Residents Take Issue With Aquarion Hearing Minutes

"It's hard to believe this is the official record of the meetings I attended," said Cynthia McCorkindale, who spoke at the July 16 public hearing. "It's one thing to portray neutrality, but the way these meeting were represented were more like a garden party than the four-hour, emotionally charged hearings I attended."

Other residents said they were misquoted or their statements were "heavily edited."

After public comment, selectmen approved the minutes by a 2-1 vote. First Selectman Matt Knickerbocker voted to approve the minutes, written by recording secretary Wendy Smith.

"It has been Bethel's practice for many years, in fact decades, to distill comments into a very short summation, including answering questions," he told residents.

Knickerbocker told Patch many public meetings had been emotional in the past, which minutes sometimes do not reflect. He added there would be no way to capture every word without hiring a stenographer.

During Tuesday's meeting, town attorney Martin Lawlor recommended switching to minutes that contained only names of people who spoke, which Knickerbocker said could be an option.

"If its going to be summarized, it's going to be subjective, no matter how hard you try," Knickerbocker told Patch. "You have a choice. You either hire a court recorder who writes down every word, you try to summarize as best you can or you record names and the fact that they spoke."

Knickerbocker said the latter is common practice for some neighboring towns, adding, "It's something we might want to consider in the future."

Selectman Paul Szatkowski, who opposed approving the minutes, said he'd heard complaints from many residents.

"It's bothersome to me because this is the tenor of that meeting," he said. "Minutes should represent what is being spoken at a meeting. I'm concerned -- is this a true reflection of what was said at the meeting?"

Some residents said their main arguments were left out entirely, or that they didn't remember making the statements recorded in the minutes.

"This did not portray what I was talking about, what it says here," said resident Frank Islip. "This is a sham ... This is poor at best."

Knickerbocker invited residents who felt they weren't quoted accurately to submit statements in writing. Before the end of the meeting, McCorkindale submitted a document with what she said were corrected quotes to the board.

Want to read the minutes for yourself? They're available online at the town of Bethel's website.

Note: the July 16 public hearing is distinct from the July 9 town meeting.