September 20, 2019 by Greenwich Sentinel

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FRIDAY, September 20, 2019

Daily News Updates @ www.GreenwichSentinel.com

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BY JOHN FERRIS ROBBEN

S Three juveniles were referred to Juvenile Court earlier this week for larceny a nd bu r g l a r y c h a r ge s connected to thefts from motor vehicles. Police are reminding residents to lock their cars and take their keys when they park. S The Sewer Division is replacing a portion of the Old Greenwich Common Force Main, which is part of t he project t hat has been underway along the north side of I-95 and the sout h side of t he train tracks between Exit 4 of I-95 and Davis Avenue. The remainder of the work is to now install the force main under Davis Avenue and connect to an existing u nderg rou nd ju nc t ion chamber at the intersection of Davis Avenue and Bruce Park Avenue. Detours and road closures will be set-up. For more information, go to greenwichsentinel.com S Forty-five Greenwich H i g h S c ho ol s t ud ent s have been recognized in the 2020 National Merit S chola rsh ip P rog r a m, a n a nnua l academic competition for recognition and college undergraduate scholarships, based on their Preliminary SAT/ National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/ NMSQT scores. Fourteen GHS students qualify for scholarships in the National Merit program and thirtyone have been recognized as Commended Students. For more on this story, go to greenwichsentinel.com S The Mex ica n f lag wa s ra ised a long w it h the American and town f lags to mark Mexican I nde p endenc e Day on Monday. T he Mex ica n revolut ion aga i nst t he Spaniards began on Sept. 16, 1810. S The Undies Project will hold its annual Cocktails & Comedy Fu nd ra iser featuring comic Andy Pitz and emcee Kim Berns, Saturday, Sept. 28 from 7 to 10 p.m. at St. Catherine of Siena Church. Tickets are $95 and can be purchased at theundiesproject.org S Swim Across America Fa i r f i e ld C ou nt y a nd Greenw ich Crew a re teaming up for the second a nnua l charit y row ing event — Meters for a Cure ERG Challenge on Sunday, Sept. 29 — with proceeds supporting Swim Across America Fairfield County and its local beneficiary the Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy (ACGT) at the Greenwich Water Club at 49 River Rd. Registration is available in advance at sw imacrossamerica. o r g /g wc 2 019. O n- s i t e registration on Sept. 29 opens at 7:30 a.m. S The River House Adult Day C enter is host i ng a n i n au g u r a l b e ne f it , “Loca lMotion” – a celebration of community collaboration – on Saturday, Sept. 28 at 7 p.m., at Arch Street, The Greenwich Teen Center, 100 Arch St. Tickets are $175+ per person and can be purchased online at riverhouse.givesmart.com or contact 203-979-9557

Gyrfalcon Wows at Hawk Watch

The Greenwich Audubon Center Fall Festival and Hawk Watch was the place to be last weekend with a perfect day and a record number of attendees, over 1,500, from as far as New Jersey, New York City, and Eastern Connecticut. Above, a Gyrfalcon dazzles spectators as they learn amazing facts about them during the flying birds of prey shows. Although no kettles (a group of birds wheeling and circling in the air, often composed of several different species) could be seen in the blue sky, 362 of individual raptors were counted high over head at the Hawk Watch. A total of 4,616 raptors were counted at the Audubon by Tuesday and the count continues daily through November as Audubon tracks the migration of majestic hawks, eagles, owls, and other birds southward.

SEEC Issues Third Fine Related to 2017 Campaign In a statement issued Wednesday afternoon, Joseph Angland, the chairman of the Democratic Town Committee (D T C), c on f i r m e d t h at t h e State Elect ions Enforcement Commission (SEEC) has accepted a consent agreement regarding campaign finance violations by five current Democratic members of the Board of Estimate and Taxation (BET) relating to their 2017 campaigns. The BET is responsible for the proper administration of the financial affairs of the Town. This is the third such consent agreement f ine issued by the SEEC relating to how Democrats

paid for their successful 2017 effort to take over the BET. The effort in 2017 shifted leadership positions and gave tie-breaking authority to Democrats for the first time in town history. The SEEC determined the following, outlined in the consent agreement with Tony Turner: "Give n th at s i x m e mb e r s of each major party were guaranteed seats on the Board, all si x Democrats r unning for the of fice were ef fectively running unopposed. But the outcome of the election did carry some weight: the party that received more votes would lead the Board of Estimate and

Ta xation ("BET ") and would have a controlling vote on the board. The Charter of the Town of Greenwich directs that the 'chairman and vice-chairman of the Board shall be chosen from those me mbe rs of the Board who belong to the political party receiving the greatest number of votes cast for all the candidates of any one political party for members of the Board of Estimate and Taxation at the last Town election.' In the case of a tie vote on action of the Board, the BET's chairperson has an extra vote to break the tie." In order to win leadership roles, the entire slate of Democrats

needed to receive the most total votes. In order to achieve this goal, according to the SEEC, Tony Turner's People First Committee spent $343,500. S t r a t fo rd r e s i d e nt M a r k M i l l e r, w h o s e r v e d a s t h e campaign's treasurer, was ordered to pay "a civil penalty of $15,000 for violations of General Statutes that he committed over the course of the 2017 election cycle." U l t i m a t e l y, c a m p a i g n treasurers are legally responsible for the proper f inancing and reporting of their committees. In a somewhat unusual step by the SEEC, six candidates were fined in addition to the treasurer.

On August 2, 2019, Tony Turner was ordered to pay "a civil penalty of $52,000 for violations in the course of the 2017 election cycle." This week, Angland confirmed that a third consent agreement - the details of which have not yet been released ordered Jill Oberlander, Leslie Mor i a r t y, Je f f R a me r, B e t h Krumeich, and David Weisbrod to pay $1,000 each, bringing t he p ena lt ie s i n rel at ion to the 2017 campaign to $72,000 in total, one of the largest in Connecticut history. T he f u l l SEEC consent ag reement s c a n be fou nd at GreenwichSentinel.com.

New Bruce Sparkles with Well-being Is Equal Robert R. Wiener Gallery Parts Comfort & Growth Excerpts from The Waterwheel

By Anne W. Semmes

Robert R. Wiener is fascinated by “the beauty, the structure, the colors, and the rarity” of minerals. That life-long passion has built one of the world’s great collections of minerals, of which some 100 of the finest specimens will be on permanent display in the Robert R. Wiener Gallery to debut with the redoubling of the Bruce Museum. “I ' ve g i ve n t h e Mu s e u m some spectacular pieces – and I’ve made a half-million-dollar commitment to the Campaign for the New Bruce to ensure that the new mineral gallery excites ever y body who v isit s ,” says Wiener, chairman of MA X X Properties, a fourth-generation, family-owned real estate company based in Harrison, N.Y. “It’s a new day for the Bruce Museum and for the Town of Greenwich, and we should all celebrate that there are enough people who care to

help create a new center of life and light.” W i e n e r c it e s t h e d e s i g n of the New Bruce addition as “marrying the landscape with the new building, and the rising and falling of the sun with the shadows they'll create and the light they'll bring in.” He sees his new mineral gallery well situated w it h i n t he re i m a g i ne d a nd dramatically enlarged Science Galleries, which will occupy the whole of the exhibition space in the original building. “I'm looking forward to seeing my minerals on display with the right lighting.”

A pair of amethyst ‘wings’ - on view in the Museum’s science gallery - gifted by Robert R. Wiener. “People ask me where these minerals come from – most of them come from caves and have to be cut out with diamondstudded saws,” Wiener explains.

“To me they represent an amazing form of beauty – the author, the creator, the inventor, the sculptor has to be a higher power. And many people believe that when you get close to certain minerals, there’s a force that gets inside you and brings you good luck.” “I hope the minera ls will spa rk le i n c h i ld ren's e ye s ,” he continues, “and create an enthusiasm for learning more about geology, and all the other wonderful things that will come to them as they did to me by getting into the science of the earth. And that makes me very happy to think that will happen.” Supporting the Campaign for the New Bruce and serving as Honorary Bruce Trustee has brought to Wiener “a sense of contribution to the community. Ou r g iv i ng w i l l ex pa nd t he horizons of many children and adults. The Bruce will have a much greater capacity to handle many more people and draw them from many more areas.” “My passion is for the people who a re creat ing t he New Bruce,” notes Wiener, “and for their excitement about creating a cultural institution at a much higher level than it’s been. I’m excited for it, and having met t he new Execut ive Director, Robert Wolterstorff, I think the sky's the limit.”

By Jill S. Woolworth, LMFT

ILLUSTRATED BY WAJIH CHAUDHRY

The Briefing Room

Too much “comfort” leads to boredom. Too much “growth” causes chronic anxiety. Comfort is sameness, routine, and predictability. Growth includes change, learning, losses, and challenge. We need both. Our lives are rarely a perfect 50/50 blend. Moving to a new community, starting a new job, starting or ending a relationship can feel like 95 percent growth and 5 percent comfort. Big changes are difficult. Our brains are wired to fear change and stay with the familiar to keep us safe. During seasons of change, give yourself as much comfort as possible. Ella got a new job in a new city. She missed her friends. She was relieved to learn that feeling uncomfortable during a season of growth was normal. She discovered that sadness and anxiety were rich states of mind, not something she needed to escape from or medicate. For comfort, she pampered herself and savored connections with old friends by phone. An excerpt from The Waterwheel by local author, Jill Woolworth, available through Amazon. Alternatively, we encourage you to shop locally where it is also available at Diane's Books or Christ Church Books & Gifts.