Robert Rice – Running for Wilton Town Council

Q:  What is your vision for Wilton five years from now?

Rice: Personally, I like Wilton the way it looks today. If not another building was erected in town for the next five years, I'd be fine with it, as long as the reason no building took place was due to the individual decisions made by property owners and not because the Town so restricted possible uses. Though it's not a perfect document, the Comprehensive Plan adopted by Wilton does provide guidance for development and that guidance has been incorporated into our zoning code. So, although I like Wilton the way it looks today, my vision is to allow people to exercise their rights as property owners, while working to keep the quality of life at as high a standard as possible.

Q: How do you feel about the recent zoning changes?

Rice: There was a great deal of debate and public input during the recent zoning revisions. What had been originally proposed was greatly scaled back in the end. The zoning changes that were made included adding in uses along routes 9 and 50 that were part of the Comprehensive Plan, but had been subsequently deleted; eliminating one of the hamlet zones while scaling back another for practical reasons; combining RB1 and RB2 with allowed uses envisioned by the Comprehensive Plan; extending the industrial zone boundary at the northeast corner of Exit 16; and allowing electronic signs in the C1 zone which is the Mall area. I supported these changes and believe they are in concert with the Comprehensive Plan.

Q: What is the biggest difference between you and your opponents?

Rice: I've had lengthy conversations with Scott Kingsley on politics and planning and, though we have our differences on some issues, we largely agree with each other on the end goal.  I've only spoken with John McEachron once briefly, so my opinion is based more on what I've read. Mr. McEachron seems to feel his employer, John Lant, is constantly outvoted on Town issues. The truth is that Mr. Lant and the rest of the Board agree probably 98 percent of the time. Each board member occasionally disagrees with the others, but that usually leads to a solid discussion, exactly the way the board should work. Beyond that, I've not heard what Mr. McEachron's opinions are.