Appointment Criteria Set—

Selectmen Call

For Volunteers

By John Voket

With the agreement on a policy to advertise and fill open board and commission seats in place, and the first wave of new appointments made, the Board of Selectmen has announced the balance of available positions and called for volunteers to consider filling them.

During the final selectmen’s meeting of the year, the panel agreed that vacant positions would be filled by a person who has the same party affiliation as the previous office-holder, or who is registered as an unaffiliated voter.

That new appointment is in effect for the duration of an unexpired term, and the selectmen should act on such appointments within 45 days of that position becoming vacant. Notices of any vacancies on appointed boards/commissions are expected to be sent to the town clerk and copied to the office of the first selectman.

The office of the first selectman will then notify the political party candidates’ committee chair of the vacancy. The political party representative will submit information to The Newtown Bee inviting interested and eligible persons to apply for the position.

Currently, selectmen are facing the need to fill 27 open positions. An open position on an appointed board/commission is one which is available for a complete term and which has not been filled for any portion of that term.

Statutory minority representation rules apply in regard to open positions on appointive municipal boards/commissions.

First Selectman Pat Llodra said for purposes of appointment, a candidate must declare his/her party “membership” in order that the position held by that person, if appointed, may be so identified. The party label on the position becomes relevant should that position become vacant and selectmen are expected to select a replacement.

Mrs Llodra notified The Bee that she has been asked to aggressively seek candidates for the Parks and Recreation, Public Building and Site, Conservation, and Inland Wetlands Commissions, as well as the Board of Ethics. Currently volunteers of any political affiliation — Democrat, Republican or Independent Party of Newtown — or unaffiliated are needed to fill the following open positions:

Sustainable Energy Commission (6)

Building Appeals Board (3)

Cultural Arts Commission (3)

Commission on Aging (2)

Design Review Board (2)

Board of Ethics (2)

Hattertown Historic District (2)

Public Building and Site alternates (2)

Constables (1)

Inland Wetlands Commission (1)

Lake Lillinonah Authority (1)

Lake Zoar Authority (1)

Parks and Recreation Commission (1)

There are also eight openings created by vacancies — positions opened due to the existing term not being fulfilled.

Republican or unaffiliated voters can seek a seat on the, Inland Wetlands, Conservation and Hattertown Historic District Commissions, and the Lake Lillinonah Authority. Democrats or unaffiliated voters can seek an open seat on the Board of Ethics, the Water and Sewer Authority, the Public Building and Site Commission, and the Cyrenius H. Booth Library Board of Trustees.

Unaffiliated voters interested in any position can contact the first selectman’s office at 203-270-4201 for details.