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11/10/2021 07:30 AMDon’t let Dylan Stella’s youth fool you. This dedicated college student just won a seat on the Zoning Board of Appeals as an alternate, and that win is just part of his goal to give back to his home town.
Dylan is not only the newly elected alternate for the town’s Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA), but as far as anyone can tell, he is the youngest elected official in Madison’s history and one of the youngest in the state. But that honor doesn’t mean much to Dylan, who can’t wait to dive into the responsibilities of the new position.
“It was really exciting, I really didn’t think I was going to get so many votes,” says Dylan.
As a write-in candidate, Dylan received 86 votes, which doesn’t sound like many, but is actually a large number for a write-in candidate.
“I don’t know 86 people, so that was a surprise,” says Dylan with a laugh.
Dylan accomplished this remarkable feat all while going to school at Quinnipiac University, where he is studying political science with an eye on a law degree. In fact, he went to bed on election night not knowing the results because he had to get up early for classes.
Dylan says his experience in Madison public schools actually inspired him to run. According to Dylan, he wanted to give back and cited a former teacher in particular as a source of confidence and support.
“That is one of the reasons I decided to run because I really appreciated all of my teachers and the amount of support the community gave me,” says Dylan. “I really wanted to give back to the community because of that experience. My social studies teacher in school was Mr. [Martin] Glasser and he really sparked my interest in history and politics and I have always appreciated that.”
Dylan said that he has always been interested in politics and statistics from a young age. He also became interested in local issues and elections and decided to run when he turned 18 earlier this year.
“I am very number minded and interested in statistics. I’ve always been interested in elections and the numbers,” says Dylan. “When I saw that the alternate seat was vacant, it seemed a perfect opportunity to serve my town and kind of live one of my dreams. Most kids don’t dream of being on the Zoning Board of Appeals, but I guess I’m a little strange.”
Dylan says he did a lot of research on his own during his campaign, including studying ordinances and laws to help prepare him for the duties he’s taken on. Though an alternate, he said statistically he will probably be seated on the ZBA at least twice a year.
Dylan’s advocacy for his community is a rare quality that is getting rarer. Across the shoreline, a number of alternates for board positions are going unfilled and even actual member positions in some communities remain vacant.
“If any service-minded people want to serve, they should check to see if there are open positions in their communities, because there is a good chance there is,” says Dylan.
Dylan says, despite what some might think is a rather mundane aspect of town government, he was attracted to zoning issues because of how important they can be to residents. The Planning & Zoning Commission is the body that drafts and enforces zoning ordinances, and according to Dylan the ZBA is a quasi-traditional body rather than a legislative one that allows for residents to appeal zoning decisions. The ZBA offers an alternate forum to get questions answered and have the sometimes complex property issues interpreted for the public.
“Zoning can very heated sometimes. Often the people who are affected are the most vocal and the ones that show up to meeting,” says Dylan. “That is one of my campaign themes is to bring balance and fairness to the board and consider all of the stakeholders, not just the angriest.
“Most of what the ZBA does, 95 percent, is variances. I’ve done a lot of research on state law as to variances,” he adds. “I didn’t just do this for a title. I really want to help the community. Zoning ordinances themselves can’t account for every particularity for each and every property so you need a ZBA to fill in the gaps where the laws don’t seamlessly apply.”
Dylan says he takes his new position very seriously and that ethics are a critical component of how he wants to approach his tenure. According to Dylan, remaining non-biased is also a motivating factor for him, especially in a small town where decisions can affect neighbors and friends.
“You can’t decide cases on social media. I have to remain impartial. That is the only way to do it,” says Dylan. “I want to be able to participate and to ask questions, not just sit in the background. I want to be able contribute to the process and I want to contribute substantively. I plan to do a lot of work. I plan to spend hours reviewing applications and bring a lot of dedication to this. I actually want to do the work and know everything I can about it.”
Dylan stresses that he also wants to be an official who is transparent and reachable for all residents.
“I also promise to be very accessible to constituents. That is important to me. Residents can go to dylanforzba.com to contact me. I just want to create a model for public service where people are more accountable and more accessible to their community,” says Dylan.
When asked if he is considering this win as a first step into town politics, Dylan says he isn’t quite sure, but wants to continue public service.
“I don’t know if I have the skill that some politicians have,” he said. “I can stutter sometimes, if I get flustered, but I mean, yeah, I certainly can see myself running for something else. Maybe I can be first selectman one day. We’ll have to see.”