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The What

The What: Election Takeaways, Budget Town Hall in Norwalk, and more

The What is your look around southwest Connecticut for the week of November 17.

The What: Election Takeaways, Budget Town Hall in Norwalk, and more
Hope you all have a great week! (Photo by Kelly Prinz)

Monday, November 17

Happy Monday! It’s almost the start of the holiday season and we’re feeling the festive vibes here. 

Highlights 

This section gives a brief overview of the key items in the newsletter.

  • Now that it’s been about two weeks since residents headed to the polls to vote in local elections across southwest Connecticut. We wanted to take a step back and review some key takeaways from the 2025 elections based on unofficial results from the Secretary of State’s Office.
  • There will be a Board of Education Budget Town Hall in Norwalk on Wednesday, November 19 where residents are invited to weigh in on the priorities for next year’s budget and learn more about the process.

Spotlight

This section features our main reporting each week.

It’s been about two weeks since residents headed to the polls to vote in local elections across southwest Connecticut. Here are some key takeaways from the 2025 elections based on unofficial results from the Secretary of State’s Office.

1. Democrats won big across the region. 

In Stamford, Democratic Mayor Caroline Simmons won re-election decisively, and the city’s legislative body, the Board of Representatives, is now entirely Democratic—all 40 seats. 

In Norwalk, residents elected Democrat Barbara Smyth to succeed longtime Democratic Mayor Harry Rilling. The city also elected Democrats to all 15 seats on the City Council (formerly Common Council), and all seats on the Board of Education. 

Westport saw a shift, as voters elected Democrats Kevin Christie and Amy Wistreich as First Selectman and Selectman. 

2. Darien and Greenwich elect Republican incumbents. 

Two communities that did not follow the blue trend were Greenwich and Darien, which supported their incumbent First Selectmen in their re-election bids. 

3. Voter turnout was up across the region for municipal races, but still lower than presidential and state election years. 

Check out our full piece exploring the results. 

And ICYMI, explore how public art is transforming spaces across the region. 

This Week at a Glance

This section aims to highlight the most important meetings and news taking place each week. 

Plan Your Week

This section includes a list of meetings, events, and programming happening around southwest Connecticut each week.

Bridgeport

Stamford

Norwalk

Fairfield

Greenwich

Darien

Westport

Stay in touch!

As we continue to grow and evolve, please join us! You can do that by:

Please note: All of these agendas and information here are current as of Sunday night. Meeting times and agendas may get adjusted throughout the week.

Have a great week,

Kelly Prinz

Founder, Reporter at Coastal Connecticut Times

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