DERBY — A new commission could recommend major changes be made to city government, including whether to make the position of mayor a full-time, four-year position.
A politically blended charter revision commission met for the first time last week, and quickly realized they have a large task and not a ton of time. The group hopes to get some proposed changes on the ballot for the upcoming election in November.
However, the group has 16 months to do the work, so it’s possible a few things could get on the ballot in November, and more complicated or controversial proposed changes could go to voters at a later date.
A charter is the set of rules that act a blue print for local government. Term limits, the number of representatives on the local legislative body, which positions are elected or appointed, even legislative titles, all come from a charter.
If there’s a desire for change, a charter revision commission is created. In Derby that group will be looking at a series of recommendations from the Board of Aldermen/Alderwomen, and they will be soliciting suggestions from the public.
Eventually the commission makes a recommendation to the Aldermen/Alderwomen, and that body decides whether to sent the recommend changes to the public for ultimate approval.
An image from Derby City/Town Clerk Marc Garofalo’s Facebook page.
That first attempt to gather suggestions from the public will take happen during a public hearing online scheduled for 6 p.m., June 10, using the Zoom videoconferencing platform.
Click this link for information on how you can participate in the public meeting.
If Zoom isn’t your thing, you can email suggestions to meetings@derbyct.gov.
“All communication received by Wednesday June 10, 2020 at 5:00 pm will be made part of the record of the public hearing,” according to an email from Derby City/Town Clerk Marc Garofalo.
There has been a growing sentiment for a few years that Derby should have a full-time mayor (with full-time pay at a rate that would be determined later) and that the term should be increased from two years to four years.
In a document submitted to the Aldermen/Alderwomen, Alderman Charles Sampson, a Republican representing the city’s Third Ward, said he supports the idea of a full-time mayor with a four-year term.
“Unfortunately, the incoming Mayor now must inherit the last administration’s first-year budget and does not have a full accounting of the budget until the second year of his/her term,” Sampson said. “This leaves many issues to resolve and as seen recently could cause animosity toward the first-term incumbent based upon the last administration’s actions,” Sampson said.
In addition, Sampson said the mayor should get a city vehicle.
In Derby, the mayor’s office does not set the budget. That is done by a separate, elected board called the Board of Apportionment and Taxation. Alderman Ron Sill, a Democrat representing the city’s Second Ward, suggested in a written comment that BOAT’s powers be absorbed into the Board of Aldermen/Alderwomen, something that happened in the City of Ansonia. Sill also suggested changing the term for the mayor and legislative body to four years instead of two.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE SUGGESTIONS FROM LOCAL LEADERS.
Derby government last sent a proposed charter revision to the public in 2016. Voters approved one change that had to do with cleaning up language and grammatical errors in the charter, and expanding the name of the Board of Aldermen to include Alderwomen.
Voters rejected an attempt to do away with Derby’s complicated prohibition against “dual office holding,” but the Aldermen have requested the commission take yet another look.
That’s the section of the charter originally intended to thwart corruption in Derby government. Before it existed, members of the Board of Aldermen could profit by getting contracts with the city that helped their businesses.
Now, if someone in the city wants to do business with the city and holds office, he or she must get unanimous approval from the Board of Aldermen/Alderwomen.
The “dual office” rule also applies to other areas, such as when an Alderman also wants to coach a team and the high school (for which he or she receives payment). In those cases, unanimous approval from the city’s legislative body is also needed.
Derby’s new charter revision commission met last week for the first time and elected Third Ward Alderman Rob Hyder as chairman. Hyder is unaffiliated, but was previously aligned with the Democratic Party before throwing his support to Republican Mayor Rich Dziekan.
Other members of the commission include:
(As recommended by the Democratic Town Committee):
Aniello D. Malerba, III
Christopher Larocque
Charles M. Stankye
(As recommended by the Republican Town Committee):
Sam Pollastro, Jr.
Gina McKay
James Smey
Ralph Cappiello
Mayor Rich Dziekan recommended Carl McCluster, who is unaffiliated.
