Tooker unveils plan for first 30 days as new first selectwoman
WESTPORT — Jennifer Tooker is eager to get to work as the new first selectwoman with plans to set up a traffic advisory and neighborhood safety commission, as well as tackle the Longshore Park master plan in her first 30 days in office.
Tooker is set to be sworn into her new role as the town leader on Nov. 15, along with running mate Andrea Moore, and will begin her new term on Nov. 16.
“I wake up everyday just feeling so honored, I really do,” Tooker said.
“To have won the support of and the respect of the majority of Westporters to serve as their leader for the next four years, I’m just so honored,” she added.
Tooker and Moore narrowly won the election with 69 more votes than Democrats Jonathan Steinberg and Candice Savin. The Republican candidates totaled 4,237 votes, just over 50 percent of the total votes.
Tooker said Westport residents are “savvy,” and care “deeply” about their local elected officials and what happens in town.
As the second selectwoman for the last few years, she said she’s seen firsthand the town’s true nature and her experience as the second in command has put her in a great spot to move forward, despite the “fast” transition.
Knowing the personalities, the department heads and all of the issues that are on their plates is part of the current transition process that Tooker is currently moving through. She said because of how active she had been during the past, she is coming in knowing and understanding numerous projects, including the importance of the Longshore Park master plan.
“It’s really an immediate priority for our administration and for our Parks and
Rec Department over the next several months,” Tooker said.
The goal of the project is to develop an overall plan on what the town wants for the future of the area. The park currently includes the golf course, swimming pool, tennis courts, the Longshore Inn and the Longshore Sailing School.
While the project will not be completed any time soon, it is a priority to start within Tooker’s first month. The town has already commissioned a firm to do the work in building out the master plan.
“Its a big deal and it’s something that has been a priority for a while,” Tooker said. “COVID sort of pushed back our plans for a little bit. We want to have a master plan that everyone gets excited about and feels comfortable with.”
Tooker said that with a new tenant also recently coming to the area the time is “really right” to start to thinking about the future of the park.
Another initiative that Tooker’s administration will begin to move on in the first month is setting up a traffic advisory and neighborhood safety commission that they had promised the voters.
The commission will seek to get to the bottom of traffic problems and find needed solutions. The commission will also focus on pedestrian and cycling safety within the neighborhoods.
Tooker said her administration is also in the midst of making decisions on $8.4 million of American Rescue Plan funds. Some decisions have already been made on where the money will go, but more decisions will be coming on how to allocate these funds.