Tim Abbott resigns from P&Z

Tim Abbott, left, and vice chair Peter Brown.
Riley Klein
Tim Abbott, left, and vice chair Peter Brown.
NORTH CANAAN — Ahead of the Planning and Zoning Commission meeting Nov. 14, chairman Tim Abbott handed in his key to Town Hall along with a resignation letter.
Abbott’s resignation comes after increased pressure from the team seeking to develop a subdivision along the Housatonic River’s bank.
Abbott, who also works as conservation director at Housatonic Valley Association and advocated for the Housatonic River’s Wild and Scenic status, was vocally opposed to the project from its inception and thus recused himself from P&Z discussions of the application.
Landowner Bruce McEver’s River Woods application, also known as the Honey Hill development, has been modified several times and has been the subject of ongoing public hearings over the last year. The most recent proposal would create 33 buildable lots and a 3,750-feet loop road situated between Honey Hill Road and the Housatonic River.
In a previous version of the subdivision design, a 20-lot cul-de-sac was proposed, which required a regulatory text change to the limits of dead-end roads in North Canaan. When an application for this text change was put forth from the developers in May 2024, Abbott stated the change would affect the whole town and he remained engaged in P&Z discussions making amendments to the text change.
At a public hearing for the text change Oct. 15, McEver’s attorney Charles Andres called for Abbott to recuse himself from all discussion of the text change. Land use consultant Janell Mullen spoke at the hearing to state the drafted text change should not be implemented because it was created by Abbott and not “thoughtfully crafted by an impartial professional.”
Before a commission vote was held on the text change or the subdivision applications, Abbott resigned. His resignation letter stated:
“Since my election in 2021 I have tried to act with integrity, honor and propriety as Chair of the Commission and have recused where appropriate due to my disclosed conflict of interest on an active subdivision application. However, a well-financed and aggressive developer has conflated that recusal with a proposed text amendment to subdivision regulations that are generally applicable to the entire town. As a result, I am placed in an untenable position. Recusing unnecessarily on the proposed text amendment while simultaneously recused on the applicant’s latest subdivision proposal would compel me to leave our regular meeting tonight [Nov. 14] on no fewer than three separate occasions. To do so verges on neglect of elected duty and only serves to undermine the authority of the Commission. Rather than do that, I have elected to resign.”
In Abbott’s absence, vice chair Peter Brown assumed the duties of P&Z chairman. A vote for new officers will be held at the next monthly meeting Dec. 9.
At the Nov. 14 meeting, the commission moved to accept drafted text changes for dead-end road limitations. The accepted version was the one originally submitted by the subdivision developers (not Abbott’s version). The amendment to zoning section 6.1-8.4 extended the maximum length of a dead-end street from 1,000-feet to 4,000-feet and increased the total number of buildable lots on a dead-end from 12 to 20.
A public hearing for the River Woods subdivision application will take place Dec. 9 at 7 p.m. in Town Hall.
LAKEVILLE — Barbara Meyers DelPrete, 84, passed away Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025, at her home. She was the beloved wife of George R. DelPrete for 62 years.
Mrs. DelPrete was born in Burlington, Iowa, on May 31, 1941, daughter of the late George and Judy Meyers. She lived in California for a time and had been a Lakeville resident for the past 55 years.
Survivors, in addition to her husband, George, include son, George R. DelPrete II, daughter, Jena DelPrete Allee, and son Stephen P. DelPrete. Grandchildren; Trey, Cassidy, and Meredith DelPrete, Jack, Will and Finn Allee, and Ali and Nicholas DelPrete.
A Funeral Mass was held at St. Mary’s Church, Lakeville, on Saturday, Oct. 4. May she Rest in Peace.
Ryan Funeral Home, 255 Main St., Lakeville, is in care of arrangements.
To offer an online condolence, please visit ryanfhct.com
SHARON — Shirley Anne Wilbur Perotti, daughter of George and Mabel (Johnson) Wilbur, the first girl born into the Wilbur family in 65 years, passed away on Oct. 5, 2025, at Noble Horizons.
Shirley was born on Aug. 19, 1948 at Sharon Hospital.
She was raised on her parents’ poultry farm (Odge’s Eggs, Inc.).
After graduating from Housatonic Valley Regional High School, she worked at Litchfield County National Bank and Colonial Bank.
She married the love of her life, John, on Aug. 16, 1969, and they lived on Sharon Mountain for more than 50 years.
Shirley enjoyed creating the annual family Christmas card, which was a coveted keepsake.She also enjoyed having lunch once a month with her best friends, Betty Kowalski, Kathy Ducillo, and Paula Weir.
In addition to John, she is survived by her three children and their families; Sarah Medeiros, her husband, Geoff, and their sons, Nick and Andrew, of Longmeadow, Massachusetts, Shelby Diorio, her husband, Mike, and their daughters, Addie, Lainey and Lyla, of East Canaan, Connecticut,Jeffrey Perotti, his wife, Melissa, and their daughters, Annie, Lucy and Winnie, of East Canaan. Shirley also leaves her two brothers, Edward Wilbur and his wife Joan, and David Wilbur; two nieces, three nephews, and several cousins.
At Shirley’s request, services will be private.
Donations in her memory may be made to the Sharon Woman’s Club Scholarship Fund, PO Box 283, Sharon, CT 06069.
The Kenny Funeral Home has care of arrangements.
MILLERTON — Veronica Lee “Ronnie” Silvernale, 78, a lifelong area resident died Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025, at Sharon Hospital in Sharon, Connecticut. Mrs. Silvernale had a long career at Noble Horizons in Salisbury, where she served as a respected team leader in housekeeping and laundry services for over eighteen years. She retired in 2012.
Born Oct. 19, 1946, at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, she was the daughter of the late Bradley C. and Sophie (Debrew) Hosier, Sr. Following her graduation from high school and attending college, she married Jack Gerard Silvernale on June 15, 1983 in Millerton, New York. Their marriage lasted thirty-five years until Jack’s passing on July 28, 2018.
Ronnie is survived by her daughter, Jaime Silvernale (Wm. MacDaniel, Sr.) of Millerton, her beloved grandson, Wm. MacDaniel, Jr.; two special nieces, Shannon and Rebecca and a special nephew Sean Hosier. In addition to her parents and husband, she was predeceased by her brother, Bradley C. Hosier, Jr. and her dear friend Ruth Fullerton of Millerton.
Visitation was private. A celebration of Ronnie’s life will be held in the future. Arrangements have been entrusted to the Scott D. Conklin Funeral Home, 37 Park Avenue, Millerton, NY 12546. To send an online condolence to the family or to plant a tree in Ronnie’s memory, please visit www.conklinfuneralhome.com
Christine Gevert, Crescendo’s artistic director, is delighted to announce the start of this musical organization’s 22nd year of operation. The group’s first concert of the season will feature Latin American early chamber music, performed Oct. 18 and 19, on indigenous Andean instruments as well as the virginal, flute, viola and percussion. Gevert will perform at the keyboard, joined by Chilean musicians Gonzalo Cortes and Carlos Boltes on wind and stringed instruments.
This concert, the first in a series of nine, will be held on Oct. 18 at Saint James Place in Great Barrington, and Oct. 19 at Trinity Church in Lakeville.
For those unfamiliar with Crescendo, the award-winning organization was founded in 2003 and brings lesser-known works from the Renaissance and Baroque periods — along with contemporary fusion pieces — to new life. Its performances often blend classical composition with nontraditional instrumentation for a refreshing new take on an established body of work.
Gevert, who is German, Chilean and American, is a conductor, keyboardist and musical scholar. As the multi-national, multi-lingual (German, Spanish and English) creative director, she is a veritable whirlwind of talent, professionalism and inspiration who conceives of new musical treats for her audiences. She also hires and nourishes local talent, sources internationally known vocal and instrumental professionals, and provides her audiences with well-researched program notes for each concert, packaged in lush, full-color programs that resemble illuminated manuscripts.
“It is the excitement about and dedication to the music, along with the prerequisite vocal and instrumental talent, that characterizes a Crescendo member,” said Gevert. “I don’t care about things like how old or young you are or where you’re from — it’s all about bringing these performers together to provide unforgettable musical experiences for its audiences.”
“Traditional audiences for classical music performances tend to skew older,” Gevert continued. “For that reason, I’ve embarked on an effort to reach younger listeners, and have done things like taken a Crescendo choral group to perform at Housatonic Regional High School. I’ve also launched an effort to recruit and train young singers in Baroque singing techniques so they can perform with our existing choral group.”
The upcoming 2025-26 season includes, among other performances, a solo recital and benefit concert on Nov. 22 by the international Baroque opera star and countertenor Nicholas Tamagna. The curated program will include works by Handel, Vivaldi, and Monteverdi.
Two dazzling Christmas concerts follow: on Dec. 6 and 7, Crescendo presents J.S. Bach’s “Sweet Comfort” cantata and Mass in G minor, featuring the full chorus and soloists with a period instrument orchestra. On Dec. 21, the annual Holiday Concert will be presented: “A Tapestry of Traditions: Unraveling the History of Christmas Carols,” with the entire Crescendo vocal ensemble and Gevert on organ.
For the full schedule, concerts details and ticket information, visit: www.crescendomusic.org