ANSONIA – Members of the Ansonia Board of Aldermen voted unanimously Aug. 12 to elect Republican Kevin Mello to the seat vacated by Joseph Jaumann.
Jaumann, a Republican, resigned from his Fifth Ward seat after receiving a job offer to become the city’s human resources director and chief operating officer. The position will pay $130,000 per year for five years.
At the meeting, six speakers from the public – including four Democratic candidates for Alderman – criticized the board’s decision to approve Jaumann’s hiring.
Patricia DaSilva, who is running for a Fifth Ward seat in November, said it made no sense to hire for new positions while the city is taking money from its fund balance to meet past expenses.
“I’m really curious how our Board of Aldermen justify a five-year contract that’ll end up costing, including fringe, half a million dollars give or take, when we’re still plugging holes,” DaSilva said. “Didn’t just a week or so ago we had to take another million to plug some holes in the budget?”
Lisa Glazer, who is running in the Seventh Ward, said that Jaumann doesn’t have the qualifications to do the job. She pointed to a provision in the contract which “strongly encourages” Jaumann to pursue human resources certifications.
“As I understand, he’s got to go through some education. Why are we agreeing to pay him $130,000 a year without him having the experience? If it was somebody who had a ton of experience with HR, I would say that’s fine,” Glazer said.
Tara Kolakowski, a former Democratic Alderwoman and staffer during Mayor James Della Volpe’s administration, said that the board wasn’t following the correct process for hiring a new position.
“In my experience, after being the acting personnel director for a while, we had to go through the salary committee, and I know there’s members on the board that were there when I was there,” Kolakowski said.
Corporation counsel John Marini said in the meeting that the full Board of Aldermen had the same powers as any committee would. Additionally, he said that Mayor David Cassetti was free to decide the hiring process for the position.
“So in this case it’s a non-union position, one of the very few non-union, executive-level positions in the city, and so it is one that could be really solicited in any manner the mayor chooses,” Marini said.
Kolakowski said it doesn’t matter that the position is non-union. She said it still should have gone to a committee.
“No. We’re doing it the way it’s supposed to be done. You’ll get a letter,” Alderman Joseph Cassetti said in response.
Cassetti did not elaborate on what a letter would entail or include. A video of the exchange is embedded below. Story continues after the video.
Sean Rallis, the treasurer of Ansonia Library who is running for Alderman in the Third Ward, asked whether the city would have given the same benefits to someone who wasn’t already on the Board of Aldermen.
“Would the same concessions have been given to an outside candidate in terms of compensating licensing and training and things of that nature to get them up to speed?” Rallis asked.
“We’ll get you a letter. Thanks,” Alderman Cassetti said in response.
Anne Lynch, who is running on the Democratic Alderman ticket for the Seventh Ward alongside Glazer, said that it made no sense to sign a five-year contract less than three months before an election.
Ultimately, the Board of Aldermen voted 11 – 0 to approve Jaumann’s contract. Alderman Chicago Rivers, who represents the Fifth Ward, abstained from the vote.
Mayor Cassetti expressed his support for Jaumann in an address to the board during the meeting.
“Joe is an experienced, intelligent, and quite capable administrator. He will be a welcome addition and will hit the ground running,” Mayor Cassetti said.
Mello will hold Jaumann’s seat until election day on Nov. 4. He is running for a full two-year term.
Aldermen Joe Jeanette, Jr. and Mario Durante were not present at the meeting.