Brookfield Zoning Commission Chairman Sets Record Straight Amidst Resignation Rumors

At last week’s Zoning Commission meeting tensions were high and the Chairman admitted to Patch that he lost his temper. However, he did not do it during the meeting, he says.

Ryan Blessey, Chairman of the Brookfield Zoning Commission, told Patch that a representative from Aquarion Water Company came to request approval for a pump station and that Zoning Enforcement Officer Mara Frankel was unnecessarily grilling him.

“She is very abrasive and treats applicants like they’re criminals,” Blessey said. “I try to be fair and honest and she treats the applicants like they’re doing something wrong before they’ve even done anything.”

Blessey said he “called her out” after the meeting was adjourned, but the audio tape was still recording. That is the part that was cut from public record. Click here to watch the video.

Brookfield resident Mark Ferry, who was reportedly seeking a spot on the Brookfield GOP, wrote on his blog:

“I had the misfortune of attending the zoning board meeting on November 12, 2015, which ended with the glorious implosion and verbal resignation of current Chairman Ryan Blessey, unfortunately at the expense of Ms. Frankel. The display by Mr. Blessey outlined exactly why Brookfield needed a change.”

While Ferry is advocating for Frankel to take over, Blessey, a Republican, said he did not resign. “If someone resigns the party will use a vacancy committee to decide who will fill the spot. I did not quit. In order to resign I’d have to write a letter of resignation and send it to the Town Clerk.”

The Brookfield Town Clerk’s office confirmed this. “A special letter would need to be sent to the Town Clerk and the committee they belong to in order for them to resign,” a Brookfield representative stated.

It was also said on a Brookfield Facebook page that Blessey was “under the influence” at the meeting when he yelled at Frankel, but he said that was not the case.

Ferry was at the meeting and wrote on his blog, “Unfortunately that doesn’t excuse his behavior at the Zoning Commission meeting on Nov.12, where he embarrassed himself, the board, the town and quite intentionally, Zoning Board Commission member Mara Frankel.”

Blessey said that he will attend Thursday’s Zoning Commission meeting this Thursday, business as usual. His passion for sticking with his position stems from “spending four-and-a-half years to put regulations in place to make it easier for businesses to come to Brookfield,” he said.