Enfield Town Council Deadlocks on Committee Appointee [VIDEO]

ENFIELD, CT — A seemingly routine appointment to a school committee by the Enfield Town Council turned into a somewhat ugly exchange between partisan councilors and resulted in a deadlocked vote Tuesday night.

An opening for a vacant Republican seat on the John F. Kennedy Middle School pre-referendum Committee was expected by Mayor Scott Kaupin and his fellow Republicans to be filled by nominee Jason Walsh. However, as a motion was being made to close nominations, Democratic councilor Gina Cekala said she would like to nominate a different Republican, Gina Sullivan, for the seat.

Kaupin seemed incredulous at the unexpected turn of events, berating council Democrats for not honoring the choice of the party with the vacancy, as the Republicans did with the previous Democratic opening on that board.

"Now I'm starting to see nominations come from other councilors that fall out of how we've treated your openings on boards and commissions," Kaupin said. "We've interviewed Jason Walsh and feel he would make a great addition to the John F. Kennedy pre-referendum committee."

Cekala pointed out Sullivan served on the Enfield High School pre-referendum committee and building committee, and is a registered Republican.

Democratic councilor Liz Davis said Sullivan had applied to the opening, but Republicans sought another candidate due to "personal issues" with her despite her qualifications.

"Councilor Davis, I will say that you're starting to play a game, and you're going into an area that this council hasn't gone into," Kaupin said. "I supported your nomination to this council a hundred percent."

Kaupin chided Davis for failing to uphold an agreement supposedly made in council leadership that she would resign as Democratic town chair in exchange for approval to the council seat.

After Davis said she had recorded her interview with council Republicans, councilor Joe Bosco vehemently stated she should resign immediately.

In a party line vote, both Walsh and Sullivan received five votes each, with the five Republicans backing Walsh and the Democrats supporting Sullivan. Town Attorney Chris Bromson said the town charter states six affirmative votes must be cast to pass a motion.

The 11-member council is short a Republican due to the recent resignation of Greg Stokes, who won a seat as state representative. Republican councilor Carol Hall was also elected to the General Assembly, but has yet to officially resign from the council.

Democrat William "Red" Edgar brought up the fact the Republicans rejected a nominee for an open Democratic seat in the recent past. He did not specify the name, but in 2011, Tom Arnone was nominated by town Democrats to fill the seat left vacant when David Kiner was elected to the state House. Republicans, in a party line vote, rejected Arnone at that time, though he later won a seat during the regular election that fall.

Board of Education member Mike Ludwick was elected to fill Stokes' seat as the council's next item of business.

Kaupin sternly proclaimed his caucus will continue to nominate Walsh "at the next meeting, and then at the next meeting, until he's seated, and if it has to wait until we have a council of six Republicans and five Democrats, then it will wait, but it sounds pretty petty and pretty awful if that's how you want openings treated."

He also stated, "I think you guys are being totally unfair, and I'll remember it," concluding, "It will come up again, and I don't have a short memory."

Patch file photo

Video credit: Enfield Television via YouTube