Joseloff Wants Westport in New Regional Council

First Selectman Gordon Joseloff wants represented on a yet-to-be-formed regional council of governments that would replace the South Western Regional Planning Agency (SWRPA) and the Metropolitan Planning Organization with a single, eight-member regional council — however not everyone is onboard with the idea.

According to a report in the Westport News, Joseloff, who serves as the chairman of the MPO, argued why Westport should join the yet-to-be-formed Council of Governments, as it is being called, before the Planning & Zoning Commission on Thursday, however several commissioners were reportedly skeptical of the plan.

Establishing a single regional council would require approval from the legislative bodies in five of eight municipalities in lower Fairfield County that belong to SWRPA, the Westport News report states. Joseloff reportedly faces an uphill battle as some elected officials fail to see the benefits of going through the effort of forming a new council. Greenwich First Selectman Peter Tesei reportedly said he , as he fears it may lead to a resurrection of Connecticut's former county government, which was abolished in 1960.

The Westport Representative Town Meeting is scheduled to review the proposal next month and could vote on it as early as March, according to the report.