Reemsnyder Appointment to Zoning Commission Exposes Continuing Divide Over Development in Old Lyme

OLD LYME, CT – Simmering tensions in the wake of last year’s failed plan to allow apartments on the commercial Halls Road strip erupted Monday night when the Board of Selectmen appointed Democratic former Selectwoman Bonnie Reemsnyder to a vacant seat on the Zoning Commission. 

Eighty-five people filled the meeting room at Memorial Town Hall, per fire marshal Dave Roberge. It appeared most of the audience was there to support six-year unaffiliated alternate member Michael Barnes in his bid for the full seat, with applause for Reemsnyder coming from one small section of the audience. 

The crowd spilled out of the building as shouted objections rang out and Barnes’ youngest son wiped away tears after the Democrat-led board voted to give the seat to Reemsnyder.

Reemsnyder was not present at the selectmen’s meeting, but showed up to the regularly scheduled 6:30 p.m. zoning meeting. She told members she had just been sworn in by the town clerk. 

The appointment comes amid an overhaul of local zoning regulations, locally referred to as a rewrite, that has the potential to alter the town’s course going forward. 

The seat opened up with the departure of unaffiliated member Michael Fogliano, who was elected in November under the Democratic banner to a five-year term.

Outside Town Hall, resident Christina Evers said she has no trust in the town’s leadership now that they’ve overlooked Barnes.  

She invoked the Halls Road debate, which drew hundreds of people to a 2025 public hearing in opposition to the proposal to add a Halls Road Overlay District (HROD) to the zoning regulations. Opponents said the change could allow for large numbers of apartments to be built, with estimates ranging from 200 to 1,200. 

The proposal was drafted by the Halls Road Improvements Committee and endorsed in a party-line vote by the Democrat-led Board of Selectmen to be sent to the Zoning Commission.  

The proposal failed in a 4-1 vote of the commission, with only Democrat Mary Jo Nosal in favor. 

“They’re going to build the overlay. They’re building their case,” Evers said of the Democrats. “They’re going to do whatever the hell they want.” 

She credited Barnes with making decisions independent of party.

“He’s not one way or the other,” she said. “I’m so sick of politics. It’s ruining everybody.”

Unaffiliated Harbor Management Commission co-chair Teri Lewis announced from the front lawn of the Town Hall that she had just resigned from her position in protest of the Barnes snub. 

“I’m no longer going to be doing anything in this town,” she said.  

In a Tuesday resignation letter, Lewis said she cannot volunteer her time when town leaders “are driving younger, experienced, and independent voices from town boards if they do not fall in line politically.” 

The debate revealed multiple, overlapping schisms: zoning experience versus broader government experience; independence versus party affiliation; and preserving the town’s identity versus planning for its future. 

During the public comment period at Monday’s meeting, Barnes told selectmen he’s been in his position as an alternate for 2,300 days. 

“I do this because I love Old Lyme,” he said, choking up. 

“When there’s something that I’m going to research and study, I will go down a rabbit hole until the rabbit hole doesn’t exist anymore,” he said. 

He pointed to the Halls Road overlay proposal. According to Barnes, the language in the draft amendment didn’t match what proponents said the overlay district was all about. 

“The areas that I saw that were concerning were areas that people didn’t even take the time to read,” he said. 

He said open discussion on the details of proposed zoning changes is necessary to prevent what he described as “unintended consequences” that could have far-reaching effects. 

Robin Breeding, a vocal opponent of the Halls Road overlay proposal, praised Barnes for looking carefully at the documents in a way few did. 

“The guy’s a juggernaut. He’s fabulous,” she said. 

Democratic Town Committee Chair Kimberly Thompson, in a written report to selectmen on the DTC’s unanimous vote last week to recommend Reemsnyder, cited the former first selectwoman’s three years leading the Lower Connecticut River Valley Council of Governments.  

Thompson also pointed to Reemsnyder’s leadership opposing a plan by the Federal Railroad Administration to send a rail line through the historic district, and her recent chairmanship of the Old Lyme Emergency Operations Center building committee. 

She asked the Board of Selectmen to “acknowledge and give significant weight to the outcome of last November’s municipal election, in which the voters elected the Old Lyme DTC-endorsed candidate for this seat.” 

Zoning Commission member Denise Savageau, a Democrat, spoke at the meeting in support of Reemsnyder, though her stated rationale differed from the party line. 

“Saying we need to be looking at political parties, I disagree,” she said. “I think we need to be looking at who is going to serve the town the best.” 

She said Fogliano, a former chair of the Affordable Housing Commission and representative to RiverCOG’s regional housing committee, understood the need for diversity of housing options and the constraints posed by Old Lyme’s physical landscape. 

“The role that Mike Fogliano played, and the information he brought to us, is exactly what Bonnie can bring to us,” she said. “She knows the town. She played this role.” 

Edie Twining, chair of the defunct Halls Road Improvements Committee, said Barnes has not demonstrated the level of experience or understanding of complex zoning issues needed for the zoning rewrite. 

“In particular, his comments regarding the carefully developed HROD proposal raised concerns for me about his ability to evaluate the broader implications of proposed zoning regulations,” she wrote. 

Democratic First Selectwoman Martha Shoemaker’s vote was a departure from her February vote to reappoint Barnes despite a recommendation from Zoning Commission Chairman Paul Orzel to look elsewhere. 

This time, she listened. 

“I am going to support my commissioner’s viewpoint,” she said. 

Orzel after Monday night’s Zoning Commission meeting declined to elaborate on his emailed recommendation to selectmen, which he said contained the reasons he supports Reemsnyder and the reasons Barnes does not belong in a full seat. 

Orzel was elected in 2023 with the endorsement of Democrats and Republicans. 

He emphasized that commissioners must remain impartial, avoid conflicts of interest and refrain from publicly commenting on matters that could come before the commission. 

He also called out the need to be “part of a team” and to set aside personal interests.

Selectman John Mesham, the lone Republican, objected to Orzel’s definition of teamwork.

He argued that commissioners should not be expected to put aside their individual expertise and perspectives in order to fall in line with the commission as a whole.

“Our republic wasn’t founded on everyone being on the same page,” Mesham said. “It was founded on debate and differences of opinion and then reaching a consensus.” 

He brought up Barnes’ 97% attendance record at commission meetings to show the candidate’s commitment to the role and familiarity with the technicalities of zoning.

He argued this is “not time to pull a second string in.” 

Lampos, the other Democrat among selectmen, reiterated he was part of the unanimous vote earlier this year to reappoint Barnes as an alternate.

“So regardless of what pressures I’ve had to not vote for him, including (from) his own chair, and certainly many of my supporters, I believed in Mike, and still do. He’s a great leader,” he said.

Lampos also praised Reemsnyder’s extensive experience in local government, describing her understanding of how town government functions as “pretty much unparalleled” after more than 15 years on the Board of Selectmen spent working with regional organizations.

Reemsnyder lost her bid for a fourth term as first selectwoman after former First Selectman Tim Griswold petitioned to be added to the ballot. Griswold entered the race following Reemsnyder’s resignation as chairwoman of the Connecticut Port Authority after five weeks in the position.  

Acknowledging his decision would not be popular with many in attendance, Lampos said he felt obligated to consider which candidate most closely reflected the views and priorities of Fogliano’s voters. 

Fault Lines

The debate also revived questions about precedent. 

Outside the Town Hall, Republican Town Committee Chairman Randy Nixon said the prior administration under Griswold saw the appointment of “people from all stripes politically.” 

“And they were put on there because they were qualified, not because of their partisanship,” he said. 

In 2022, Griswold declined to reappoint a Democratic Economic Development Commission member he described as “a bit abrasive” to a five-year term. Griswold and then-Selectman Matt Ward, with Shoemaker in opposition, instead chose a Republican and an unaffiliated candidate active in pandemic-era anti-vaccine advocacy to fill that seat and another vacated by a Democrat. 

Democratic opponents of the decision complained the move would discourage volunteerism.

For Mesham, it comes down to zoning experience. 

“Listen, if they wanted to have Ms. Reemsnyder on the board, there would have been an open position for an alternate,” he said. “Let her come and be an alternate for six years and get the knowledge and depth of understanding that Michael Barnes has had for the last six years.”

Acording to Mesham, many people see an “ulterior motive” in Reemsnyder’s appointment.

“The ulterior motive is the larger projects that they may want to do with affordable housing,” he said.

Editor’s Note: i) Mary Jo Nosal is a financial supporter and board member of LymeLine Inc., but has no input in the editorial process, which remains completely independent. ii) The article was updated to clarify the 2022 appointments to the EDC.