What Does A First Selectman Do?

Ask the average person on the street what a first selectman does and you get answers varying from "I don't know," "not much," to "running the town 24/7."

Few have a real concept of the legal requirements or the actual duties that vie for the chief executive's time. Of course, regardless of which town we are talking about, or which political party the first selectman belongs to, most think they could do a better job.

So let's take a closer look at the facts and the realities.

First, let's see how the town charter defines the position:

The First Selectman shall serve full time and shall be the Chief Executive and Administrative Officer of the Town. The First Selectman shall have the powers, duties, and responsibilities conferred upon that Office by the General Statutes, as amended, and by this Charter, shall be the official head of the Town for all ceremonial or military purposes

Notice that it says, FULL TIME, not part time. Setting aside a terrorist attack or war, which would call for the military function, the ceremonial function doesn't seem too onerous. It does include officiating at functions such as the Memorial Day Parade and wreath laying at various cemeteries, National Prayer Day and so on. Not difficult, but time consuming. On the other hand, though it doesn't appear in the charter, in the case of a serious emergency, under new rules from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the top town officials must be trained, tested and certified to at least national Incident Management System (NIMS) level 700. I know the current first selectman is certified as we both completed our training during the same time period.

Next the charter requires:

The First Selectman or such other Selectmen as he may appoint shall be an ex-officio member of all Boards, Commissions, Agencies, Committees and Authorities including the Board of Education and the Board of Finance, but without the power to vote. Note: Ex Offficio means because of the office he/she holds. This means the first selectman is a member of each of the forty two entities (approximately 246 citizens) that run the town and all of its functions. This translates to more time that must be spent to stay on top of these agencies and their activities.

Next:

The First Selectman shall execute or cause to be executed the ordinances, regulations, resolutions or policies voted by the Board of Selectmen of the Town Meeting, and shall guide the Board in the discharge of its duties and responsibilities. Every document, contract ordinance or rule change must pass his/her desk for approval and signature. Further, as noted above, he or she serves as a guide to the Board of Selectmen. In other words, not only is the first selectman the Chairman of the Board of Selectmen at their meeting, but provides them guidance in the fulfilling of their duties.

In addition:

The First Selectman shall be responsible for coordinating the administrative activities of the Officers, Boards, Commissions and Agencies of the Town. More homework, consultation with staff reviews, decisions and approvals required.

Responsibilities:

The First Selectman shall be responsible for a continuous review of current and future needs of the Town, including the fiscal needs and budget requirements. As we know, budget review is a time consuming tedious operation which is required in order for the first selectman to recommend and/or approve the financial plan for each fiscal year. (Yes there is a financial manager to assist, but the review is still necessary to meet the goals set by the first selectman and Board of Finance, especially in these trying financial times.)

Here would also be a good place to point out that although not specifically mentioned in the charter, getting grants to offset the cost of needed town projects is a pursuit all first selectmen are engaged in. Over the past five years of First Selectman Fritz's presence the record shows the following grants have been obtained:

1. 2007 STEAP Grant – Marina Bulkheads - $500,000
2. School Security Grants (Joel, Eliot and Morgan) -Three totaling $1,000,000 for Cameras, electronic locks, etc.
3. Police Firing Range Safecon Block Construction - $90,000
4. Homeland Security Emergency Generator for the Eliot School - $65,000       
5. 2009 STEAP Grant – Town Beach & Town Marina - $200,000
6. Morgan School Solar Grant - $64,316
7. CT Clean Energy Fund - Morgan solar $450,000
8. 2010 STEAP Grant – Bulkheads (in town at police, fire and parking lot locations) -  $250,000
9. STEAP – Senior Housing - $360,000 Originally under prior administration for water supply at another site. Now reassigned to current Senior Housing repair and modernization.
10. Shellfish - $29,500
11. Housing Rehabilitation Grant - $600,000 -  Two at $300,000 for assistance to citizens under the 60% of median income range for needed repairs, etc.
12. Drug Free Communities Grant - $125,000
13. Wastewater Facilities Plan/Clean Water Fund $308,000
14. Partnership for Success Grant - $320,000

*Note: Does not include grants researched and brought forward by the Youth and Family Services Bureau, the Police Department DUI monies or other agency contributions.

The First Selectman shall contract for all services and the purchases of supplies, equipment, and other commodities required by any Town agency except the Board of Education, under the competitive bidding provisions of this Charter. Self explanatory. More claims on the first selectman's time.

The next charter requirement may be the most difficult and time consuming. The First Selectman shall be responsible for the administrative and personnel policies for the Town officers and employees as provided by this Charter and shall direct and supervise the performance of duties of said employees. A well known management maxim is that twenty percent of the people cause eighty percent of the problems and another is that eighty percent of your time will be spent on people problems. These issues, though time consuming, are dealt with out of the public view. This is not to hide the issues, but to protect the privacy of the individuals. It is also legally required when it is a personnel matter. Since there are more than 100 town employees, not counting the Board of Education, if only five percent have a problem that needs attention on any given day and only ten minutes are spent on each one, that's nearly an hour taken out of the day, or 12 1/2 percent of his/her usable time.

In spite of my six years of up close and personal observation while on the Board of Selectmen, I still needed a better understanding of the first selectman's daily grind for this article. In order to do that, in addition to my research, I recently spent a day "shadowing" our current First Selectman, Willie Fritz. In part two (to be published July 27) you will read about the day and the answers to the regular four question I always ask:

            What is the most difficult part of the job?

            What is the most frustrating part of the job?

            What is the best part of the job?

            What would you change, if you could?

Until next time

Arthur Isaacson