted into apartments and, a lower parking level under Centro there would become eight apartments with terraces facing the river.

Schacter said the conversion to apartments would be the second iteration of the historic mill. (The American Felt Company closed in the late 1970’s.)

Since 2008, the office vacancy rate in western Greenwich has been between 20% and 30%, a change Schacter described as structural, not cyclical.

Schacter said that starting in 2008, many financial services companies in Greenwich downsized, went out of business, or relocated to newer office stock in the south end of Stamford.

“Our office stock became somewhat antiquated,” he said citing ceiling heights, exposures, and bigger windows available in Stamford. He said there has been a recovery in Greenwich, but not so much on the western side.

“I don’t see it coming to rent levels to justify the expense of putting in a new tenant,” he continued, explaining that typical lease terms have gone from 10 years to 7 year to 5 years.

“Now more and more want 3 years,” he said, adding that shared working spaces have become ubiquitous.

“The economics of the lease are that you’re rebuilding the space every three to ten years,” he said.

He said baby boomers are aging and millennials are reluctant to own, prefering instead to rent, making the building into rental apartments was the most attractive use of the old office space.

“And it’s happening everywhere,” he said. “We hope we’re not too late to the party.”

Further, he said recent changes in taxation altered the equilibrium between renting and owning. Specifically he cited the lack of deductibility of property taxes and high mortgages as making renting more attractive.

The original site was 30 acres. Today the nucleus of The Mill complex is 8.7 acres containing the five buildings, of which 3 are proposed to be repurposed.

Won’t Change:

1. The historic mansion will remain an office building.

2. The railroad or “depot” building, which was built for a train spur that never materialized, features ground floor retail and second floor office. The building was built in the 1800s and has 6,331 square feet. This will not change.

Will Change:

1: The 1881 building, opposite the railroad building is a 19th century 25,429 sq ft structure most closely identified with the mill. The applicant proposed to convert in entirely to  25 apartments, ranging 450 sq ft to 1,300 sq ft.

2. 328 Pemberwick Road, the central mill building is 29,971 sq ft and has a 3 story parking garage.

Today the central mill building houses Centro restaurant, 12 rentals, a super’s residence, a hair salon and a yoga studio.

In this building, under Centro, they propose to convert the lowest level of the parking garage into 8 apartments ranging from 900 sq ft to 2200 sq ft.

And, where the 1881 building meets the central mill building, they propose to install an elevator to transport residents, visitors and customers from street level to three stops below.

3. “The 1981 building” at 10 Glenville Street on the west side of the river, is a 62,742 sq ft structure proposed to have 36 apartments ranging between 950 sq ft and 1,950 sq ft. The applicant wants to keep as office space the first floor on which the applicants have their offices, and continue to lease the portion of the floor they do not occupy.

And Schacter said that FAR, building coverage, and lot coverage all remain substantially below permitted percentages.

The applicant suggested that changing the office buildings to residential will reduce traffic, though neighbors, mostly from adjacent River Run condos disagreed.

Schacter said the application went through Wetlands and the Historic District  and that he expected smooth sailing with FEMA. Also, the Architectural Review Committee liked the application as it retains its “park like feeling “with improvement that will replace overgrown 40-year-old plantings.

Trees. The applicant said 17 trees are set to be removed. He said 3 are dead. Some are White Pine trees he described as out of scale, and two Oak trees. They said they plan to plant trees and shrubs that are pollinator friendly.

Parking: The site has 185 parking spaces plus 7 ADA compliant spaces on East side of river (RR and central mill)  and 196 plus 3 ADA on the west side of river.

Upon conversation to residential the proposal is for 150 + 7 ADA spots on the east side of the river and 175 + 3 ADA spots on the west side of the river (1981 building).

“We hope you will agree that our plan as proposed will result in an iconic Greenwich property being updated, improved and revitalized with vibrancy and dynamism to the benefit of the entire neighborhood,” Schacter said.

There were many questions from the commission about traffic patterns given the proposed change of use. “You have uses that go into the night hours and weekends and others that are daytime only. How are you going to integrate them? asked Ms. Alban. “The parking around Centro gets very crowded.”

“We have excess spaces over and above the spaces needed for Centro,” said attorney John Tesei, explaining there will be almost 2 parking spaces per unit plus an additional 49 spaces for offices that will remain, clearing out in the evening.

He said there are also 23 spaces across the street at Hawthorne condominiums used through an easement by the Mill’s retail employees.

Kaia, with both a yoga studio and a hot yoga studio, want to give up their hot yoga studio and, Schacter said Newmark Leasing has been attempting to lease that space as well as a 700 sq ft space in the restaurant building next to the yoga studio.

“They haven’t found anybody. It’s the nature of the site,” he said. “It’s been a tough retail site.”

Schacter said he believed that bringing 69 new residents, with one, two or three people per unit will be helpful to retail in The Mill and in the neighborhood, from Glenville Pizza to Stop & Shop.

Back to the parking question, Mr. Macri said the shared parking situation will be compromised.

“With all the apartments, all the people will be home and people coming to the restaurant at the same time,” he said.

Tesei said currently the site is required to have 501 parking spaces but only has 381, which makes it technically non conforming. “We’ll bring the parking into conformity,” he said.

Park-like but not a Public Park
Tesei said historically the owners have allowed the public to walk through the property where there is a beautiful dam and waterfall, but that is not pursuant to a easement.

“The concept now of a permanent public easement is not one they are willing to entertain,” he said, adding that there is no intention of curtailing the ability of neighborhood residents from coming on the property.

But, he said, “This is private property and we’re bringing in 69 new residents. We share a driveway with River Run. You have a situation where we have to be careful and balanced when it comes to third parties on the property.”

A neighbor at River Run, Lynn Carmichael said she was concerned about traffic and noted traffic backs up Weaver Street from Glenville Road from about 7:45am to 8:45 or 9:00am, and again in the afternoon because people are traveling from New York to Connecticut and vice versa.

She urged the commissioners to recommend striping an X the intersection like the one outside Whole Foods on East Putnam Ave.

“Everyone is driving during the same time frames. It’s always chock-a-block. It’s a nightmare,” she said.

P&Z director Katie DeLuca said the Town, noting the sheer volume of traffic,  got a grant to do a study of the intersection of Pemberwick Rd and Glenville Rd. “There is a study that will be underway,” she said.

Residents said coming from Pemberwick Rd to Glenville Rd, (across from Glenville Pizza ) it is impossible to turn left, and they noted that the parking situation at the pizza parlor is treacherous.

“Glenville is choking on traffic,” said Steven Schultz, a 20 year resident of River Run. “We liked it when there were office workers there because they are there when we’re not home, and vice versa.”

River Run resident Janice Parker said the applicant’s rendering was inaccurate and that much of the green space is actually a road that that goes through to River Run.

“There’s an enormous amount of density that does not add value to the Town of Greenwich,” she said. “This will increase pressure on the neighborhood, traffic and schools. I don’t see where they will locate things like the dumpsters.”

Ms. Parker said the elephant in the room was the waterfall with its 40 ft drop. “There is no fencing, no protection. If you increase the number of people there – renters with young children – it’s an incredibly dangerous site.”

The application was left open and the applicant will return before the commission at a future meeting.

The deadline to register to vote was October 30.

If you just turned 18, became a citizen or new resident in Greenwich by October 30, 2018 you may apply in person at the Registrars Office at Greenwich Town Hall between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on a daily basis until November 5, 2018.

But people can still register until Nov 5 at Greenwich Town Hall, 101 Field Point Rd. (203) 622-7889 and be able to vote at your assigned polling place.

Election Day Registration.

On November 6, election day, it is still possible for a bona fide resident of Greenwich to both register and vote at Town Hall from 6:00am until 8:00pm.

Go to the special election day registration location, on the second floor of Greenwich Town Hall. Bring identification.

People who have already registered to vote do not need to bring ID to their polling place.

In the instance someone doesn’t have an ID with them, they sign an affidavit.

The registrar of voters office is located in Town Hall, 101 Field Point Road (203) 622-7889

Links on the Town of Greenwich website:

I forgot to register,canI still vote?

Click here to see if you’re already registered to vote and find your polling place

Voter registration requirements.

Up to the minute Greenwich Property Transfers, October 18-19, 2018 transcribed from the Assessor’s office at Greenwich Town Hall

49 Indian Harbor Drive, Unit 4 from Todor Delev and Alexandra Abtoss to Deirdrey McCaffrey on Oct 18, 2018 for $725,000

47 Carriglea Drive from Kenneth Salamone to Evguenia Lindgardt on Oct 19, 2018 for $4,700,000

347 Sound Beach Ave from Caroline Shen to Kristin Toretta Lee on Oct 19, 2018 for $2,925,000

5 Brown House Road from David Alpert and Joanna Alpert to blank on Oct 22, 2018 for $2,150,000

6 Bonwit Rd

6 Bonwit Rd from Estate of Hildegarde Nee to Tracy Tseung on Oct 22, 2018 for $722,000

147 East Putnam Ave

147 East Putnam Ave from The Heirs of Michael and Fannie Taylor LLC to Cos Cob Pond LLC on Oct 22, 2018 for $2,300,000

See also:

RTM Ousts Planning & Zoning Commission’s 18 Year Member Richard Maitland

Up to the Minute Greenwich Property Transfers Oct 15-17, 2018 

Up to the Minute Greenwich Property Transfers Oct 11-15, 2018

Up to the Minute Greenwich Property Transfers, Oct 9-11, 2018

Up to the Minute Greenwich Property Transfers, Oct 4-9, 2018

Up to the Minute Greenwich Property Transfers, Oct 1-3, 2018

Monogrammed items, jewelry, and handbags are just a few of the items available at the gift boutique at Round Hill Club. Credit: Leslie Yager

The Greenwich Exchange has been hosting their annual gift boutique at the Round Hill Club since the 1940’s.

The Round Hill Club is a beautiful setting for the event. Shoppers can anticipate room after room of beautifully displayed wares from artisans and crafters just in time for the holiday shopping season.

This year’s boutique is set for Wednesday Nov 7, 10:00am-5:00pm and Thursday, Nov 8 from 10:00am to 3:00pm. Bring a friend and make a day of it. Luncheon is available from 12:00 noon to 2:00pm.

Every year the fair, which has been run by the Greenwich Exchange for Women’s Work for decades, is a popular destination for thoughtful shoppers seeking unique one-of-a-kind gifts.

Handmade pillows, quilts, and more. Credit: Leslie Yager

Not only is it possible to support local crafters, but 15% of all sales benefit The Greenwich Exchange for Women’s Work.

Subscribe to the daily Greenwich Free Press newsletter.

Admission and parking are free.

The Round Hill Club is located at 33 Round Hill Club Rd.

Join us for our annual Gift Boutique featuring over 30 exciting new and long-time favorite Exhibitors showcasing unique gifts, distinctive jewelry, home decor, chic clothing and accessories. Also offered are toys, children’s and layette, elegant leather handbags and shoes, hand-embroidered linens, fine stationery, and Christmas and holiday decorations.

Some of the vendors include: Archivie Scarves, Che Bellissimo Collections, Daphne Mitchell Stationery, Dancer.NYC, Neelah Cashmere, Three Islands and CMM Designs.

The Round Hill Club is located at 33 Round Hill Club Road in Greenwich.

An application has been submitted to the Dept of Public Works Buildings division to demolish a home at 73 Orchard Place. The single family home, which in the R6 zone a block from Bruce Museum, was built in 1907.

The owner is 73 Orchard Place LLC, which is registered to Michael Jedlicka and Anthony Longo.

Because the home was built before 1940, a written letter of objection submitted to the Building Division of DPW will trigger an additional 45 day stay of demolition.

The home last sold from Michael Jedlicka and Anthony Longo to 73 Orchard Place LLC on May 31, 2018 for $1,075,000.

The house was recently used to stage an art show by “Sour Milk.” Curators Ben Quesnel and Christine Stiver brought together a group of 22 contemporary artists to breathe one final, great gust of life into the long vacant house.

Further information concerning this pending application may be obtained
by contacting the DPW-Division of Buildings 203-622-7754.

Any objection to the demolition of the above building or structure must be filed in writing with the DPW-Division of Buildings within 45 days of publication of notice or the required 90 day waiting period established by Town ordinance will be waived.

Sour Milk Art Show to be Staged inside Greenwich House Destined for Wrecking Ball

Up to the Minute Greenwich Property Transfers, Oct 18-19, 2018

Up to the minute Greenwich property transfers, October 22-25, 2018 transcribed from the assessor’s office at Greenwich Town Hall.

1 Tyler Lane

1 Tyler Lane from Santiago Assalini and Maria Agueda Assalini to Ivan Kaming Chan on Oct 22, 2018 for $2,600,000

16 Sunshine Ave

16 Sunshine Ave from Betty Ann Piro Revocable Trust to 16Sunshine LLC on Oct 23, 2018 for $750,000

110 Patterson Ave

110 Patterson Ave from Tad and Vivian Haley to 110 Patterson LLC on Oct 23, 2018 for $2,079,000

50 Lafayette Place Unit 1D from Doris Knapp Committee of the Superior Court to US Bank National Association as Trustee on Oct 25, 2018 for $817,855.41

18 Lexington Ave Unit B

18 Lexington Ave Unit B from Michael and Mary Burke to 18-B Lexington LLC on Oct 25, 2018 for $2,135,000

181 Glenville Rd from Elizabeth R Currier AKA Elizabeth Rockefeller, Andrew MacKay Rockefeller and Victoria Philip as trustees of the Andrew Rockefeller Revocable Trust Under agreement dated Feb 1, 2010 to Indian Spring Limited Partnership on Oct 25, 2018 for $3,825,000

63 Sherwood Place

63 Sherwood Place from Soundview Place LLC to 63 Sherwood Place, LLC on Oct 25, 2018 for $1,950,000

See also:

RTM Ousts Planning & Zoning Commission’s 18 Year Member Richard Maitland

Up to the Minute Greenwich Property Transfers Oct 15-17, 2018 

Up to the Minute Greenwich Property Transfers Oct 11-15, 2018

Up to the Minute Greenwich Property Transfers, Oct 9-11, 2018

Up to the Minute Greenwich Property Transfers, Oct 4-9, 2018

Up to the Minute Greenwich Property Transfers, Oct 1-3, 2018

Up to the minute Greenwich property transfers, Oct 25-26, 2018 transcribed from the assessor’s office at Greenwich Town Hall

120 Hillcrest Park Road

120 Hillcrest Park Road from Estate of Joseph JC Hoo to 120 Hillcrest Park, LCL on Oct 25, 2018 for $865,000

19 Deer Park Meadow Road

19 Deer Park Meadow Road from PSHO LLC to Roger and Vivian Farah on Oct 26, 2018 for $4,500,000

151 Lockwood Rd

151 Lockwood Rd from The Margaret Pidgeon Shealy Trust to Lockwood Road, LLC on Oct 26, 2018 for $900,000

1 Milbank Ave Unit 3H from Thomas Holton to David Petshaft on Oct 26, 2018 for $1,625,000

271 Valley Road

271 Valley Road from Michael and Kimberly Fox to Darren Grant Davis Rev Trust on Oct 26, 2018 for $3,150,000

See also:

Up to the Minute Greenwich property transfers, October 22-25, 2018

Acting P&Z Chair is Alban. Who Will Be the Next P&Z Chair Given RTM Vote against Maitland

RTM Ousts Planning & Zoning Commission’s 18 Year Member Richard Maitland

Up to the Minute Greenwich Property Transfers Oct 15-17, 2018 

Up to the Minute Greenwich Property Transfers Oct 11-15, 2018

Up to the Minute Greenwich Property Transfers, Oct 9-11, 2018

Up to the Minute Greenwich Property Transfers, Oct 4-9, 2018

Up to the Minute Greenwich Property Transfers, Oct 1-3, 2018

On Sunday night the GYCL Cheer Expo, an annual tradition, filled the gymnasium at Greenwich High School with hundreds of enthusiastic cheerleaders. In addition to the GYCL squads, the Greenwich High School dance team and cheerleaders got in the game.

The order of appearance was GHS Varsity Dance Team, GHS JV Dance Team, Bantam Bulldogs, Bantam Crushers, Bantam/Junior Gators, Bantam Mavericks, Bantam Raiders, GHS Freshmen, Junior bulldogs, Junior Crushers, Junior Mavericks, Junior Raiders, GHS JV Cheerleaders, Senior Bulldogs, Senior Gators, Senior Mavericks, Senior Raiders and GHS Varsity Cheerleaders.

Greenwich Chamber of Commerce will host its next Women Who Matter Luncheon featuring TV celebrity Kathie Lee Gifford as guest speaker on Friday, November 16 at Greenwich Country Club, 19 Doubling Rd.

Come celebrate women who make a difference and our guest presenter who will speak about what truly mattered to her in creating her success.

Kathie Lee Gifford will share her life story, including her new movie “Then Came You,” her children’s book, “The Gift That I Can Give” and the creation of her own GIFFT wine.

Join the Chamber for inspiration, laughter and tears as Kathie Lee takes us on her life journey.  Key sponsor is TD Bank.  Fee: $100 per ticket; table of ten-$950.  Valet parking.  Register online at www.greenwichchamber.com; email greenwichchamber@greenwichchamber.com or call 869-3500.

During Thursday’s Board of Selectmen meeting there was an update on the Hillside Road working group tasked with figuring out the parking and traffic situation on Hillside Rd, which has Greenwich High School on the west and residential homes on the east.

First Selectman Peter Tesei said that the committee’s June report included recommendation No. 18, which referred to rental activities potentially “interfering with the high school and rec activity.”

“The school worked with Trinity Church to move their service away from the high school which helps with congestion,” Tesei said.

(See: Perfect Storm on Sundays at GHS: Parking Shared by GYFL, GYCL and Trinity Church)

Town administrator Ben Branyan gave an update on the Hillside Road working group, which included neighbors, GHS headmaster, GHS head of security Tom Bobkowski, GPD Chief Jim Heavey and others.

(The GHS headmaster was Dr. Chris Winters when the committee formed and met. He has since left and Rick Piotrowski is the interim headmaster.)

Last June the working group presented a report to the Selectmen recommending hiring a Traffic Consultant.

The study would include speed bumps, speed limit, lane widths, stops at Fairfield intersection, double turn lane on to Post Rd, left out of North Lot and traffic signal coordination on Post Road.

Branyan said that P&Z required a follow up traffic study be done as a condition of approving Music Instructional Space and Auditorium (MISA), but that was not done.

Branyan said deliverable No. 9 referred to hiring a traffic consultant and was a  “critical recommendation that had fallen behind.”

“We are actively working with the school district to get that status back on track,” Branyan said. “It’s my understanding that they’re in the process of figuring out a funding strategy to hire the consultant.”

“Is that the problem? It’s a money issue,” Selectman Sandy Litvack asked.

“I believe so, yes,” Branyan said, adding that he had spoken to Tom Bobkowski who said it’s “at cabinet level” now. “They’re looking at their budget at how they can up various funding lines to pay for it.”

“When will they have that decided for you?” Litvack asked.

“I hope soon,” Branyan replied.

“How much money are we talking about in terms of the scope that is being requested?” Tesei asked.

Bobkowski said that the Hillside Road study and the Cardinal stadium study had been lumped together. “Initially it came in at $125,000, but there was a little ‘scope creep’ on it,'” he said. “Working along with the Cardinal Stadium project we were able to reduce it down to $73,500.”

“We want to remove Cardinal Stadium (from the RFP). We’re using the same traffic safety consultancy and they originally had, lumped the two of them together,” Bobkowski continued. “We had to remove it and sharpen the scope to make sure it covered the points that were made by the Hillside Rd committee.”

“That sounds like a heck of a lot of money for this study, $73,000 for this job. It feels like it’s very high,” Litvack said.

Bobkowski said the study would include Hillside Road, feeder roads, parking lot monitoring, road monitoring and traffic concerns.

Branyan said the school district is responsible for paying for the consultant.

“This is one of those things in my experience, unless everyone is feeling pressured, it’s just too easy to slide, and it’s not going to get done in a timely fashion,” Litvack said. “We’ve already kicked it around. We’ve got to bring this to a close.”

Branyan agreed, adding that “easily over hundreds of hours of work have been put in by the working group.”

The item remained open at the end of the meeting.

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After the meeting, Patti Fast, 12 year resident of Hillside Rd who lives across from the high school expressed her disappointment.

“I’m disappointed that following all the meetings of the working group that the traffic consultants have not been hired. Apparently there is a lack of funding for this project,” Fast said. “As we all know it was a condition of approval by the Planning & Zoning commission that that a traffic study be conducted and updated every year for three years following the building of MISA. That never happened.”

Meanwhile, Fast said the re-striping of Hillside Rd has created a safety issue, not only for the residents but also parents and students of the school.

The re re-striping on Hillside Road was done last Martin Luther King Day when school was closed on Jan 15.

Two southbound lanes were created by removing some parking spots on Hillside near Putnam Ave and moving the double yellow line to the east several feet, effectively pushing cars right up along the curb in front of Fast and her neighbors’ properties.

Ms. Fast and her neighbors said that the re-striping has chipped away at the rights of both neighbors and the public, and makes pulling out of their driveways treacherous because they can’t inch out to get a clear look.

Worse, they said, parents continue to pull in to their driveways to drop off or pick up their children and that it is more dangerous since the re-striping.

Ms. Fast said she had always liked living across from GHS with all its activity and young people. But, she said, “Now, any time a car pulls into a driveway on Hillside and backs out, it’s very dangerous.”

“The re-striping continues to be a challenging situation for the neighborhood and one that could lead to a serious accident or injury to a pedestrian or driver,” she said.

Another neighbor on Hillside Road who bicycles regularly said a student on a bike is very much at risk. She pointed out that since the re-striping, there is no room for a bicycle heading north on Hillside.

Previous stories on the GHS/Hillside Rd parking situation

Working Group Presents Hillside Rd Parking Report to Selectmen 

GHS Student Government: Student Parking is Not the Source of Congestion on Hillside Road

Hillside Rd Neighbors Fed Up with Traffic & GHS Students Monopolize On Street Parking

Selectmen Weigh Quality of Life of GHS Neighbors on Hillside vs Privilege of Student Parking.

DPW: Hillside Road by GHS Was Re-Striped As Traffic Calming Measure

See also:

GHS Cardinal Stadium’s Bleachers Benefit from Power Washing, Green Mold is Gone

New Scoreboard Installed at Greenwich High School, Gift of Greenwich Athletic Foundation

Returning Alumni Will Notice New PA System and Scoreboard at Homecoming Football Game vs Ludlowe

John Fado III, of Greenwich, passed away Saturday November 3. He was 83.

Born in Greenwich April 19, 1935 to John and Theresa Fado, John was a graduate of Greenwich High School and Wright Technical School.

He proudly served his country in the Army Reserves and was a master craftsman. He was the proprietor of a building/remodeling company.

John loved to play golf, a good game of poker and was a huge Yankees and Giants fan.

He spent many years coaching his son Jay’s little league team and never missed any of his grandson’s games or his granddaughter’s dance recitals.

He always had a good sense of humor and loved his family, especially his two grandchildren.

John is survived by his beloved wife, Dolores (DiBerardino), his loving children Jacqueline Chard (Robert) and Jay (Kelly), and his cherished grandchildren, Zachary Fado (Erin) and Jamie Chard Kowarick (Caio). He is also survived by his dear sisters Constance Fado Montimurro and Catherine Fado Brown as well as many nieces and nephews.

To honor his life a memorial gathering will be held on, Wednesday 4:00pm – 8:00pm at Coxe & Graziano Funeral Home at 134 Hamilton Ave in Greenwich (203) 869-5968.

A prayer service will be held 11:00am Thursday at the Funeral Home.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Jude’s Children’s
Research Hospital 501 St. Jude Pl. Memphis, TN 38105.

For more information or to place an online condolence,
www.coxeandgraziano.com.

Grant Gyesky, CEO of RISE Brewing Co at the company’s headquarters in Stamford, CT. Photo: Leslie Yager

Cos Cob native Grant Gyesky, CEO of RISE Brewing Company, was not always destined to run a beverage company. 

Gyesky, whose company crafts nitrogen infused cold brew coffee in for sale in both kegs and cans, said he gave his parents a good scare when he announced after his sophomore year at University of Colorado that he was headed to Costa Rica to search for the perfect wave.

On a recent morning at the RISE Brewing Co headquarters in Stamford, Gyesky, who wen to Brunswick School along with his business partners, Jarrett McGovern and Justin Weinstein, recalled how his six month surfing experience was a hint at the idea for the perfect brew.

You see, catching the perfect wave involves waking at the crack of dawn, and that involves a cup of coffee.

“Their coffee is incredible in Costa Rica,” Gyesky recalled. “You’d surf when the tide was right, often at 5:00am. I got into the process of cold brewing in a coconut shell. I’d let it sit overnight and drink it in the morning.”

As with many entrepreneurial paths, the route to RISE Brewing Co was not straight. Gyesky returned from Costa Rica, finished college and for many years operated Gyesky Development with his brother, building 30 homes in Greenwich and Bedford.

Along the way Gyesky and McGovern, who was working for a water filtration company, began tinkering with cold brew in their free time.

“We started making cold brew for ourselves in small batches,” he recalled. “We put the coffee in a keg to preserve freshness. And then, inadvertently, we tried using nitrogen for improved freshness.”

Then, he said tinkering some more, they discovered that nitrogen yielded an entirely new look, taste and feel to the coffee.

“The physical qualities of nitrogen are really tiny bubbles that give your mouth the feel of creaminess but without the calories and the dairy,” he said.

Gyesky said the coffee absorbs the nitrogen, and as long as it remains under pressure, nothing happens. “But when you release it, the nitrogen wants to go into the air and you get the reverse cascade effect,” he said.  Hence the RISE Brewing Co signature “whoosh.”

Asked why a slim can of oat milk latte, a newly introduced RISE variety, doesn’t result in the jitters, Gyesky said it’s about the difference between the hot brewing process and the RISE Brewing Co cold brewing process.

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“What’s cool about it is the cold brewing process goes back to something more pure. When you make hot coffee you grind the beans and put 150° water on top. It extracts the flavor really quickly, but also extracts the oils from the beans,” Gyesky explained. “Inside the oils is where the acidity and bitterness sit, and I believe some of that jitteriness gets pulled out.”

“We brew at a much lower temperature for a much longer time to get the flavor out of the coffee,” he said. “But the oil remains in the beans and inside the oil is where the acidity and bitterness are captured.”

Gyesky said friends and family started getting really excited by the small coffee batches, and before long there was an invitation to provide kegs to offices in Manhattan.

Word of mouth spread.

“Being in an office is a really great place for marketing because you have hundreds of people coming in for meetings,” he said. “And people took photos and tagged RISE Brewing Co. Now when we go into new markets, we lead with the keg business before we put cans in the market.”

After the first kegs were put into offices in Manhattan, there was an invitation to furnish brew to Colonie, a restaurant and bar in Park Slope.

“People who had brunch there contacted them to see if they could get the same set up in their offices,” Gyesky said.

In the summer of 2015, before the nitrogen infused cold coffee brew coffee even had a name, over 200 offices had signed up for keg deliveries.

“Kegs in offices was the main growth driver of the business,” Gyesky recalled.

Gyesky talked about the role of Justin Weinstein, the third co-founder of RISE Brewing Co.

“Another co founder, Justin was the guy literally taking coffee to all the offices. I was still running the construction company and would get home at 6:00pm, see my wife and kid, and then start brewing at 7:00pm or 8:00pm.”

Gyesky said it takes 24 hours to brew a batch of RISE Brewing Co coffee. “I’d keep brewing, turn the batches over until til 1:00am or 2:00am, and Justin would drive out of the city and pick up the kegs at 4:00am. He’d up drive them back into the city, to office by office, all day long.”

The strategy of placing kegs of cold brew coffee in offices paid dividends and remains part of the company’s strategy.

“But we still have kegs, New York, Boston San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle and Portland,” Gyesky said.

Also, RISE Brewing Co samples their products at local events, including The Last Taste of Summer in Roger Sherman Baldwin Park and the Indian Summer Children’s Festival at Greenwich Audubon.

The original RISE Brewing Co 11 oz cold brew black coffee required refrigeration. Recently the company introduced a variety of flavors in slim 7 oz cans including blood orange and lemonade that do not require refrigeration.

Our favorite, oat milk latte, pairs organic coffee with dairy-free oat milk and a bit of organic cane sugar for just a hint of sweetness.  The naturally occurring and energizing caffeine from the cold brew process results in a burst of energy without the jitters from traditional coffee, and there are only 130 calories.

Gyesky said unlike almond milk, oat milk is a really naturally sweet product, as oats themselves have a lot of sweetness. “We tried a ton of different non-dairy milks – walnut, cashew, oat, and tahini milk. We chose oat milk for taste, nutrition and quality of ingredients.”

It’s possible to purchase RISE Brewing Co varieties on Amazon, and at local markets including Whole Foods, Balducci’s, King’s, Citarella, Green & Tonic, Aux Delices and ShopRite.

Gyesky said others are putting nitrogen into coffee now, including Starbucks, but rather than sabotage the success of RISE Brewing Co, it has helped by educating a large number of people.

What did that tinkering look like, we asked Gyesky.

“We shot the gas into the keg from a tank with hoses and tubes and let it flow into the coffee,” Gyesky said matter-of-factly.

Indeed at RISE Brewing Co’s Stamford facility, rows of tanks with snaking tubes and twisting hoses keep the process going.

In an adjacent cold room, pallets of kegs await transport to offices in cities near and far.

And how did they come up with the name?

Gyesky said he and his colleagues gathered around a big white board with 300 names staff and friends suggested.

“It took months to come up with the name,” he said, adding that people are used to opening a can of Guinness and waiting for the bubbles to settle. They selected “RISE” in a nod to the bubbles.

“It’s related to the bubbles rising, but also morning sunshine and the drink giving you energy too,” he said. “We want to be a fuel for passion. People rise to their best self.”

At 1pm there were some parking spots available for voters behind GHS, by the performing arts center.

Jarring sight of cars parked in northbound active lane of traffic on Hillside Rd with police permission, 1:00pm, Nov 6, 2018

Update, 2:00pm: Republican Registrar of Voters Fred DeCaro explained that Chief of Police Heavey has personally inspected the parking situation at GHS, and dispatched upwards of six officers to manage parking and traffic.

“If a voter votes at Greenwich High, they should feel comfortable heading to the polls at any time,” DeCaro said. “If they wish to be doubly-certain and wait until all teachers have vacated around 3:45PM, that’s also an option.”

At about 1:00pm there was no line to turn into Hillside or into the parking lot. Behind the building (by performing arts center) there were free parking spots in the area reserved for voters.

But at the front of the campus, parking was maxed out. Cars were parked, with police permission, along the active lane of northbound traffic on Hillside Rd (which is normally no parking or stopping at any time).

There were also cars parked where normally not allowed including on the grass and in yellow striped no parking areas.

Update 11:30am: Kim Eves at Greenwich Schools said the district usually holds professional development at Greenwich High School on election day, and that staff will be gone by 3:00pm or so.

Original story: 10:15am. Greenwich Police Captain Kraig Gray released a statement around 10:00am Tuesday morning, election day, about a situation at Greenwich High School, election polling place no. 7.

Captain Gray said there was the situation was “a conflict between the school’s normal use and the polling area resulting in a lack of parking.”

Gray said police have reassigned several officers to Greenwich High School.

“We have found parking and the situation has been resolved,” he said in an audio statement. “Anyone with issues should respond to the polling place and officers will direct them to the right location.”

In an email around 9:00am, a resident of Maple Ave described the situation as intolerable.

“It took a half an your to turn onto Hillside Road and another half hour to turn into the parking lot, only to find absolutely no available parking,” she wrote. “The town in its wisdom scheduled a huge teachers conference that has taken up all available parking and made the polling place inaccessible.”

Secretary of the State Denise Merrill reminds voters to contact the state election hotline at 866-SEEC-INFO or email elections@ct.gov if they encounter issues voting.

Greenwich Schools Interim Superintendent Ralph Mayo issued a statement Tuesday afternoon apologizing for the parking problems that started Tuesday morning and continued until after noon.

Because of Greenwich Schools district-wide staff development day was scheduled at Greenwich High School, which is the district 7 polling station, parking ran out Tuesday morning and many voters were stymied.

First Selectman Peter Tesei reported receiving many complaints from voters, and that some referred to the incident as “voter suppression.”

In an email, Tesei pointed out that superintendent Mayo conceded that the academic administration did not properly coordinate  and communicate with their security staff with regard to the teacher training on election day at Greenwich High School.

One Maple Ave resident who has voted for many years at GHS said it took her a half hour to turn onto Hillside from Putnam Ave and another half hour to turn into the parking lot, only to find no parking spaces available.

By late morning Greenwich Police dispatched about a half dozen units to GHS where they allowed people to park on the east side of Hillside in an active lane of traffic.

“This year, we altered our professional learning delivery model, holding the program at a single site – Greenwich High School – allowing for more efficient program delivery and use of resources,” Superintendent Mayo explained in his statement, adding that staff had been asked to carpool and not park in voter designated spaces.

“We monitored the parking lot and called staff out of sessions to move their cars if they did park in voter-designated spaces. We also called in police officers to manage the traffic flow,” he said.

“We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused voters,” Mayo added. “Please know our intent was not to create any obstacles to voting. Voting is an important civic duty and we encourage all registered residents to vote today.”

The Greenwich Public Schools professional learning day ended at 3:00pm.

Original story:

Police Resolve Crush at GHS after Voters Can’t Find Parking

In Greenwich the Registrar of voters sent an email to subscribers apologizing that his office no longer distributes district-by-district voting results throughout election day. The registrar said the reason is that Greenwich is now required to use a new reporting mechanism sponsored by the Secretary of the State.

Still, the voter turnout is being constantly updated, and, of 5:15pm, the turnout in Greenwich is a whopping 58%.

That boils down to about 22,000 voters out of 38,040 eligible.

According to the CT Secretary of the State Denise Merrill ‘s office, around 21% percent of voters statewide had gone to the polls as of 10:00am, which she described as high.

Merrill said Connecticut generally gets between a 55% and a 65% turnout during a midterm election and that the state’s voter turnout during presidential elections is typically around 75% or 80%.

The senior center fell fell silent as Steve Meskers, seated between his son Christian and wife Monica, took a call from his mother and told her the good news. Nov 6, 2018 Photo: Leslie Yager

Democrats erupted when they learned Steve Meskers had defeated Mike Bocchino for State Rep in District 150.

By the end of the night on Tuesday, local Greenwich Republicans took an unexpected hit.

The big news of the night was that the 150th House district went to Steve Meskers, marking the first time in a century that Greenwich has elected a Democrat to the state House of Representatives.

Meskers was moved to tears upon seeing the final numbers projected on the screen at the Senior Center.

The entire room of about 150 people fell silent as Meskers, seated between his son Christian and wife Monica, took a call from his mother and told her the good news.

After announcing that Meskers had received a concession call from Mike Bocchino, DTC chair Tony Turner joked that, “Happy days are here again.”

“In Steve we have a real winner. We had a quality candidate in Steve and a quality campaign in Steve,” Turner said.

Meskers said Bocchino had called to congratulated him and concede. “It was a tough campaign, hard fought,” Meskers said adding he was grateful to the number of people who believed in him.

Meskers said over 8,000 people turned out to vote of the 11,000 registered electorate.

“The job is representative, and that’s ultimately representative of the 17,000 voting age population in the district,” Meskers told GFP reporter Gracie McCooee. “And my opponent called me and reminded me in a constructive way that it’s a job to serve and represent the 150th district and said he’d send me over his files on the people in need in the district.”

Tony Turner, head of the DTC, congratulates Laura Kostin on a hard fought campaign against Fred Camillo. Nov 6, 2018 Photo: Leslie Yager

Tony Turner thanked Laura Kostin who he described as a person of courage, noting that she won some of her voting districts for House District 151 against Republican Fred Camillo.

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“First time ever running for pubic office she never dropped the ball, never dropped a pass, never missed a tackle and never fumbled the ball,” Turner said of Kostin. “Regardless of what Fred said, she was always under control.”

On her part, Kostin said she was thankful to everyone who volunteered for her campaign. “We’ve come closer in this district than anyone ever has,” she said. “It has been my greatest pleasure to be your nominee for representative.”

Cindy DePreta and Laura Gladstone at Milbrook Club. Nov 6, 2018 Photo Heather Brown

Fred Camillo at Milbrook Club. Nov 6, 2018 Photo Heather Brown

State Rep Livvy Floren with Jim Capparelle at Milbrook Club, Nov 6, 2018 Photo: Monique Nikolov

Over at the Milbrook Club the Republicans celebrated Fred Camillo’s victory against Democratic challenger Laura Kostin. Camillo said he was thrilled to win a sixth term and thanked all his supporters.

“It’s not a great night for Connecticut, but we’ll bounce back,” he said. “We went over a speed bump. We have a lot of work to do.”

Camillo praised Mike Bocchino and Scott Frantz, whose fate in his race against Democratic challenger Alexandra Bernstein remained uncertain by about midnight.

“Two of the biggest winners I know in my life are Scott Frantz and Mike Bocchino,” Camillo said. “Working with these two guys has been the highlight of my 10 years in Hartford.”

Victorious, Livvy Floren at the Milbrook Club. Floren ran unopposed for another term as State Rep in District 149. Photo: Heather Brown

“Their record was top shelf, straight A’s and they have a great vision,” Camillo said of Frantz and Bocchino. “That tells us that something else was in play. The Town has changed a little bit.”

Camillo said that in Connecticut, some of the more rural towns are becoming more Republican and Fairfield County is becoming more Democratic.

“I’m not saying Greenwich is a Democratic town right now, but we have to do a much better job reaching out,” he said. “We have to recruit more people because the numbers are trending the other way.”

Later, speaking to Greenwich Free Press reporter Monique Nikolov, Mr. Camillo said he was proud of his accomplishments. But, he said, he was disappointed that opponents engaged in negative campaigning.

“These elections shouldn’t be so close, and I think that shows how much distortion and negative campaigning has taken over,” he said. “We really do have great voting records and have accomplished great things. I pledge to work harder and call them out on their distortions in the future.”

Speaking to GFP’s Monique Nikolov, Frantz said, “I’ve been to 22 of the 23 polling places in all the district and it feels very good to see the tremendous support for folks who will serve Connecticut from a fiscal point of view.”

In his remarks toward the end of the night, when the vote was too close to call, Frantz said, we all know what a difficult position our state is in. It’s horrible. We’re one of the worst in the entire country. If the voters get this right – there is still some uncertainty out there – we have a chance to save the state. If they don’t, God help us.”

In his remarks, Mike Bocchino said he he had called Mr. Meskers to congratulate him on his victory. “We didn’t see that coming but we congratulate him for running a very civil campaign.”

“It’s been an honor and my f amily’s honor to serve you guys in the 150th district, one of which is bringing a brand new New Lebanon School to our school district,” he said.

State Rep Livvy Floren was thrilled to win a 10th term. “It’s an honor to be re-elected. This is an exciting campaign, and I’m glad that it was very issue-oriented,” Floren told Nikolov.

In the race for US Congress, Greenwich resident Jim Himes defeated political newcomer Republican Harry Arora, also a resident of Greenwich. “We all have an obligation, starting tomorrow morning to persuade and remind the people who are still backing the president, that brand of politics, that we are good people and the things we celebrate most come form coming together,” Himes said.

The two amendments to Connecticut’s constitution on the ballot – one that would require a public hearing before any property is transferred to a non-state entity by the General Assembly and one that will create a “lockbox” to keep money designated for transportation projects from being spent elsewhere – were both passed.

State Rep Livvy Floren with First Selectmen Peter Tesei at the Milbrook Club, Nov 6, 2018 Photo Monique Nikolov

Sharlene Ray, Helen Delgado, Linda Moshier with the Republicans at Milbrook Club, Nov 6, 2018 Photo: Monique Nikolov

Mike Bocchino addresses supporters at the Milbrook Club. Nov 6, 2018 Photo: Monique Nikolov

Scott Frantz with Gary Ashley and John Raben at Milbrook Club, Nov 6, 2018 Photo: Monique Nikolov

State Rep Fred Camillo watches results come in at the Milbrook Club. Nov 6, 2018 Photo: Monique Nikolov

John Stratton and Constantine Wells at the Milbrook Club. Nov 6, 2018 Photo: Heather Brown

Republican State Senator Scott Frantz with supporters at the Milbrook Club. Nov 6, 2018 Photo: Heather Brown

Greenwich Free Press reporter Monique Nikolov interviewing State Senator Scott Frantz. Photo: Heather Brown

At the senior center, victorious Steve Meskers gets a hug from Lily Smith after learning of his victory over incumbent, Republican Mike Bocchino. Nov 6, 2018. Photo: Leslie Yager

At the senior center Steve Meskers and family react to the news of his victory on Nov 6, 2018 Photo: Leslie Yager

Bob Brady congratulates Steve Meskers at the senior center. Nov 6, 2018 Photo: Leslie Yager

An emotional Steve Meskers told his mother he won his race for State Rep in district 150. Nov 6, 2018 Photo: Leslie Yager

Longtime Democrats congratulated Steve Meskers on his victory at the Senior Center, Nov 6, 2018 Photo: Leslie Yager

Editors’ note: As of 1:00am the race between Alex Bergstein and Scott Frantz was too close to call. We will update the story as soon as more information is available.

See also :

Greenwich Schools Chief Apologizes for Election Day Parking Goof-Up at GHS

Police Resolve Crush at GHS after Voters Can’t Find Parking