Selectmen vote to make Scorca deputy police chief

Board of Selectmen · Meeting of October 8, 2026

Greenwich selectmen voted 3-0 to confirm Capt. Eric Scorca as the police department's new deputy chief. The Board of Selectmen also gave second-read approval to a Harbor Management Commission plan raising the late mooring-renewal fee from $100 to $150, pending an Oct. 26 Representative Town Meeting vote and an Oct. 19 public hearing.

Selectmen separately cleared a Nov. 11 Greenwich Avenue closure for the Veterans Day Walk requested by American Legion Post 29. Board of Ethics Chair Paul deBary told selectmen the town received just six financial-disclosure filings this year, down from 33 in 1980 despite town payroll roughly tripling, and recommended spending $50,000 to $100,000 on a better online filing system. "I don't think you really get to conflicts of interest if you can't tangibly find a financial interest," deBary said, describing why two ethics reports were dismissed this year.

In the full story:

• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report — 2,388 words

Source: the Board of Selectmen meeting of October 8, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

The Full Article

Welcome and Approval of Minutes

The board opened with the Pledge of Allegiance and a roll-call approval of the Sept. 24, 2026, regular meeting minutes, with First Selectman Fred Camillo, Selectwoman Lauren Rabin and Selectwoman Rachel Khanna all voting yes. Rabin then moved to approve the Sept. 25, 2026, special meeting minutes; the transcript does not capture a recorded second or vote before the meeting moved on, though both sets of minutes appear on the agenda as routine items with no discussion.

First Selectman's Updates

Camillo's update covered an unusually dense slate of town events and personnel items rather than policy votes. He reported a "very successful" organizational meeting for the new Hamill Development Committee, a seven-member panel modeled on the one that oversaw the Eastern Greenwich Civic Center, naming Steph Cowie as chair, Dan Izzo as vice chair and Eric LaRossi as secretary. He described a weekend basketball-court dedication at Hamilton Avenue School honoring the late coach Dave D'Andrea, which drew former players including Dwight Rochester, and recounted a story, attributed to a man named Garland Allen, about a school janitor who used to leave a window open so neighborhood kids could sneak in to play basketball after hours.

Camillo also reported swearing in a new police officer, Blaine Johnson, a transfer from the New York City police department, and said the town had honored longtime Parkway School custodian Rich Young, a 40-year employee, with a surprise schoolwide send-off. He previewed a sustainable-energy forum that evening organized with the town's Environmental Affairs Office staffer Beth Evans, featuring former New Canaan First Selectman Kevin Moynihan. Camillo ran through an extensive calendar of October events, including the Oct. 12 Columbus Day flag raising and dinner honoring Hamilton Avenue School principal Diane Chiappetta-Fox, the Oct. 17 Greenwich Police Department 130th-anniversary ball, and an Oct. 21 State of the Town address. He said a town staffer referred to only as Debra would soon present an idea to name a venue at Cos Cob Park for the late Dick Kriskey, a longtime volunteer who served on the Board of Education, the Board of Estimate and Taxation, and multiple building committees. Camillo also relayed a Connecticut Department of Transportation notice about a lighting and guardrail upgrade project on I-95 between Byram and Old Greenwich, with design completion targeted for December 2027 and construction beginning in summer 2028.

Camillo gave a brief update on the town's AI task force, saying a Zoom technical glitch had forced cancellation of a planned meeting, but that a working group was coordinating with the Law Department, Human Resources and IT to craft a policy aligned with state law, with a goal of finalizing it by roughly Dec. 1. He said the town currently makes Microsoft 365 Copilot available to employees and plans to interview department heads about potential AI uses.

Selectmen's Updates

Rabin reported that the Riverside School Building Committee had interviewed all owner's-representative candidates Monday night and the committee voted the following day to select a new owner's rep. She said five of seven appointed members for a planned natatorium, tennis and access driveway building committee had cleared the RTM, with the remaining two expected in October, setting up an organizational meeting in late October or early November.

Khanna's update focused on recognition months and events: National Italian Heritage Month, National Disability Employment Awareness Month, and Domestic Violence Awareness and Breast Cancer Awareness months. She said she had begun a nine-week Citizens Police Academy program. She closed with detailed guidance for residents affected by the Sept. 13 flash flooding, citing Small Business Administration disaster loans of up to $500,000 for homeowners repairing primary residences, up to $100,000 for homeowners and renters replacing personal property, and up to $2 million for businesses and nonprofits for property replacement or working capital, directing residents to lending.sba.gov. Khanna and Camillo both credited Emergency Management Director Joe Lucella with personally contacting flood-affected Byram residents about loan eligibility.

Mooring Fees and Deadlines, Second Read

Background and stakes: The Harbor Management Commission took over mooring administration from the Parks and Recreation Department and is proposing its first overhaul of mooring fees and deadlines, aligning them with how Parks and Recreation prices early beach-pass renewals.

The question before the board: whether to give second-read approval to the fee and deadline revisions so the item can proceed to the RTM.

Substantive content: Under the proposal in the packet submitted by the commission, mooring permits expire Dec. 31 each year, renewal letters go out Jan. 15, and completed renewal applications, including fee payment, current registration and insurance, are due by March 1, with a mooring vendor inspection required every three years. Applicants who meet the deadline pay a $100 "early bird" fee; those who miss it pay $150. Harbor Management Commission representative Jenny Larkin told the board the Commission is simultaneously revising the underlying mooring regulations, a related but separate "housekeeping" item that does not require a board vote, with a public hearing scheduled for Oct. 19 at 4 p.m.

The deliberation: Camillo said he had heard no public objection to the fee increase, noting that rate increases typically draw complaints if residents are unhappy. "No, I think it aligns to, you know, the park fees and the beach pass fee where, you know, you get an early bird," Camillo said, and Larkin responded, "Exactly. So that was our intent." The board discussed timing with the RTM, since there is no RTM meeting in November, settling on getting the item onto the Oct. 26 RTM call.

Procedural steps and outcome: Rabin moved approval of the fee revision; Khanna seconded. Camillo, Rabin and Khanna each voted yes, a 3-0 roll call.

Implications and what is next: The RTM must still approve the change before it takes effect; the Oct. 19 public hearing gives residents a chance to weigh in before that vote.

Deputy Chief of Police Appointment

Background and stakes: Chief of Police James Heavey recommended Capt. Eric Scorca for the department's open deputy chief position after what the Sept. 24, 2026, Board of Selectmen minutes describe as a competitive field of three captains. The minutes record Heavey's description of Scorca as a 23-year GPD veteran who commands the Patrol Division and the SWAT and Special Response units, holds a John Clark Award, and recently earned a master's degree in public administration from Western Connecticut State University. Scorca had also been a candidate for deputy chief two years earlier.

The question before the board: whether to formally vote to appoint Scorca, after the substantive discussion had already occurred at the prior meeting.

Substantive content: No new financial or policy detail was introduced Thursday; the item was procedural, finalizing a decision effectively made in September.

The deliberation: Camillo acknowledged the board had told Scorca and Heavey they did not need to appear in person. "We met with Captain Eric Scorca, now Deputy Chief Scorca, and it was determined that we actually needed to take a vote today," Camillo said, adding he should have flagged the scheduling earlier. Rabin responded that "somebody would have caught it" if he hadn't raised it.

Procedural steps and outcome: Rabin moved to approve the appointment; Khanna seconded. Camillo, Rabin and Khanna voted yes, 3-0.

Implications and what is next: Scorca becomes deputy chief as the department marks its 130th anniversary, with a Policeman's Ball scheduled Oct. 17.

Veterans Day Walk Road Closure

Background and stakes: American Legion Post 29 requested its annual temporary closure of Greenwich Avenue for the Veterans Day Walk, a longstanding town tradition.

The question before the board: whether to approve the closure on a first read and waive the usual second read given the Nov. 11 event date.

Substantive content: Post 29 representative John McCormic said the request matches prior years: a closure from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., with veterans groups stepping off at 10:30 a.m., reaching Restoration Plaza, the former post office, by 11 a.m., and the ceremony typically concluding by noon.

The deliberation: Camillo called it "time sensitive" given the annual date and said the board was supportive without further discussion.

Procedural steps and outcome: Rabin moved approval with the second read waived; Khanna seconded. The vote passed 3-0.

Implications and what is next: The closure takes effect Nov. 11; no further board action is required.

Board of Ethics Annual Report

Background and stakes: The Greenwich Code of Ethics, Section 2.12(c), requires the Board of Ethics to submit an annual report to the Board of Selectmen and the RTM. Chair Paul deBary said this was the third consecutive year the board has made the presentation in person rather than simply filing the report.

The question before the board: to receive the board's fiscal 2025-2026 report; no vote was required or taken.

Substantive content: DeBary, joined by member Kenneth Greenberg and Vice Chair Jennifer Paul Cohen, said the board received zero formal complaints but reviewed two "reports" that did not rise to the level of a code violation. The first, which deBary's board nicknamed "chaired squared," involved an RTM committee chair who also chaired a building committee whose project the RTM committee was reviewing; the board found no personal financial interest and noted the chair had recused himself from chairing the RTM discussion while still participating in it. The second involved an allegation that a Law Department attorney gave conflicting advice to two town boards; the board dismissed it because the underlying litigation involved no financial damages. DeBary said both dismissals reflect a deliberate limit in the Code of Ethics to financial, not political or general, conflicts of interest: "I don't think you really get to conflicts of interest if you can't tangibly find a financial interest."

The board also fielded two related advisory-opinion requests, from the Board of Education and the Board of Estimate and Taxation, about recusal obligations for members whose spouses are teachers. The board combined them into Advisory Opinion No. 26-01 and built a matrix of board duties; deBary initially said the Board of Education faced roughly 28 potential-conflict scenarios a year before correcting himself to 13, against 33 for the BET. The board recommended both panels adopt a "safe harbor" conflict policy already used by the Harbor Management Commission and the Historic District Commission, under which members disclose potential conflicts to an uninterested committee for real-time guidance rather than halting a vote.

On disclosure filings, deBary reported six reports filed for fiscal 2025-2026, all compliant: four by elected officials, one by a town employee, and one by an appointee. He contrasted that with a 1980 report showing 33 disclosure responses when the town had an estimated 2,000 employees, versus six responses today from more than 3,000 employees. DeBary recommended the town invest an estimated $50,000 to $100,000 in a more interactive online filing system, noted he has discussed the idea with Town Administrator Tom Klein, and separately proposed converting the board's existing $10,000-to-$20,000 annual investigation contingency into a capped rolling fund of roughly $50,000 rather than letting unspent funds lapse each year. He closed by recommending increased ethics training for board and commission chairs. Camillo said he would work with HR and deBary on outreach to department heads and boards, and deBary separately noted the board recently issued an advisory opinion to Fred Lee, chair of the RTM's Appointments Committee, on how to navigate his own prospective appointment to the Aquarion review board without appearing to influence the process.

The deliberation: Khanna asked deBary to elaborate on his report's observation that some complainants use the Ethics Board's hotline simply because no other town mechanism exists for submitting concerns. DeBary said the board regularly forwards unrelated complaints, including social-media-driven requests for help with personal matters, to whichever town office seems appropriate.

Procedural steps and outcome: No vote was taken; the presentation was informational.

Implications and what is next: The board's recommendations on the disclosure-filing system and the investigation contingency fund would require future board and RTM budget action to implement; no date was set.

Appointments and Nominations

Rabin moved to nominate Vanessa Harrington to the Fair Rent Commission, seat R4, for a term expiring June 30, 2027, and Kenneth Rogozinski to the Planning and Zoning Board of Appeals, seat R1, for a term expiring Oct. 31, 2030. The transcript does not capture a recorded second or roll-call vote before the meeting moved to adjournment.

First Selectman Fred Camillo, presiding. Selectwoman Lauren Rabin, present and voting throughout. Selectwoman Rachel Khanna, present and voting throughout. Jenny Larkin, Harbor Management Commission, mooring committee representative, presenting the fee revision. Capt. (now Deputy Chief) Eric Scorca, subject of the appointment vote; did not appear in person. Chief of Police James Heavey, listed on the agenda as presenter of the Scorca appointment item. John McCormic, American Legion Post 29, presenting the Veterans Day Walk road-closure request. Paul deBary, Board of Ethics Chair, presenting the annual report. Kenneth Greenberg, Board of Ethics member, co-presenting. Jennifer Paul Cohen, Board of Ethics Vice Chair, present to answer questions.

Harbor Management Commission — proposed the mooring fee and deadline revisions taken up on second read. American Legion Post 29 — requested the Veterans Day Walk road closure. Greenwich Board of Ethics — presented its fiscal 2025-2026 annual report required under Code of Ethics Section 2.12(c). Representative Town Meeting (RTM) — must still approve the mooring fee change, expected on its Oct. 26 call; also appoints building-committee members referenced in Rabin's update. Board of Education and Board of Estimate and Taxation — subjects of the Ethics Board's combined Advisory Opinion No. 26-01 on spousal-teacher recusal. Western Connecticut State University — where Deputy Chief Scorca earned his master's in public administration, cited in the Sept. 24 minutes. Small Business Administration — source of disaster loans cited by Khanna for Sept. 13 flood-affected residents and businesses. Connecticut Department of Transportation — notified the town of planned I-95 lighting and guardrail upgrades, cited by Camillo. Greenwich Code of Ethics, Section 2.12(c) — statutory basis for the Ethics Board's annual report requirement. Sept. 24, 2026, and Sept. 25, 2026, Board of Selectmen draft minutes — approved at this meeting and used here as background on the Scorca recommendation and other prior items. Harbor Management Commission mooring fee proposal document — sets out the $100/$150 fee schedule and renewal deadlines described above.