Democrats ‘Wanted a Closer Look’ at Charter Revision; Referendum Set for November

The town is divided on whether to move forward with a change that would eliminate Southington’s police and fire commissions, instead establishing an advisory board for each department and having the chiefs answer directly to the town manager, but ultimately that decision will now rest in the hands of the voters.

Members of the Southington Town Council voted along party lines Monday, 6-2, to approve the recommendation of the Charter Revision Commission, but not before a public hearing that lasted more than an hour and drew split opinions from 14 different speakers.

Dawn Miceli, a Democrat, was absent Monday due to work obligations.

For Democrats Chris Palmieri and John Barry, the decision seemed “premature” as both said they were concerned about a one-sided discussion on the change and requested further study from the commission.

“I’m not saying we should vote this down, but I do believe we should send it back (to the commission) so that we can get both sides of issue, not just one,” Palmieri said. “This approval sends the illusion that the town council supported it and ultimately must be good. We need to go back, get all the facts and make an informed decision.”

The criticism came on the heels of a decision made by the Charter Revision Commission earlier this month to approve a proposed change to the charter eliminating the commissions.

Fire Commissioner Michael Bunko, who attended each of the charter revision meetings, spoke Monday saying that the revision commission “did not do their due diligence” before suggesting the change to the charter.

He said commissioners looked only at two communities without reaching out to hear from other towns with separate commissions in place, without speaking to the department chiefs and without speaking to the commissioners now serving. He said the work also did not prove any need for a change.

“This is not comparing apples to apples,” Bunko said. “What is incredibly important is who they didn’t hear from. They didn’t hear from any manager who has council-manager form of government with separate commissions. The town manager and town attorney were directed to draft language for a charter change before they heard from anybody.”

“There is no empirical evidence whatsoever. None,” he told the Council. “If they gathered all the data to make informed decision, I would be no reason to address you tonight.”

Others including Sharon O’Brien, a current member of the police commission, Charter Revision Commission member Dennis Conroy and former councilman Anthony D’Angelo all echoed Bunko’s thoughts and suggested the Charter Revision Commission look deeper into the matter.

Resident Bill Knoegel, a member of the previous Charter Revision Commission, added that he does not believe the changes proposed would have any positive affect on regionalization or centralization of government, instead creating issues by placing too much power in the hands of one man.

There was plenty of support for the measure, however, as Charter Revision Commission Chairman Brian Callahan led a group of seven local residents who spoke in favor of the change.

Callahan said the change is designed to mimic a business, with the town manager serving as CEO and the Town Council acting as the Board of Directors. He said the change would not take control out of the hands of the voters as they would have direct insight in electing council members.

He added that the change was considered because the boards of police and fire commissioners are not elected now and often times, the seats are seen as a reward for loyalty. Removing the power and having the chiefs both answer to a professional would help take politics out of the equation, he said.

“I applaud the Republicans on the council for thinking outside the box and restructuring town government,” he said.

Mary Baker, who previously expressed some concerns regarding the matter, said she believes that this is the best decision for the community. She called the effort “progressive” and said it helps streamline and consolidate the government process.

Council members also defended the decision to move forward without interviewing like governments, saying that the town is well aware of how the process works now and there is no need to talk to others. Republican Peter Romano said that this is not something being taken lightly and the council is asking the voters to make a final change.

“Governance needs to be overhauled. It needs to be looked at regularly,” Councilman Al Natelli said. “For me, this is a change for future and that’s what I live with when I make this decision.”

The proposed charter change now goes to referendum in November where voters will have the final say.

TELL US: How will you vote on the issue? Is it time for a change? Is this the right change? Let us know in the comments section below.

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