Capeci, Jacob Elected To Lead Council,

Discussion On Committees Dominates

By John Voket

The Independent Party of Newtown’s incumbent member, Gary Davis, initiated the first piece of business under the town’s newly elected Legislative Council Wednesday evening, by nominating Republican Jeff Capeci to the chairmanship.

And just a few minutes later, Mr Davis wrapped up the process of seating leadership by declining a nomination for vice chairmanship that his freshman IPN colleague Kevin Fitzgerald tendered, acquiescing to the competing nomination of Republican Mary Ann Jacob.

Thus began a two-year stint for Newtown’s lead legislative body, which held its first meeting since four incumbents and eight newcomers won seats in the local election one month and one day earlier. After receiving final unanimous endorsement among their council peers, Mr Capeci and Ms Jacob took their seats at the center of the head table and settled in to handle a few pieces of housekeeping business before moving into the short agenda items.

Mr Capeci announced that a noise ordinance that was approved by the previous council received final approval by the state Department of Environmental Protection, and would go into effect on December 11. And Mr Davis reported that the council’s communications subcommittee is planning to meet December 18 to continue crafting a policy tied to the public broadcasting of town meetings via the Educational Access cable Channel 17.

Mr Capeci solicited requests by members regarding which council committees and subcommittees they might want to serve. Every council member is expected to serve on either the Finance or Ordinance Committee, and Mr Capeci said he will assign members to the minor committees: Administration, Education, Public Safety, and Public Works/Recreation.

The new chairman said he will also consider continuing the communications subcommittee and an ad-hoc Facilities Committee that was looking into the possibility of merging town and school facilities management, along with several other initiatives.

Mr Davis suggested folding any continuing work resulting from the ad-hoc Facilities Committee’s recent report to the previous council under the Public Works Committee purview in order to expedite the recommendations of the ad-hoc group.

Ms Jacob asked if there was any definition of the responsibilities of the committees, and Mr Capeci said that the Newtown Code Book only contains the names of the panels, but little or no definition as to their respective duties.

Mr Davis said he sees the roles of the committees changing under the current council, and agreed with Mr Capeci that the scope and direction of each committee to some degree would have to be defined by its chair and members once appointments to those panels are completed.

Councilman John Aurelia made the point that the Public Works Committee had previously handled issues narrowly related to the Public Works Department budget and landfill operations, while continuation of an ad-hoc Facilities Committee would permit a much broader scope of continuing research and recommendations.

The First Selectman Reports

Former councilwoman and newly elected First Selectman Pat Llodra made her first report to the council, reviewing five items that she said might come up from constituents. She laid to rest rumors that the Army was continuing to pursue the development of a training and maintenance facility in town, as well as any concern that state budget cuts might either result in the closure of the Garner Correctional Center, or the addition of more inmates at the local facility.

Mrs Llodra implored council members to remain astute and engaged relating to the Housatonic Railroad’s attempt to expand a waste handling operation in Hawleyville as a deadline for permitting by the local Inlands Wetlands Commission nears.

The first selectman issued a proposed timeline for budget deliberations, and told council members that Finance Director Robert Tait was planning an orientation session to help the council understand some of the new forms and formulas he is instituting as part of the 2010-2011 budget process.

Mrs Llodra also confirmed that her new board planned to take up a review of town-side Capital Improvement Plan recommendations over the course of its first three meetings going into January, so selectmen could return a revised or endorsed spending plan to the Board of Finance by its first January meeting.

Moving to the agenda items, Ms Jacob made a motion to send a set of CIP process proposals carried over from the former council to the Finance Committee, once it is seated. But after some discussion, the motion was withdrawn when Ms Jacob learned that there might be conflicts between CIP regulations in the town code and a CIP ordinance.

Discussion then turned to whether the ad-hoc Facilities Committee recommendations should be carried forward under a new council ad-hoc group, or if aspects of the recommendations should be parceled out among the standing committees.

Councilman George Ferguson said he felt the ideas posed by the former facilities committee should be carried forward under a new ad-hoc group.

“There are some good areas for introspection and investigation,” he said, suggesting that the ad-hoc Facilities Committee recommendations could eventually be handed over to one or more permanent committees. He also suggested the ad-hoc group could tap the expertise of former members or new talent to “keep the continuity going.”

Mr Fitzgerald said he wanted to wait to be sure that any recommendations were aligned with the council’s objectives, and they fulfilled what the council determined would be its “end game.” He further said the council should collectively define a set of goals it would like to accomplish during its two-year tenure.

Mr Capeci then suggested that all members furnish ideas about what members would like to see accomplished in the current term, and to forward those ideas along with their requests for committee assignments. Mr Davis said he planned to also forward ways in which some of the standing committees might change or adjust their scope of responsibilities.

“I’d like to see fewer committees doing more,” Mr Davis said.