Government and politics of Darien, Connecticut

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Town Hall, former High School and former Mather Junior High School, dedicated October 28, 1984 DarienCTTownHall07302007.JPG
Town Hall, former High School and former Mather Junior High School, dedicated October 28, 1984

The government and politics of Darien, Connecticut take place in a historically overwhelmingly Republican, upper-middle class coastal town with a Triple-A bond rating, and a tax base made up of wealthy homes, country clubs (some of the largest taxpayers), and some office buildings. Although modern Darien is largely a Manhattan suburb, its local government has more in common with traditional New England roots than New York.

Contents

As of August 1, 2006 the town Grand List (list of taxable property) amounted to $6.33 billion.

The Cablevision Channel 79 is the town Government-access television (GATV) cable TV channel for town residents to see meetings of local government boards and commissions.

Charter

DarienCTtownseal.jpg

In 1951, the town switched from an annual town meeting to a representative town meeting, which was considered more practical because of the growth of the town's population. In 1959, the state Legislature passed a special act allowing the town to consolidate all laws affecting the structure of its government into "A Special Act Consolidating Certain Special Acts Concerning the Town of Darien", now usually referred to as the town Charter. [1]

Unique to Connecticut, Darien's town Charter "may be amended by action of the Representative Town Meeting (RTM) after a public hearing, a sixty-day delay, and an affirmative vote of a majority of the full membership of the RTM," according to the Darien League of Women Voters. [1]

Appointed boards and commissions

Land use boards

Other appointed boards and volunteer posts

Town departments and offices

Town employees hired by the Board of Selectmen

Nine paid officers of the town are hired by the Board of Selectmen, usually for a specific term. They are: [1]

Public safety agencies and departments

Police Department DarienCTPoliceDept07302007.JPG
Police Department

In 2005, the town police department responded to 20,030 incidents, including 595 motor vehicle accidents, 1,766 motor vehicle infractions, and issued 254 traffic tickets and 1,150 traffic warnings. Police made 104 arrests for driving under the influence and received reports of 152 larcenies, 27 burglaries, three attempted burglaries, 82 incidents of vandalism, 19 assaults and six motor vehicle thefts. Police made 33 larceny arrests, 10 for burglary, 11 for vandalism, 15 for assault. No robberies, rapes, arsons or murders were reported in 2005.[ citation needed ]

The town received 1,675 false alarms in 2005, two actual alarms, 304 alarms that were canceled and 17 caused by weather. [2]

The Town of Darien has three fire departments, all of which are staffed entirely by volunteers. These departments respond to all types of calls, including fire, electrical, CO alarms, motor vehicle accidents, downed power lines, cold water rescues, and any problem in the Long Island Sound.[ citation needed ]

Noroton Heights Fire Department

Department headquarters DarienCTNorotonHgtsFIreDept07302007.JPG
Department headquarters

Founded 1903, the Noroton Heights Fire Department has about 150 members. "NHFD" is located on Noroton Avenue, and covers the northern part of Darien, including part of Interstate 95. Noroton Heights has a fleet of 5 active apparatus, including 2 Mack Engines, (21 and 23) 1 1988 Mack Quint, (20) which serves as their first due unit on most structural calls, a 1975 Mack Tanker, (22) and a 1989 Mack Rescue. Noroton Heights also has a Utility Truck, Truck 24, which is a 1991 Chevy Silverado, and a Chief's Car, Unit 200.[ citation needed ]

Noroton Fire Department

Founded in 1896, NFD has 140 members, of whom about 35 are active. NFD is located on Boston Post Road, and covers the smallest portion of Darien out of the 3 departments. Noroton covers the southern part of the Town of Darien, covering all the way down to the Stamford line. NFD currently has an active fleet of 5 apparatus: Engine 32, a 2002 Marion Pumper, which is first due on all structural calls and motor vehicle accidents. Engine 31, a 1972 open cab Maxim pumper, which is Noroton's second due engine. Ladder 30, a 1994 Sutphen Aerial, nicknamed "The Big Stick," for its 104' aerial. Rescue 33, a 1988 International Marion Medium Duty Rescue. NFD also operates the only firefighting and rescue capable marine unit in the town of Darien. Marine Unit 34 allows Noroton to respond year-round to the various types of emergencies that occur on Long Island Sound, and responds frequently to mutual aid calls from surrounding towns, and is in service year round. Noroton also has a Utility Truck, Truck 35, a 2001 Ford F-350.[ citation needed ]

In the late 1950s, the fire department was used for a "Lucky Strike" cigarettes advertising campaign. In a magazine ad, two firefighters are shown, cigarettes in their mouths, pausing as they wash fire engines in front of the building. A message in small type at the top of the advertisement asks smokers to "take care with cigarettes". [3]

Darien Fire Department

Founded in 1895, covers the eastern side of town, encompassing about 45 percent of the land area. [4] The Noroton Heights and Darien Fire Departments cover a portion of Interstate 95 from exits 9 southbound to exit 13/14 northbound, one of the most disaster-prone stretches of highway in the country. [5] Darien has a fleet of 5 active apparatus in their "barn". Darien operates twin Pierce Enforcer Pumpers, Engines 41 and 42, which replaced the previous Mack engines in 2006. Darien recently replaced its 1971 Mack Tower Ladder, the first aerialscope ever to be used in Connecticut, [6] with a 2011 Seagrave 75' Tower Ladder built using the same boom as the original ladder. [6] Darien also operates a 2004 Saulsbury Custom Heavy Rescue, and a 1996 Mack Tanker. Darien additionally utilizes a 2002 Chevy Silverado as Utility Truck 46, and a Chief's car, Car 40, which was donated by a local resident in 2011. [7] Also stored in Darien's firehouse is a 1928 Ahrens Fox Pumper, which is no longer in service, although still very active in parades.[ citation needed ]

Fire Marshal's Office

Established in 1980 as a full-time office, the agency works with the three volunteer fire departments in town and conducts annual inspections of all buildings (except one- and two-family houses), investigates fires, plans review and construction inspections of all buildings (except one- and two-family houses), conducts fire-prevention education programs, issues permits for blasting and tank removals, inspects and certifies hazardous material transport vehicles housed in town, inspects and certifies all day-care centers, nursery schools, convalescent centers and establishments with liquor permits, among other duties. [8]

Other town departments

Politics

As of December 1, 2005, the town had 12,099 registered voters, with 6,445 Republicans (53.1 percent), 1,940 Democrats (16 percent) and 3,703 unaffiliated voters (30.6 percent). [9]

Darien is primarily a Republican town. The town has had Democrats in office as First Selectman. In 2003, Evonne Klein replaced Robert Harrel as first selectman, becoming the first Democrat to win the post in 14 years. Klein was re-elected in 2005. [1]

The low percentage of registered Democrats does not mean that party has little representation in town government. The state's Minority Representation Law mandates that local elected boards have a maximum number of members from one party. [1]

For a board with a total membership of three, no more than two may be from the same party. For boards with five members, no more than three; for boards of seven members, no more than five; for boards of nine members, no more than six. [1]

Presidential elections

Historically, Darien has been a solidly Republican town; but in 2016, in spite of the Republican climate nationwide, Hillary Rodham Clinton became the first Democrat to win in Darien since 1888 when Grover Cleveland beat Benjamin Harrison by two votes. [10] The pattern resembled one in suburban areas across the country that swung hard into the Democratic column due to the Republican Party being increasingly dominated by Donald Trump and right-wing populism which alienated the more moderate base, a trend referred to as the suburban revolt. [11] In 2020, this trend continued, with Democrat and former Vice President Joe Biden winning over 60% of the vote and U.S. Representative Jim Himes winning it for the first time in his political career.

Darien was one of only five towns in Connecticut that backed former Ohio Governor John Kasich over Donald Trump in the 2016 Republican presidential primary. Kasich received 1,284 votes (48.89%), ahead of Trump who garnered 1,070 votes (41.54 percent) and U.S. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas with 186 votes (7.22 percent). [12] In the Democratic primary, Hillary Clinton won 832 votes (69.51%) in Darien, far ahead of self-described democratic socialist U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont with 363 votes (30.33%), reflecting the town’s moderate political identity.

Registration and Party Enrollment Statistics as of October 31, 2023 [13]
PartyActive votersInactive votersTotal votersPercentage
Republican 5,0341965,23033.82%
Democratic 3,8041543,95825.60%
Unaffiliated 5,8302476,07739.30%
Minor parties182161981.28%
Total14,85061315,463100%
Darien town vote by
party in presidential elections [14]
Year Democratic Republican Third Parties
2024 58.62%6,98839.69% 4,7321.69% 201
2020 60.50%7,87637.80% 4,9211.70% 221
2016 52.74%5,94241.06% 4,6256.20% 698
2012 [15] 34.42% 3,77765.39%7,1750.19% 21
2008 45.10% 4,94354.28%5,9490.62% 68
2004 36.69% 4,05762.30%6,8881.01% 112
2000 34.22% 3,49663.09%6,4462.69% 275
1996 31.12% 2,98863.10%6,0585.78% 555
1992 28.11% 3,08958.22%6,39613.67% 1,502
1988 25.76% 2,69673.34%7,6760.90% 94
1984 21.58% 2,34178.01%8,4630.41% 45
1980 18.58% 1,99067.62%7,24513.80% 1,479
1976 25.75% 2,78473.92%7,9920.33% 36
1972 24.29% 2,66275.06%8,2280.65% 71
1968 26.90% 2,71370.96%7,1572.14% 216
1964 44.95% 4,26455.05%5,2220.00% 0
1960 21.37% 2,05578.63%7,5610.00% 0
1956 13.43% 1,21486.57%7,8250.00% 0
1952 17.40% 1,33282.50%6,3180.10% 8
1948 16.62% 88381.34%4,3192.04% 108
1944 23.64% 1,13476.36%3,6630.00% 0
1940 20.96% 89879.04%3,3870.00% 0
1936 29.18% 98070.82%2,3780.00% 0
1932 27.51% 73172.49%1,9260.00% 0
1928 26.12% 59873.44%1,6810.44% 10
1924 15.21% 21879.13%1,1345.66% 81
1920 17.60% 19280.47%8781.93% 21
1916 35.11% 25063.63%4531.26% 9
1912 33.98% 21034.15%21131.87% 197
1908 21.80% 13176.70%4611.50% 9
1904 31.39% 17268.61%3760.00% 0
1900 31.56% 15468.44%33400.0% 0
1896 25.71% 12665.51%3218.78% 43
1892 [16] 46.52% 22151.58%2451.90% 9
1888 50.00%24549.60% 2430.40% 2
1884 47.61% 19952.39%2190.00% 0
1880 43.28% 18756.72%2450.00% 0
1876 43.14% 17056.86%2240.00% 0
1872 41.40% 11858.60%1670.00% 0
1868 39.03% 12160.97%1890.00% 0
1864 45.13% 12554.87%1520.00% 0
1860 30.81% 12638.38%15730.81% 126
1856 48.15% 10451.85%1120.00% 0
1852 31.25% 5568.75%1210.00% 0
1848 20.00% 4358.60%12621.40% 46
1844 39.73% 8960.27%1350.00% 0
1840 35.20% 6364.80%1160.00% 0
1836 46.38% 3253.62%370.00% 0
1832 33.80% 2466.10%470.00% 0
1828 20.51% 879.49%310.00% 0

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Know Your Town Government: Darien, Connecticut" booklet published by the League of Women Voters of Darien, 20 pages, 2006 edition
  2. Darien Answer Book, page 44
  3. 1959 magazine advertisement for Lucky Strike cigarettes
  4. Darien Answerbook '06, page 42
  5. Archived 2007-09-28 at the Wayback Machine Cablevision editorial
  6. 1 2 "Darien Volunteer Fire Department » Tower Ladder 43". darienfire.org. Retrieved 2014-06-09.
  7. "Darien Volunteer Fire Department » Car 40". darienfire.org. Retrieved 2014-06-09.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 "Preparing tomorrow's Leaders", Town of Darien Annual Report 2005–2006, published by the Town of Darien (no year of publication given, but either 2006 or 2007)
  9. Revitalization: Town of Darien Annual Report, 2004–2005, page24
  10. Kayata, Erin (November 17, 2016). "Darien votes for the Democrat for president for first time since 1888". The Darien Times . Archived from the original on September 16, 2020.
  11. Smith, David (October 16, 2019). "Republicans Fear 'Suburban Revolt' Against Trump in 2020". The Guardian . Archived from the original on October 16, 2019. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
  12. "Connecticut Republican Presidential Preference Primary - April 26, 2016" (PDF). Connecticut Secretary of State. May 13, 2016. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 9, 2017.
  13. "Registration and Party Enrollment Statistics as of October 31, 2023" (PDF). portal.ct.gov.
  14. "State of Connecticut Elections Database » Contest Results for years 1787 to 2024, Office of President". State of Connecticut Elections Database.
  15. "Presidential election 06 November 2012". Town of Darien, CT.
  16. "Register and manual of the State of Connecticut 1897". HathiTrust.