An Update on Dari
en Town Government
DMA member and Darien First Selectman Jon Zagrodzky will provide an update on Town government including overall strategy, Great Island, new commercial developments, flooding investments and the FY 2025 budget process. Jon plans to leave ample time for Q&A and promises that no topic is off limits!
Jon E. Zagrodzky serves as First Selectman for the Town of Darien, having been elected to this position on November 7, 2023. Jon’s prior Town roles include: member of the Board of Selectmen; member and chairman of the Board of Finance; member of the Town and Police Pension Board; member of the Public Works Garage and Ox Ridge School Building Committee Board; member and president of the Darien Historical Society.
Until his December 2023 retirement, Jon served as COO and CFO at Rhône Group, LLC, a middle market private equity firm, where he was responsible for finance, operations, human resources, administration, information technology, and business planning. Prior to Rhône, he was CAO and Chief Compliance Officer at Oak Hill Capital Management and before that spent 16 years at McKinsey & Company.
Jon earned a BA in Economics and Romance Languages from Washington & Lee University and an MBA from The Wharton School. He is a commercial pilot and owns a Piper Seneca III. Jon moved to Darien with his wife, Sara, and their two children, Maggie and Jack, in 2005.
Speaker Summary
In front of one of our largest in-person and on-line audiences of the year, Jon discussed the role of the First Selectman in governing the town, his goals/philosophy as he does his job, and his thoughts on some of the key issues facing the town. After his prepared comments, which were punctuated by his sense of humor and engaging personal style, he took nearly 40 minutes of questions from the DMA audience across a range of issues that were on their minds.
Jon opened with a brief explanation of the Darien government structure, starting with the genesis of the representative town meeting concept of government that led to the creation of selectmen positions to run the meetings. He spoke to the role and powers of the First Selectman in what is a decentralized, dispersed power structure where many of the functions of town government do not fall under the direct control of the selectmen. As a result, his impact is often exercised through his ability to engage and influence those who control key commissions and boards, as well as his ability to impact them based on his right to reject or approve commissioners/board members.
Jon noted that the lens through which he evaluates issues and opportunities is tied to his vision of helping make Darien a place where people will say “only Darien can do that” to elevate and differentiate Darien from other towns. In this context, he spoke to 4 key aspects of his vision that he believes drives this concept: the schools – over which Jon has no direct control; the town’s assets –both those owned by the town but also those being developed by commercial interests; “Hartford” – Jon’s catch-all for legislative and regulatory elements outside the town that can impact Darien; and, the people – both paid and volunteers that provide the support and services for the town. Jon commented about how volunteerism is such a powerful component of the town’s character. While Jon was very complimentary about the schools and their leadership, the town’s assets and how they are managed, and the people who bring commitment and years of experience to their efforts, he noted that there are opportunities to do a better job connecting/working with “Hartford” and the federal government to work collaboratively versus combatively to meet Darien’s needs. Jon specifically noted that he had been contacted by Senator Chris Murphy’s office and was told that there had been no contact between the Senator and Darien leadership for an extended period of time, something he plans to change.
He also talked briefly about Great Island and his personal goals for the development of the property to address three areas: nature preservation; a municipal asset of some sort (e.g., a pool); and the need for a commercial element. He noted that the Great Island Committee was in the final stage of identifying a consulting resource to help with the planning and development of the property. He also commented that the future long-term cost of developing Great Island could be as great as the acquisition cost.
Jon mentioned that there will be several senior town employees retiring soon and that filling these positions – and finding the right people for key positions, in general – are one of his key priorities. He concluded his prepared comments by reinforcing the importance of involvement and volunteerism, and his willingness to work with and help any groups/organizations that felt his involvement could be beneficial.
In the Q&A session, Jon addressed questions ranging from taxes/the town’s changing tax base, to concerns about speeding/dangerous driving around town, to traffic related to the development projects, to the best approach for affordable housing, and more. In response to several questions, Jon expressed great belief and confidence that the development projects underway in town have been well-planned and that the Darien of the future would deliver on his “only Darien could do this” vision.