Shelton voters Tuesday will decide whether to spend $4 million to improve city roads.
But there’s a dispute brewing between city Democrats and Republicans about the proposal, and whether the city should provide a list of roads to be fixed before the vote.
The Democratic Town Committee has urged residents to vote ‘no’ to the referendum question Tuesday, because it’s not clear which roads will be fixed.
“There’s no formal prioritization of roads in the city, how we decide what should be done, and the final decision rests with the mayor,” said Committee chairman Dave Gioiello.
Meanwhile, the Republican Board of Aldermen president, John Anglace, called the Democratic Town Committee’s statement an example of how the group “is out of touch with reality.”
“There’s been widespread bipartisan support for this,” Anglace said, citing a favorable vote to put the item on the ballot by the board of aldermen’s only Democrat, John “Jack” Finn.
Mayor’s Statement
Last month, Mayor Mark Lauretti offered a plea to residents to vote yes on the measure, saying Shelton’s roads needed the cash infusion, despite the difficult economic times.
Click here to read the full statement.
After a series of investments in local schools, Lauretti wrote in a statement to voters, roads are “next in line,” and the bonds would allow the city to avoid raising taxes.
“I think you know by now that I have never been one to unnecessarily spend your money,” Lauretti wrote in the statement.
DTC Statement
Gioiello said the town committee had trouble asking voters to reject the spending, because the city’s roads clearly need to be repaired.
But, Gioiello said, Lauretti and other city officials owe voters an explanation of where the money would go.
“Someone knows — the mayor knows — where he’s going to spend the money,” Gioiello said. “No one else knows.”
Click here to view the DTC Facebook page, where a copy of the statement can be found.
Where’s the List?
Gioiello said he had submitted public records requests to Lauretti, City Engineer Robert Kulacz and the highway and bridges department but has not received firm answers on which roads would be in line for repairs if the referendum passes.
Anglace said that’s because the decision hasn’t been made yet.
Anglace said the board specifically declined to address which roads need the work before the question was put on the ballot because it might sway votes unecessarily.
“Here’s how people think: ‘Is my road getting done? No? Then I’m not voting for that,’” Anglace said.
Anglace said if the bonding is approved Tuesday, the city’s engineer and highway and bridges department will sit down with Lauretti and make a priority list for road repairs.
Gioiello called Anglace’s argument “garbage.”
Lauretti and Kulacz did not respond to requests for comment on this story.
VOTE!
The bond referendum seems to have drawn little notice, Gioiello said, since there aren’t any other city issues on this year’s ballot. He said he expects voters might skip the question altogether.
“It wouldn’t surprise me that the total number of votes cast on this would be less than the total number of voters,” he said. “When (bond issues) are part of the city election, I think they get a whole lot more play…I think people are pretty much wrapped up in the state elections and in the federal elections that are going on this year.”
