The Charter Revision Commission decided its draft report requires no changes after a public hearing and meeting at Town Hall Wednesday, April 13. The first selectman serving as chairman of the Board of Finance highlighted most of a three-hour meeting. Board of Finance member Colleen Baldwin said, “We [Finance] agree that a focus on continuous improving with quality control and checks and balances is invaluable.”
“We would like to ask the Town Council during its review of the Charter Revision Commission recommendation for an independent chair of the board of finance to request additional information and specific examples to support why the recommendation will indeed achieve these goals,” Baldwin said.
Baldwin was the only Finance member who spoke about Finance issues during the public hearing section of the session. Baldwin was not present when seven members of Finance, including First Selectman Rob Mallozzi III, each gave their input on the first selectman as chairman of its board at the March 31 Charter Revision meeting.
[Related: First Selectman, Finance members make case for a re-vote]
Members of the CRC have said that they are concerned with setting up what they envision to be a proper checks and balances of the Board of Finance, and the first selectman in particular.
Later in the April 13 meeting, Baldwin said there already are checks and balances in place, “We all have liaison roles for every department.”
Baldwin gave an example of her and Finance member Neil Budnick’s role in the library’s budget.
“Before the library budget, in its first stage, gets presented to the selectman’s office, Neil and I would have had several meetings with the library putting that budget together.”
“You have to get through Neil and I and make your case before you even get to the selectman’s office,” said Baldwin, “By the time it gets to Rob [Mallozzi], first selectman, it’s been picked over in its first draft.”
Finance member Amy Murphy Carroll said later in the meeting that she is taking a look at the chairmanship of the Board of Finance from a practical stand point.
“Who has the time to be taking on this chairmanship?” said Carroll, “There’s so much work that has to be done with the people in the selectman’s office.”
“To have the chairmanship you really have to be very involved with the day to day of the Town,” Baldwin said.
The CRC reached a consensus before the meeting was over to stick with their recommendation to change the charter so that the first selectman would no longer be permitted to serve as Finance chairman.
A majority of the interviews regarding the Board of Finance issues were held by Dave Hunt and Penny Young. Notes from meetings with former and current members of Town government are now available at newcanaan.info.
Public input
Aside from Baldwin, other members of the public spoke during the public hearing portion of the CRC’s April 13 session. Among the speakers was Selectman Beth Jones, who served on Town Council for four years.
Regarding the addition of commissions and committees to the Town Charter, Jones said, “Very often things change more rapidly than the 10-year charter review period.”
Jones said it’s “much better left to the process of ordinance committee than putting it into the charter where you don’t allow the flexibility offered by ordinance.”
Charter Revision Commission members are five Republicans: Penny Young, Rich Townsend, Kate Hurlock, Russell Kimes, and Chairman Dave Hunt; and four Democrats: Michael Franco, Kathleen Corbet, Kit Devereaux, and Sally Hines.
CLICK HERE for more on the Charter Revision Commission.
Charter Revision Commission members, left, Sally Hines, Rich Townsend, Michael Franco, Russell Kimes, Penny Young, Chairman Dave Hunt, Town Attorney Ira Bloom, Kathleen Corbet, Kate Hurlock at the April 13 meeting. —Rich Durazzo, Jr. photo
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