As you can tell from the constant barrage of news stories from the night of January 26, our Board of Aldermen meeting was a very interesting and unsettling one.
Of all the sidebar issues realized the night of our meeting, one bothered me the most.
During the course of discussion during our public portion, I was accused of notifying the new aldermen of a Community Relations meeting a mere 25 hours before the meeting was slated to start.
Here is a quote from the typed minutes now posted online:
“Mr. DiCenso also stated he was notified 25 hours prior to the Community Relations Sub Committee. He was scheduled to work that night. There was to be a regular schedule of meetings and did not receive one. Mr. Hughes is not the Chair of the committee and was not sure why he called the meeting. Mr. DiCenso feels the meeting was bogus and what transpired at the meeting should not be allowed.” (http://electronicvalley.org/derby/GOVERN/Aldermen/2012/2012 – 01-26AldMinutes.pdf )
Per FOI guidelines, a meeting must be posted at least 24 hours in advance. In my opinion, notifying an alderman of a meeting 25 hours before it starts should never happen, and is something I would never do. I would like to include an email correspondence which shows the truth, and that is the aldermen were notified almost 2 ½ days prior to the scheduled meeting, not the 25 hours as some would like you to believe.
The e‑mail correspondence:
From: KEN HUGHES
Subject: Re: Community Relations
To: ​“arthur.t.gerckens@snet.net”
Date: Wednesday, January 4, 2012, 5:45 AM
Thanks Art, Ill confirm if I can get a quorum.
—- On Tue, 1/3/12, arthur.t.gerckens@snet.net wrote:
From: arthur.t.gerckens@snet.net
Subject: Re: Community Relations
To: imow@snet.net, ​“Scott Boulton” , ​“Jay Benanto” , ​“Carmen Dicenso”
Date: Tuesday, January 3, 2012, 10:07 PM
I can be there.
Art
Sent from my Verizon Wireless Phone
— — - Reply message — — -
From: imow@snet.net
To: ​“Scott Boulton” , ​“Jay Benanto” , ​“ARTHUR GERCKENS” , ​“Carmen Dicenso”
Subject: Community Relations
Date: Tue, Jan 3, 2012 11:34 am
Hope everyone had a great holiday.
I would like to schedule a subcommittee meeting for this thursday at 630. Ron Culmo has some business to take care of, as well as our blight officers. Please let me know if you can make thursday at 630. Should take about an hour. I have to post agenda by close of business wednesday. Thanks.
The author, a Republican, is a member of the Derby Board of Aldermen.