As a town planning professor and practitioner for 35 years, I know the value of a good town plan for fostering smart physical, social and economic development. Three years ago, East Lyme’s Planning Commission adopted our Plan of Conservation and Development to carefully balance preservation and economic development. But plans are only as good as the actions that follow; and so far, our Zoning Commission has not acted. In fact, in some cases, it has acted against the plan.

East Lyme’s town plan is excellent. It recommends specific incentives and standards the Zoning Commission should consider for economic and housing development, bike paths, sidewalks, traffic and parking, green energy, arts and culture, historic preservation, beautification, reducing natural hazards, open space, trees and farms, water quality, and scenic views. But when I asked a person in the know, if any zoning actions have been taken to implement the town plan, they did not believe there were.

To change that, I’m running for Zoning Commission along with Nancy Kalal and Denise Markovitz. If we can replace Zoning chair Thurlow and member Schmitt who are seeking reelection, we’d have the votes needed to implement our town plan. And that’s long overdue.

Gary Pivo

East Lyme