Gov. Lamont faces criticism following illegal tree cutting

— An incident in which a large number of trees were illegally cut down behind Gov. Ned Lamont’s Greenwich property caused a ripple at the State Capitol Wednesday, where one prominent Republican slammed the governor’s actions as “very disappointing.”

“To see a governor just ignore the laws of Connecticut and do what he wants is not a good look for him,” House Minority Leader Vincent Candelora, R-North Branford, told reporters. “And I think it’s something that he’s going to have to answer to.”

On Tuesday, CT Insider reported that more than 180 trees, thousands of bushes and other plant life were illegally cut down on the shared land behind Lamont’s Greenwich home late last year.

Town documents did not explicitly say who ordered the trees to come down, but Lamont, a neighboring family and the Ashton Drive Association, which owns nearby vacant land, have all been cited for wetlands violations in Greenwich. According to the Greenwich Inland Wetlands and Watercourse Agency, the trees were cut in a wetland without a proper permit.

“The Lamonts appear to be the ones that hired the contractor,” Beth Evans, the town’s director of environmental affairs director who advises the IWWA, told CT Insider.

Asked about the situation last week, Lamont described it as “a dispute between the association and one of the neighbors.”

“The association and the neighbors are working it out,” he said.

A Lamont spokesperson reiterated the governor’s comment Wednesday, while declining to say who paid for the trees to come down or why.

Ben Proto, chairman of the Connecticut Republican Party, said Wednesday that Lamont should have known the trees were on a wetland and followed proper protocols.

“If this was in fact done — and it was done without approvals, it was done without permits, it was done without following the law that is in place — then Ned Lamont, like every other person, is subject to wherever penalties the law provides for violating the law,” Proto said. “He should be held accountable, as should his neighbors.”

A cease-and-correct order was sent to the Lamonts, his neighbors the Viks, and the Ashton Drive Association, which owns nearby vacant land. All were also cited for wetlands violations in Greenwich.

Democratic legislative leaders laughed off questions about Lamont’s trees. Speaker of the House Matt Ritter, who represents Hartford, asked whether the incident had occurred at the governor’s mansion in the capital city. Told it was in Greenwich, he joked, “That’s not a Hartford problem, I can’t worry about that.”

House Majority Leader Jason Rojas, D-East Hartford, said of Lamont, “It seems he’s been held accountable.”

Meanwhile, at least one prominent Republican also came to Lamont’s defense Wednesday.

“Knowing Ned for many years, he’s someone that’s known to honor and follow rules,” Greenwich First Selectman Fred Camillo said.