Thank you Alderwoman Barbara DeGennaro for backing up our claims of turnover in the Derby’s City Government over the last 2 years.
If you do the math by your calculations the city of Derby was without a finance director between Tom Thompson’s departure on January 29, 2015 until the appointment of former mayor Marc Garofalo’s uncle Sal Coppola on September 24, 2015 that leaves a gap of 7 months of the city of Derby operating without a finance director which we all know to be untrue.
If we reference this article from the New Haven Register, Mayor Dugatto stated the finance office duties will be split between two City Hall employees, along with City Treasurer Keith McLiverty and her office, until a replacement is hired.
In fact there was not two people that held this position, to date there was actually six.
The duties of the city’s corporation counsel were performed exclusively by Atty. Kevin Blake at city board and commission meetings until such time the administration opted to replace Atty. Blake with Atty. Thomas Welch in the performance of those duties.
I would further like to mention that during that transition Atty. Blake was still a part of the firm at that time. Atty. Welch is currently engaged in performing the duties of the city’s corporation counsel.
While I will gladly concede two rather than three Board of Aldermanic Presidents since the commencement of the Democratic Administration, I would be remissed; however if I failed to mention the inconsistency and leadership when the Board of Alderman in the April 23rd meeting under new business section 11.1 as it is stated. “Mr. Gerckens motioned to approve a full time (5 day work week) Finance Director up to but not to exceed $65,400 with benefits equal to city hall employees. Mr. Sill seconded and the motion carried,” only to reverse that resolution and install a part-time finance director at an hourly rate in our recent Sept. Board of Alderman meeting.
The writer is the campaign manager for Republican mayoral candidate Rich Dziekan.
