Holding true to a commitment he made one year ago, Board of Finance Chairman James Gaston, Sr, opened the first meeting of December nominating Vice-Chair John Godin to take over the board's leadership role. The brief and unanimous votes that followed ahead of official meeting business resulted in Mr Godin and Mr Gaston switching leadership roles as chair and vice chair, respectively.

To recap: last year as a newly elected slate of finance board officials met for the first time, Mr Godin - the only incumbent member and a Republican - received three affirmative votes, including his own, supporting him to chair the panel. But Mr Gaston, a former Democratic selectman who previously served more than a decade as finance board vice chair, was also nominated and received three votes, including his own, to tie the proceedings along party lines.

After a brief break during that late 2015 session, it was Mr Godin who conceded by nominating and supporting Mr Gaston for the post, suggesting they revisit the issue a year later with the possibility of switching positions on the six-member board, which is split evenly along party lines. The year-one nomination was unanimously supported.

So as the board gathered for its December 12 meeting, Mr Gaston tendered the nomination of his Republican colleague. According to an audio transcript of the meeting, Mr Gaston said he was only interested in establishing a one-year term so he could support the four newly-elected members in establishing a foundation so they could best learn about and contribute in their roles as financial advisers to the community and its decisionmakers.

"I'm happy to say we have a thoughtful, civil, and well working board, which were among my objectives," he said. "I think we work together well, and it's a privilege to be part of it."

Mr Gaston said that including his finance post, he serves on six boards. In addition, he holds the highest ranking elected office of warden for the Borough of Newtown - a separate government entity that has taxation powers and some other responsibilities for a number of neighborhoods in the vicinity of Main and Queen Streets in the center of town.

In his day job as an attorney, Mr Gaston also admitted that his trial schedule "has never been busier."

"I'm more than confident that John will continue our board's good work, and I'm happy to nominate him," Mr Gaston said. "I think sharing the responsibility as chairperson is consistent with what the electors voted when they [endorsed] three candidates from each party."

Reached following the meeting, Mr Godin said that while each member comes to the finance board meeting with their own agendas, the six members do get along well and very few of their votes in the first year were not unanimous after all deliberation was said and done.

"I've also enjoyed working beside Jim as vice chair," he said.

In the coming year, Mr Godin will help shepherd finance officials through a new budget process, affirming a new pension policy, financial business in relation to new charter changes taking effect that eliminate town meeting authorization for capital project bonding, and a likely February review by the town's two bond rating agencies prior to another round of local elections in November.

First Selectman Pat Llodra, who was in attendance, said she greatly appreciated Mr Gaston's "thoughtful, thorough, and careful" presentation of the upcoming Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) to her board a few weeks prior. Mr Gaston and Mr Godin were both thanked for their leadership by their fellow board members before commencing with regular meeting business.