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Arlene Donahue, a commercial real estate agent with John D. Hastings Inc., transitioned into the world of real estate via the unusual route of local politics.
A stay-at-home mom, Arlene raised four children in Westport, but as the kids moved out she cast around for something to keep her busy. She soon found herself involved in Westports Representative Town Meeting (RTM). One volunteer job led to another and by 1983 she was chairwoman of the Planning and Zoning Committee. During her tenure the committee wrote the first town plan in more than 20 years, planning the development of Westport for a population of 30,000. There are currently some 27,000 Westport residents.
The work of the P & Z mostly concerns commercial property, Arlene explained, so I got to know all the property owners and developers in our area. Once her commission expired in 1987, becoming a commercial broker seemed the natural thing to do and she began her new career at William Pitt.
Arlene works throughout Fairfield County, though right now business isnt exactly booming. If residential real estate is slow, then commercial real estate is very slow, she said, pointing at the stalled development at the intersection of I-95 and the Route 7 Connector.
Arlene has worked as a team with Ray Rumer, a realtor now with Prudential, since they met years ago at William Pitt. Its an unusual partnership since both work for different companies. Weve worked together for many years and are in constant contact. Ray runs around and shows the properties while I do the paperwork. Arlene and Ray are the listing brokers for the deconsecrated Methodist Church currently for sale on West Avenue in Norwalk.
Arlene Donahue can be reached at adonahue@johndhastings.com. Or, call her at (203) 226-8325.
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