Brookfield hires new land use director

BROOKFIELD — The town is welcoming a new face to its leadership ranks, having hired Richelle Hodza, of Warren, to take over as director of the land use commission department upon her predecessor, Alice Dew’s, departure.

Hodza lives in Warren, where she previously served as land use officer for the town. She also has a background as a legal secretary, C-suite executive administrative assistant, and as a land use administrator, and as a zoning and wetlands enforcement officer for several towns.

Hodza said that she “fell into” land use about six years ago and served as a part-time floater for Warren and a member of the Northwest Hills Council of Governments, where she was in charge of the minutes for all its land use commissions.

“I realize that Alice Dew will be a tough act to follow, but I am delighted to be working for the Town of Brookfield as its new Land Use Director and Inland Wetlands Enforcement Officer,” Hodza wrote to the NewsTimes. “I find land use to be a fascinating field.”

Dew, Brookfield’s former land use director, started a new job this past week as Ridgefield’s planning and zoning director, replacing Richard Baldelli who retired on Jan. 3. Dew served as Brookfield’s land use director from 2015 to 2021, overseeing the planning and zoning commissions, and day-to-day operations of the Zoning Board of Appeals, the Inland Wetlands Board, the Building Department and the Health Department. She served an integral role in the ongoing creation of Brookfield’s town center district in the Four Corners area.

“I had things fairly worked out in Brookfield and allocated the work I was doing to other departments, so it’ll be a more sustainable job for them going forward,” Dew told Hearst Connecticut. “Ridgefield is a lovely town, and I thought it would be a nice new challenge for me.”

The town already hired Hodza as a replacement when Dew took leave.

“Richelle has the ideal qualifications and experience to lead Brookfield’s Land Use Office operation. She is a pleasure to wokr with, something our residents and property owners will have the pleasure of experiencing,” said Community Development Specialist Greg Dembowski.

“I anticipate settling into my new position comfortably and look forward to overseeing the land use department and helping to implement and enforce the Connecticut Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Act during Brookfield's formidable current, and continued growth.