Charter Revision Commission Meeting August 1, 2016

Charter Revision Commission Meeting August 1, 2016

Now that we are in the final stretch of developing a Charter with a Town Manager, the Charter Revision Commission should not skew the document so that it will fail.

The dialogs of some of the members of this commission were disconcerting.

Melissa Osborne attended most of the meetings and as an attorney should have known what she was voting for. Since she was one of the members who is vehemently opposed to a Town Manager, she is trying to make a last minute attempt to change the minds of the majority who voted for a Town Manager.

Chairman Hadley Rose is one of the minority votes and is against a Town Manager form of government. Hadley Rose does not have to accept my comments about First Selectman Lisa Heavner being a prime example of a “soccer mom” with no experience or training in public policy. I stand behind my comments and Hadley Rose can continue to disagree.

I take exception to Paul Henault’s comments about the credentials of the Republican candidate for First Selectman in the 2015 election. The candidate lived in town for about a year, joined the Navy from High School, took several courses in Public Administration, did not find time to vote for the town budget and was placed as a candidate for a political position. This candidate that Paul Henault has championed as a stellar candidate is laughable and another reason for having a professional Town Manager.

I challenge the insertion of a paid position for the First Selectman. Canton has a population of10, 345 and Simsbury has a population of 23, 975. Simsbury is a larger more diverse population than Canton, so why use Canton as a example for a paid political First Selectman?

This Charter reflects a professional Town Manager as the CEO for Simsbury, not a hybrid like Canton. Most residents in Simsbury are concerned about the costs of managing the government. By placing the salary for a First Selectman in a political position with no authority goes against the long history of Simsbury having a paid First Selectman as the CEO and having all the Selectmen and Deputy First Selectman unpaid. Residents from both parties volunteered to serve in an unpaid position on the Board of Selectmen. First Selectman Lisa Heavner served on the Board of Selectmen for years without a salary. Then she became an unpaid Deputy First Selectman. After another election a Republican won the unpaid position of Deputy First Selectman and Lisa Heavner served as an unpaid Selectman. After the Glassman debacle and her resignation as First Selectman, Lisa Heavner was appointed as First Selectman in a paid position as the CEO. Presently, Chris Kelly is in the unpaid position of Deputy First Selectman. The scenario I provided shows that people will serve the community in an unpaid position. Placing a salary for the First Selectman in this Charter could be a deal breaker since salaries are a prime concern for residents.

Avon, Farmington and West Hartford have a Town Manager and the Chairman of the Council is unpaid and people come forward for that position.

I urge this Commission to remove a salary for the First Selectman position and continue in the long-standing position that members of the Board of Selectmen are unpaid. The Town Manager’s salary will be decided under contract according to ability, education and experience.

The salary of the Town Manager will probably not increase the overhead expenses in the Selectman’s Office and the Town will be professionally managed with much lower risks to the taxpayers.

It appears that the Commissioners who voted against a Town Manager for Simsbury are trying to place conditions that are unsustainable and could be a deal breaker for a Town Manager.

I would urge the Commissioners who voted for a Town Manager by a 7-4 majority to stand their ground and remove the deal breaker with a paid position under a political First Selectman in the Charter.

All of my comments will be posted on Simsbury Patch, Twitter@joan coe, News Feed on Facebook and Simsbury Forum/Topix.

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