Redding Letter: Support Julia Pemberton and the Current Redding Selectman Team

Support Julia Pemberton and the Current Redding Selectman Team

I served with John Shaban on the Redding Zoning Commission through the review and approval of the Gilbert and Bennett redevelopment plans, and I am astonished at his current approach to move this project along. At the League of Women Voters candidate debate on October 7, John lambasted Julia Pemberton for not simply throwing his handpicked developers at the site. He must have forgotten that the town had no authority to develop a site it did not own, and the over-leveraged state of the site realistically left it in an undevelopable state.

John implied redevelopment was taking too long, but he should know better. GLDC left the site in default under the prior administration, and when Julia came into office, she began the foreclosure process which took six years. If anyone should know that this litigation would take time, John Shaban, as an environmental attorney, should. John should also know that the original development plan is outdated and needs revisions, that DEEP requires an environmental investigation since deconstruction of on-site buildings, and floodwalls must be raised to make the site viable.

Julia Pemberton has a deep understanding of all the issues Redding must address to rebuild Gilbert and Bennett and has exhibited the leadership to move this project in a thoughtful way. It is imperative that at this point, the current selectmen team remain in place. John’s abrasive behavior illustrates to me that he would not work well even as one of the selectmen, which is possible even if he loses the first Selectman race yet gains more votes than either Peg O’Donnell or Mike Thompson. That would be extremely disruptive and an undesirable outcome for the town.

Please support Julia Pemberton for First Selectman, and Peg O’Donnell and Mike Thompson for Selectmen.

Amy Atamian

60 Seventy Acre Rd.

Redding Ct 06896

203.300.6162

2021 Candidate for Zoning Commission