Town Councilor Makes Bid for New Canaan Selectman

NEW CANAAN, Conn. – Lifelong town resident and avid gardener Beth Jones finds a metaphor between growing fruits and vegetables and serving in town government.

“There’s a lot more talking when you’re working with the town,” said Jones. “But you’re still trying to get the weeds out and … planting seeds and watching them grow.”

Jones hopes to dig into the town’s top board as she seeks the Democratic nomination to run for the Board of Selectmen. The New Canaan Democratic Town Committee will choose its slate of candidates at the July 25 party caucus. She was endorsed Tuesday to make a run. At that same meeting, current Democratic Selectman Sally Hines announced she would not seek another term.

Jones, 55, is a member of the Town Council and had thought for several months about making a run for selectman. “I am a native of New Canaan who loves this town, and I think I have a lot to offer,” she said. Jones said her dealings with residents as a member of several community groups, including the League of Women Voters, the Kiwanis Club and the Outback Teen Center board of directors, gives her a sense of residents' concerns.  

Jones would like to improve communication among town boards, an issue being discussed by a Town Council subcommittee in light of a controversial arbitration award given to a contractor for work done on the Lakeview Avenue Bridge. Jones, a member of that subcommittee, says she wants to increase transparency and inclusiveness in town government.  

“I see things that we can do differently,” Jones said. “There is a way if you’ve been on other boards to figure out how to share information better without being an imposition on volunteers’ time.”

Jones had considered being Hines’ running mate if Hines had chosen to go for the top office. If Jones is elected, she said she hopes to follow Hines’ example. Jones complimented Hines for offering the Democratic perspective and a woman’s perspective on the Board of Selectmen. 

Jones also would like to see more women on other town boards. “I think women can be less competitive and more open to compromise when it comes to issues."

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