Even though Ansonia Republican Town Committee Chairman Patrick Henri disagreed with term limits for President Ronald Reagan, he told his fellow members of the Charter Revision Commission Thursday (March 28), he supports term limits for the Democratically controlled Board of Aldermen.
As the commission got down to business working through a list of charter revision proposals, Henri argued for a number of ideas aimed at increasing his party’s voice in city government, and although fellow members disagreed with the term limits suggestion, they politely allowed it to be placed on a “draft list,” meaning a formal version would be written up for future discussion.
Another proposal, calling for minority representation on the Board of Aldermen, was tabled, along with a plan for the board to go from seven wards to three, so the commission could ask the city’s corporation counsel for more details.
Background
A city charter essentially acts as a blueprint for the structure and function of a local government.
Ansonia Aldermen created the Charter Revision Commission back in August, as local lawmakers were dealing with the fallout from the resignation of the city’s tax collector after a Valley Indy report showed she was issuing motor vehicle tax clearance documents to residents who owed motor vehicle taxes.
The commission has a year to make recommendations. Those recommendations would be put to another public hearing — and any changes would ultimately need to be approved by Ansonia voters.
Click here to read the ctiy’s charter.
Term Limits?
The commission debated the concept of term limits heartily, if only briefly.
Henri proposed a three-term limit for Ansonia’s mayor. He said it was a way to let more people participate in the political process. People get turned off when they believe they don’t have a chance, he said.
Mayor James Della Volpe said he thought that was what elections are for.
“In my opinion, there are already term limits. If the people aren’t happy with the job you’re doing, they vote you out,” he said.
Democratic Alderman Dave Knapp, another Charter Revision Commission member, said he has been an alderman for more than ten years and no voter ever told him the city needed term limits.
John Marini, the chairman of the Charter Revision Commission and a Republican Alderman, said he would like to hear what the public had to say about it, although he confided he would probably oppose the idea when it comes up for a vote.
At the end of the debate, Della Volpe commented, “I’m not looking to extend my career much longer, believe me.”
The term limits idea was one of many commission members talked about Thursday.
Other Ideas
When Alderman Charlie Stowe complained that his idea for automatic budget referendums on any increase over 1.5 percent never made a list of proposals, Marini asked for a motion to add it.
He also promised that the public would receive proper advance notice of every upcoming discussion items and every potential vote, and that there would be at least one more public hearing before the commission’s business is finalized.
At the meeting Thursday, CRC members worked off a list of ideas gleaned from suggestions at an earlier public forum, along with others proposed by the Board of Aldermen.
After about two hours of discussion, having gotten through only about half of its agenda items, the commission adjourned, leaving the rest for the next meeting.
City grant writer Eileen Krugel asked to raise the limit in the charger for projects requiring a formal bid process from $5,000 to a higher amount, because she said many smaller projects see their funding drained off to pay for the required legal notices. Legal notices for the bids for one recent project cost $4,000, she said.
Although that request was placed on the “draft list,” the commission indicated it needs more information concerning what amount other towns have chosen and if raising the amount might reduce competition and result in higher project costs.
Commission members did the same for a proposal to allow the city to publish legal notices online instead of placing expensive print ads in newspapers.
The commission also discussed various proposals for reducing the number of voting districts as a way to reduce the cost of elections. Members discussed the idea together with the proposal to cut the number of wards from seven to three.
One idea was to keep seven wards, but to only have one, two or three polling places. Voters from more than one ward would vote in the same place, centrally located between them. Or all voters in Ansonia would vote in a single location, probably the high school, which is the only place in the city with enough space.
Proponents said this would lower costs, and it would not be a problem for voters because the city is geographically small.
Others said they thought it would hurt voting turnout and they doubted it would save much money.
In the end, the commission tabled the items and will ask the Registrars of Voters to provide more information about costs, potential savings and polling place locations for the next meeting’s discussion, scheduled for April 25.