Barkhamsted First Selectman
Donald Stein to Chair CRRA

Appointed by Gov. Malloy to Succeed Michael Pace; Needs Legislative Approval

HARTFORD, Conn.—Donald S. Stein, first selectman of Barkhamsted, has been appointed chairman of the Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy.

If approved by the General Assembly, Stein, 65, would succeed Michael A. Pace, who stepped down as chairman last November. Pace had chaired CRRA since June 2002, leading a new board created by a sweeping restructuring of the authority earlier that year.

“Today, managing Connecticut’s solid waste brings with it a number of challenges,” Stein said. “I’m looking forward to continuing CRRA’s leadership in meeting those challenges.”

Malloy sent Stein’s appointment to the legislature’s Executive & Legislative Nominations Committee on March 28. The committee will hold a hearing on Stein’s appointment on Tuesday, April 3, and both houses of the legislature must act on the appointment before adjourning on May 9.

If confirmed, Stein would lead an organization that serves 95 cities and towns—more than 2 million people in all—through its Southwest Division, Southeast Project and Mid-Connecticut Project. CRRA was created in 1973 to facilitate the closure of landfills, and as a result Connecticut will soon become the first state with no active solid-waste landfills.

CRRA recycling towns have enjoyed unmatched improvement since CRRA introduced single-stream recycling in 2008. Mid-Connecticut towns have seen five straight yearly increases in recycling tonnage, and are headed for a sixth, while Southwest Division towns, which switched to single-stream last summer, have seen a 23-percent year-over-year increase in their recycling tonnages. All this comes at a time when recycling rates for the state as a whole are stagnant.

“We’re looking forward to Don’s leadership in fulfilling CRRA’s mission, which is to provide innovative, environmentally sound and cost-effective solutions to the solid-waste needs of the people of Connecticut,” said Thomas D. Kirk, CRRA president.

Barkhamsted voters elected Stein in 2007. He ran unopposed in 2009 and 2011. He was appointed to the CRRA board in 2011 by Senate Republican Leader John McKinney. A native of New York, he has lived in Barkhamsted since 1975.

Stein holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering from Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., and worked for United Technologies Corporation for 37 years before retiring in 2006. In the latter part of his career he was responsible for strategic planning, business development and project management for UTC’s Hamilton Sundstrand division in Windsor Locks.

The Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority is a quasi-public agency whose mission is to work for – and in – the best interests of the municipalities of the state of Connecticut. CRRA’s board of directors and management team develop and implement environmentally sound solutions and best practices for solid waste disposal and recycling management on behalf of municipalities. CRRA serves 95 Connecticut cities and towns. CRRA also runs award-winning sustainability education programs through the Trash Museum in Hartford. Computer users can also discuss CRRA at its blog.

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