Derby Day vendors will not have to undergo background checks, and neither will any other vendor associated with community events sponsored by the Derby Cultural Commission, according to local legislation approved by Aldermen Thursday (Feb. 26).
But if you want to run a hot dog cart, you’ll still need to go through the process.
The policy change was approved by the Aldermen 6 – 3. Aldermen Stephen Iacuone, Barbara DeGennaro and Felicia Monaco voted against it, saying background checks are needed for all.
Derby Day is an annual community day featuring arts, crafts, food and family-friendly activities.
Derby Cultural Commission members Laura Brezina and Joel Descheen had asked the Aldermen to eliminate the requirement, saying that its fee and inconvenience was keeping vendors away. They told the Aldermen background checks were not required by other, much larger events, such as the Milford Oyster Festival.
Click here for a previous story.
Alderman Art Gerckens said background checks for vendors was “overkill,” while Alderman Barbara DeGenarro said they were necessary for public safety.
The policy adopted Thursday was a compromise, allowing background check exemptions for vendors connected to the Cultural Commission. The group sponsors about 17 events or so a year, ranging from Derby Day summer concerts to Halloween “haunted lantern” tours.
DeGennaro read a prepared statement explaining her vote to keep background checks in place for all vendors.
The city’s vendor rules protects “our residents, visitors and our city as a whole,” DeGennaro said, “and to prevent the possibility of any unwanted occurrence or bad happening during an event.”
DeGennaro said safety and security should outweigh the “nominal” $25 cost connected to a background check.
Press the play button to hear her complete statement:
Alderman Stephen Iacuone said city laws shouldn’t treat one person different than another. The revised law means certain vendors don’t have to get a background check, but others do. He questioned whether the law would hold up in court.
“We’re making something arbitrary,” Iacuone said. “Everyone else has to go through it but Cultural Commission events don’t have to? I’m sorry, that doesn’t sit well with me.”
But Alderman Carmen DiCenso pointed out Cultural Commission events only last for a few hours, seven hours or so at the most.
“If the Milford Oyster Fest goes on without anyone getting a background check, I think we can have somebody sell balloons in Derby without a background check,” DiCenso said.
DiCenso said other vendors — hot dog stands, food trucks — have a regular presence in the city, so it makes sense to have them undergo a check.
Gerckens said the Aldermen should listen to the people.
“We wanted to make this easy, and we heard loud and clear from our volunteers in the cultural commission and from the citizens,” Gerckens said.
Brezina and Descheen were grateful to the Aldermen for the vote. They said the publicity surrounding the issue actually caused a surge in Derby Day vendor applications. The event is in June.
“People are contacting us asking for the applications,” Descheen said.
