Despite Objections, Rochman

Creates New Council Committees

By Steve Bigham

Four new subcommittees of the Legislative Council were established Wednesday night to take on several important issues currently facing the town. The committees were formed despite numerous objections from members of the council.

Some council members, feeling strongly that the committees are out of bounds, refused to serve on them. The creation of the committees underscored the emergence of divergent philosophies among members of the council

The four committees are the brainchild of council chairman Pierre Rochman, who is empowered to create as many committees as he sees fit under the town charter. The four new committees are:

The ad-hoc committee on Fairfield Hills

The ad hoc committee on capital projects

The ad hoc committee on charter revision

The ad hoc committee on council rules

Much of this week’s discussion centered on Mr Rochman’s proposal for a Fairfield Hills subcommittee. Under the chairman’s plan, this board would be charged with recommending a process for the council to develop a master plan for Fairfield Hills should the town opt to buy the 185-acre state-owned property. This group would also help the council determine the kind of development authority it would create to oversee the development of the land.

But First Selectman Herb Rosenthal and other council members were critical of the plan. First, according to the first selectman, such a board would supercede the executive branch of the town government. The Board of Selectmen has still not made a recommendation to the council of its preferences for  Fairfield Hills, Mr Rosenthal said.

Council member Tim Holian said he has never heard of such a committee serving the council in the past and doubted its legality under the charter.

Council members Brian White and Joe Borst wondered if Mr Rochman’s proposed committee would simply be repeating what the Fairfield Hills advisory committee has already done.

“We’ve got committees coming out our nose,” Mr White said. “Let’s buy it and develop guidelines here on how on how we want this authority to operate.”

Council member Will Rodgers warned Mr Rochman that the formation of this committee was traveling down a “very slippery slope.” And, said Mr Rodgers, the committee would be made up of council members with an anti-corporate sentiment. Mr Rochman has proposed the ad hoc committee consist of council members Douglas Brennan, Ruby Johnson, Melissa Pilchard (chairman), Brian White, and Donald Studley.

“The personnel needs some work,” Mr Rodgers said.

Council member John Kortze commended Mr Rochman for his effort, but said, “It seems like a lot more above and beyond.”

But Mr Rochman said the committee would allow the council to plan ahead rather than always forcing it to react. “People will want to know what they’re voting for in that $45 million package later this year,” Mr Rochman said. “We could say it’s for schools, Fairfield Hills, and municipal space. We could do that or we could take the lead and say this is the council’s vision. We need to take the lead. We need to take charge.”

Mr Borst agreed. However, he proposed instead creating an ordinance that establishes an authority to do that.

Both Mr Brennan and Mrs Johnson supported Mr Rochman’s plan, saying it helps the council better manage the process. There is still no consensus on what type of authority we want governing the property, Mr Brennan said.

Council member Donald Studley also found some merit in the formation of such a committee to ensure that the council has all the facts before making any major decisions. He believes the council did a “terrible” job on the budget because it did not study the budget well enough before coming together as a group.

Despite objections, the Fairfield Hills subcommittee is now in place.

“This committee is now in existence based on everybody’s input?” questioned Mr Kortze.

“Yes,” Mr Rochman replied.

Capital Projects          Committee

Mr Rochman said he created the Capital Projects Committee to allow the council some input into the management of major capital projects.

“Large capital projects, be they municipal or school, have in the past been funded by the Legislative Council and managed by others,” he said. “The council has no input into the method of managing the financial aspect of the project. How can we establish a better process to ensure better accountability? Who should be in charge of a project? Can we get better reporting and control over money?”

Mr Rochman believes a committee can answer these questions and created a committee of Douglas Brennan (chairman), Joe Borst, Tim Holian, and John Kortze to study it. However, both Mr Holian and Mr Kortze declined to serve on it. Mr Holian said the actual management of a capital project does not fall under the purview of the council. Mr Rosenthal agreed, suggesting Mr Rochman take a closer look at the town charter.

Mr Kortze declined to serve simply for lack of time.

The committee on Charter Revision will be made up of Joe Borst (chairman), Peggy Baiad, Pierre Rochman, and Dan Rosenthal. The committee on council rules will consist of Brian White (chairman), Will Rodgers, Melissa Pilchard, and Pierre Rochman.