Ansonia residents should be urged to vote “yes” for all four Charter Revision questions on Election Day (numbered 2 through 5 on your ballot).
The suggested revisions, proposed by a committee of Democrats, Republicans and Unaffiliated residents, are designed to reduce the excessive size of City government while streamlining operations in City Hall and balancing the power of our elected representatives.
Most importantly, the revisions will hold elected officials accountable for important budgetary decisions, such as setting the tax rate. It is outrageous that unelected political appointees have been making these decisions until now! The changes will end the practice of allowing an unelected board to finalize the annual budget, and thereby acting as convenient scapegoats for unpopular results (such as higher taxes for residents or less funding for city departments).
The proposed Charter Revision questions will cut down on bureaucracy and lead to a more efficient and cost-effective government. They will make it easier for elected officials to achieve positive results for residents, and allow residents to clearly evaluate the performance of those they elect to serve.
Here are the specific ballot questions, along with my reasons why the proposed changes are right for our community:
Ballot Question #2: Shall the Charter be amended to reduce the number of wards to 3, and number of aldermen from 9?
Ansonia has a staggeringly large number of wards and representatives for a city of approximately 19,500 residents. The City is presently broken into 7 different wards with 14 aldermen. By contrast, Shelton, with a population of about 40,000, has only 9 aldermen and 4 wards. This is not to say what’s right for Shelton is right for Ansonia. It is, however, an example that Ansonia does not need excessive bureaucracy to be successful.
Reducing the number of aldermen will force those that remain to be more accountable to the voters and more responsible for the results of City government. No longer will aldermen be able to get “lost in the crowd.” Fewer wards also makes it easier for residents to understand precisely who represents them and what their public servants have accomplished for them. Three wards can also be broken down more logically than splintering the City into 7 arbitrary sections.
There is also a convenience to simplifying the ward system for residents. A three ward system will eliminate confusion over polling places and ensure better prepared polling stations through the consolidation of resources. There will also be a cost savings in the future when state mandated upgrades force new machines to be purchased for each ward.
Ballot Question #3: Shall the Charter be amended to modify the budget process?
The proposed revisions take the ultimate authority for taxing and budgeting out of the hands of unelected appointees and place it into the hands of elected officials. For the first time the Mayor will be given a role in the process: presenting a “Mayor’s budget” at the beginning of the budget season. Final authority for setting the budget will be with the Board of Aldermen, with the provision that a tax increase of 3% or above will need approval of the public by referendum.
Some have argued that placing budgetary authority makes the process too “political.” This ignores the fact that the current system is as political as it gets! The budget is presently set by an unelected board of appointees that has been used to provide elected officials with convenient “cover” for unpopular decisions. Do we need smoke-and-mirror politics in the budget process? Holding elected officials accountable for the budget makes it simple to evaluate their performance at election time.
Importantly, the ultimate safeguard remains in place: residents have the ability to publicly vote on any tax increase of 3% or more in a public referendum. They also have the ability to vote their representatives out of office every two years.
Ballot Question #4: Shall the Ansonia City Charter be amended to clarify and modify the powers and duties of the Mayor and Board of Aldermen?
Many residents say that City Hall should be run like a business. To that end, the bi-partisan Charter Revision Commission has recommended streamlining government by delegating personnel decisions to the Mayor’s Office. This forces that the Mayor to be directly accountable for the actions and performance of employees, rather than diffusing that responsibility by handing it off to various unelected appointees.
Additionally, the revisions would balance the power in City Hall by giving the aldermen oversight over expenditures of taxpayer funds during the fiscal year. It’s an important check and balance that is not presently in place.
The proposed revisions come from the same general principle: the buck should stop with our elected representatives!
Ballot question #5: Clean Up of the Charter
The simplest question on the ballot, these proposed revisions would simply bring certain charter provisions up to date with state and federal law.
In conclusion, the proposed charter revisions will produce a leaner and more productive government for Ansonia’s residents while bolstering the system of checks and balances that prevent abuse. I therefore recommend a “yes” vote on all four charter questions for a more professional and effective city government.
The writer represents the Second Ward on the city’s Board of Aldermen.
