Date: Fri 09-Feb-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: KAAREN

Quick Words:

charter-revision-Cascella

Full Text:

Cascella Calls For More Power For The Selectmen

B Y K AAREN V ALENTA

Calling the Board of Selectmen "redundant," First Selectman Bob Cascella and

Selectman Jim Mooney urged the Charter Revision Commission this week to

recommend a "stong selectman/council" form of government.

Proposing what is more commonly known as a mayor/council form of government,

the two Republicans said the current town charter has taken the system of

checks and balances too far.

"It's incredibly hard and laborious to get anything done," Mr Cascella said.

"Ninety percent of the board's actions have to be taken up twice, first by the

selectmen, then by the council. Each time the charter is rewritten,

Legislative Council has acquired more and more power."

But the town isn't ready for a professional town manager, the selectmen said.

"I prefer a strong first selectman," Mr Mooney said. "The community elects

someone to be the chief executive officer - let him do the job. Council is the

the check and balance and the people will be the final judge at election time.

The selectmen had been invited by the Charter Revision Commission to offer

their suggestions on whether the charter should be changed. Democrat Selectman

Gary Fetzer did not attend Monday night's meeting but also agreed, during the

last election, that the Board of Selectmen should either be given more power

or eliminated.

Mr Cascella said the process of setting the annual town budget is much too

long and should be shortened, with public hearings held at the beginning of

the process. He recommended that if a budget is rejected by the voters, it

should go to another referendum within two weeks. If it is rejected three

times, the council should be authorized to set the budget at an amount no more

than what was rejected at the last referendum.

The charter should increase the limit of how much money can be transferred or

appropriated without holding a town meeting, he said. The current limit,

$25,000 for transfers and $50,000 for appropriations, is so small that it

"doesn't make sense," he said.

The position of town clerk should be appointed, rather than elected, like

other department heads, he recommended. And positions such as the staff of the

Cyrenius H. Booth Library should be under the responsibility of the first

selectmen because the town funds most of the salaries and pays the employee

benefits.

Mr Cascella said that if the commission decides to increase the terms of

office for elected officials to four years, there should be term limits.

Commission member Brandt Schneider asked Mr Cascella what he would do if he

had the opportunity to start from scratch to create a town government.

"There are too many departments (in Newtown)," Mr Cascella said. He

recommended merging administration and finance, and making the town clerk and

human services branches of this department. All land use agencies such as

conservation, planning and zoning, building, and sanitary health would be in

one department. Public works and parks & recreation should remain separate

departments, he said, but the park maintenance responsibilities would shift to

public works.

"You'd see a significant downsizing in staff and a downsizing in physical area

needed," Mr Cascella said. "Employees would be trained to help the public in a

variety of ways and the government would operate more like one-stop shopping."

Mr Mooney strongly recommended four-year terms for first selectman and council

and agreed with Mr Cascella in most other areas. He disagreed, however, in

letting council have the final voice in setting the budget, saying it is a

decision that should be made by the voters.

Mr Mooney also urged the commission to increase the size of the Board of

Education to nine or more members, elected at large, with a minimum

representation of at least three Republicans and three Democrats.

"We must make the school board responsive to the wishes of the people," he

said. "The school board controls more than 70 percent of the tax dollars spent

in town but there is no competition for board seats because they are filled by

the town committees (of each political party)."

Commission Chairman K. Michael Snyder read a letter from Richard Sturdevant,

former police commission chairman, who recommended that the Board of Selectmen

be retained and strengthened by being given the power to write ordinances. The

Legislative Council should be disbanded and reconstituted as a Board of

Finance, he said.

The (police department's) proposed alarm ordinance has been stalled in

Legislative Council for three years and that is not an isolated incident, Mr

Sturdevant said in his letter.

Public Hearing

A public hearing also was held by the Charter Revision Commission last

Thursday evening to solicit comments from residents. Only a handful of

residents and town officials came to the hearing but they voiced strong

opinions on how the charter should be changed.

State Rep Julia Wasserman, who lives on Walnut Tree Hill Road, said the town

needs a professional town manager along with the council and a selectman

board.

"There are a lot of complex issues to handle in running a town the size of

22,000 people," Mrs Wasserman said. "We pay (the first selectman) a good

salary - $62,000. The job requires a full-time professional with a degree in

perhaps public administration."

Mrs Wasserman also recommended that the power of writing ordinances should be

given to the Board of Selectmen while the council should remain a board of

finance and set the budget.

Town Clerk Cynthia Curtis said there should be an automatic referendum, rather

than a town meeting, for proposed spending over a specific dollar amount

because town meetings are so poorly attended. She also was strongly opposed to

making the town clerk an appointed position, saying it needs to remain

directly accountable to the voters.

Lillian Strickler of Tamarack Road said the Board of Education needs to be

more responsive to the taxpayers and provide more information. The charter

should require the use of empty public buildings, such as those at Fairfield

Hills, before any major spending is done to enlarge or build new ones, she

said.

David Zincavage of Currituck Road said the charter should be revised to

eliminate unionization of town employees, especially those in the police

department. There should be greater effort to control development in town and

more money should be put aside to purchase open space. The charter should be

revised to require a specific amount, such as 2« percent, be cut from the

budget each time it fails to pass a referendum, he said, and no further

referendums should be held after Memorial Day.

Dan Lasley of Valley View Road recommended strengthening the financial powers

of the Legislative Council and changing the makeup of the school board to

allow a bare majority of one political party.

Two members of Legislative Council, Democrat Jack Rosenthal and Republican

Gail Halapin, both agreed that the council should be elected at large because

the issues before the council affect the entire town. More candidates would be

encouraged to run if elected at large, they said.

Members of the Legislative Council have been invited to attend the next

Charter Revision Commission meeting set for 7:30 pm on Thursday, February 15,

in the old courtroom downstairs at Edmond Town Hall. A public participation

portion will precede the meeting. Copies of the town charter are available at

the town clerk's office.