By Gretchen Webster

WESTPORT — Melissa Kane, whose four-year term as a Board of Selectmen member ended last month, may no longer hold a government post after a decade in Westport politics, but says that won’t end her interest in public service.

Kane, in a recent interview, said her current list of interests include gun control — she’s board chairwoman of Connecticut Against Gun Violence and a board member of the Newtown Action Alliance; reproductive rights — she’s a board member of NARAL (formerly known as the National Abortion Rights Action League), and transit — she’s a commissioner on the Connecticut Commuter Rail Commission. 

And that is just a summary of Kane’s multiple community roles.

“Being helpful is where I want to be,” she said.

After losing first selectman race, she still valued board’s minority-party seat

Kane, a Democrat, ran for first selectman in 2017, losing to Jim Marpe, and then took the minority-party seat on the Board of Selectmen, as is customary under election law in Westport. 

“I was disappointed when I ran for first selectman, but it’s been an honor to serve the town.” she said. She declined to run for office again this year.

Kane said she understands why Democratic state Rep. Jonathan Steinberg, after losing his bid for first selectman in November to Republican Jennifer Tooker, decided to turn down the board’s minority-party seat and keep his legislative post.

Candice Savin, Steinberg’s running mate, was appointed in his place as third selectwoman. 

“I respect that it was his desire to focus on his state job, and we’re in very, very good hands with Candy,” Kane said. “It’s a shame that the process became a distraction, but we wound up in a very good place.”

Her reference to how “the process became a distraction” is a diplomatic nod to the fallout that followed Steinberg’s description of the post as a “third-wheel” when he declined to serve as a selectman.

“I’m disappointed that Jonathan Steinberg did not see it as an important role,” Marpe, the recently retired first selectman, said.

 All three seats on the board are important, Marpe said, with potential for doing good. During his term, Kane and Tooker, who was elected to succeed Marpe in the town’s top job, worked diligently, he said, to research and help prepare information on issues as they came before the board. 

“The role of all on the Board of Selectmen is what they want to make it to be in terms of their influence and involvement,” Marpe said.

Advocacy for gun safety, transit and pandemic community concerns

Marpe also praised Kane for her advocacy for stronger gun-control laws, noting they had testified jointly before the state legislature on gun-safety legislation. 

Kane was also key in Westport’s bus shelter initiative, culminating in the RTM’s recent approval of a $150,000 appropriation in American Rescue Plan Act funding to build four bus shelters along the Post Road.

Kane said she is also proud of other accomplishments during her term as third selectwoman, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Working to maintain good mental health in the community was one of her priorities, she said, including helping to start the “Hello Neighbor” program to assure that isolated people, such as older residents and those with special needs, were contacted by phone regularly to check on their well-being. 

Kane also worked on Westport Marketplace, a program to support local businesses during the lockdown by publishing a newsletter listing open businesses and the services they offered during the height of the pandemic.

Marpe predicted that Kane will be interested in political roles on the state and national level in the future. “She can be a very passionate and persuasive advocate for things she believes in,” he said.

“Melissa always demonstrated passion and commitment to her work in public service,” said Tooker, her former board colleague. “I appreciate her longstanding dedication to the town of Westport, both prior to, and during, her four-year tenure on the Board of Selectmen.”

 “Melissa has worked hard to represent the values of all Westporters, and as third selectwoman, she helped to express people’s concerns to the selectmen’s office and also to facilitate communication from the office to residents,” said Ellen Lautenberg, the chairwoman of the Democratic Town Committee.

“She always made sure that all viewpoints were considered. We are grateful for her service,” Lautenberg added.

Political involvement followed love of community

Kane moved to Westport in 2002 and quickly became part of the political and community scenes. She served on the Board of Trustees of The Westport Library and her children’s preschool, and attended town meetings regularly.

“I was lobbying for various purposes,” she said. She served as both chair and vice chair of the Westport Democratic Town Committee and worked on state gubernatorial campaigns, as well as campaigning for U.S. Rep. Jim Himes, the 4th Congressional District Democrat.

In Westport, she also worked on the Downtown Master Plan, Sustainable Westport, TEAM Westport and several Planning and Zoning committees, she said.

Although Kane grew up in Manhattan, she spent childhood summers in Westport, and that’s when her love for the town began. Now she wants to give back to Westport to help better the lives of town residents.

“Westport was a paradise for me,” she said. “I really love my community. I love Westport and I am deeply honored to play the role I have played so far … I hope to help Westport in any way that I am able.”