Democrats Call Charter Revision Efforts ‘A Smokescreen’ With An Agenda

Charter revision will be back on the table tonight as the Southington Town Council decides whether to move forward with a plan that would request a commission consider restructuring town operations to have the police and fire departments answer directly to the town manager.

While the motion, which needs six votes to pass, is likely to lead to the establishment of a five-member panel, however, it may not receive support from the Democratic minority as party leaders have questioned the motives of a charter revision and called it “a smokescreen” to hide reckless spending.

“The Republican driven fiscal arguments that ‘there is no accountability’ is a smoke screen. The Charter already gives final say regarding the budget to their appointed Town Manger before it goes to the GOP dominated Board of Finance and then onto the Town Council,” said Southington Democratic Town Committee Chairwoman Elaine Bedard.

“The smokescreen is to blame others because the Republicans want to hide from their reckless spending. Since the GOP took over in 2009, including their budget proposal this year, Southington taxpayers will see a record 21 percent increase,” she said.

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The four year period has included a steady jump in the mill rate caused by a significant increase last year in part to an 8.57 percent decline in the grand list due to revaluation. If not for revaluation, Brian Lastra said in 2012 that the town would likely have seen a 1 percent increase.

But Council Chairman John Dobbins has scoffed at the accusations, saying there is no hidden agenda and that the ultimate goal of a revision would be to provide professional oversight of departments that currently answer to appointed boards rather than to the Town Manager or elected officials and to provide further transparency in the government process.

Discussions of Charter revision, which began on March 11, have revolved around efforts to reduce the power of commissions overseeing the Southington Police Department and Southington Fire Department. The commissions would remain in place, Dobbins said this week, but would work as advisory boards in a manner designed to take politics out of the process.

Dobbins released the following this week regarding a possible charter revision process:

1. Purpose of opening Charter is to seek public input and concurrence in Council effort to make town government more effective and efficient.

2. Budget-Secretarial cost, notification of public hearing for papers. Town manager forward request to Board of Finance.

3. Elect chair, vice-chair and appoint recording secretary (Town Attorney).

4. Timetable:
     A) March 11, 2013, Town Council Meeting: Under new business – Charter Revision
          1) Hand out charter revision procedure.
     B) March 25, 2013 – Open charter
          1) Vote to open charter under old business. Needs six votes.
          2) Appointments to Charter Commission;
            Three Republicans, two Democrats.
     C) Organization meeting the first week of April;
            Weekly meetings through April and May 2013;
            Final draft report due by June 10.
     D) Send to the Southington Town Council;
            Vote on public hearing, June 25.
            Submit to public for referendum for fall 2013.

In order to establish a commission, a super majority of six council votes is required. There are six Republicans and three Democrats currently seated on the Southington Town Council.

Bedard said that she believes the Republican-controlled council may be seeking to establish a quasi-mayoral type system with the usual mayoral control instead falling to the Southington Town Manager, a non-elected position.

“After making the Senior Commission virtually useless, with less meetings and oversight, Republicans now want to eliminate involvement for the other citizen boards and commissions. Is the Republican Party looking to create a new form of Mayoral government for Southington, without any oversight, and avoiding an election by the people?” she asked.

Dobbins said defiantly this week that is not the intent, noting that it was the Democratic party who supported charter revision in 2008 while in control of the council with a goal in mind of potentially creating a mayoral position. That effort failed by a 5-4 vote split along party lines.

He also said the goal is not to take power away from the public as both commissions would likely remain in place

“The goals are simple,” Dobbins said. “We are trying to decrease political cronyism, provide professional management of the boards, enhance government efficiencies and promote fiscal accountability.”

Dobbins also noted that it would be the commission and not members of the council or any one political party that would ultimately put forth recommendations on how the charter should be revised. He added that with any given election, all boards could still change and the political make-up of both elected and appointed boards could potentially change.

He also said that accusations that the Republicans have not been transparent are false, saying the only reason that the intent and plans for charter revision were not disclosed on March 11 is because they weren’t complete and ready for public consumption.

In the end, even if the panel were to offer a recommendation and it were approved by the council, Dobbins said the final decision still rests with the people.

“This is just the beginning of the process. Anything passed would still need to go to referendum for public approval (in November) before changes are implemented," he said.

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