Strong mayor or town manager? - Charter Revision Commission tackles issue


 

WINSTED — Three months into its existence, the town’s latest Charter Revision Commission is still considering changes to Winsted’s governing document, most notably as it pertains to the power structure at Town Hall.

Commission Chairman Kathleen O’Brien said Wednesday that it’s too early for the five-member board to make any decisions regarding changing the charter, but the group is moving forward with its mission.

"We’re still debating whether or not we think a strong mayor is an appropriate form of government for Winsted," O’Brien said.

The town’s Republican-led Board of Selectmen created the Charter Revision Commission in December, instructing members to examine the possibility of replacing the town manager with a mayoral form of government. The majority party has indicated that it supports the change, which would put the elected mayor in charge of town departments.

O’Brien, a Democrat, is joined by Democrat Mark Svonkin; Republicans Richard Lavieri and John Sullivan; and unaffiliated member Brian O’Heron. She said board members came into the process with their own opinions as to what recommendations should be made to the Board of Selectmen, but have been courteous and open-minded in their discussions. Right now, there are two members in favor of changing to a mayoral form of government, two against and one undecided.

"Brian O’Heron has done a terrific job researching other towns that have a mayoral form of government, but not necessarily a strong mayor," the chairman said. "We each have a packet of different town charters and we’ve been doing our own research. What we’re trying to determine is, if Winsted went this way, what would we want this person to do?"

O’Brien said strong leadership is needed in Winsted, regardless of which form of government the town chooses.

"We pretty much agree there have to be some strengths given to the executive, whether it’s the mayor or the town manager," she said. "We’re looking at the town manager position as it is now and trying to get an understanding of what would be better for this town."

But the term "strong mayor" does not connote anything close to absolute power, O’Brien noted.

"I think the perception is that we’re going to give all this power to one person," she said. "But in communities that have a strong mayor, the mayor does not have all the power. The boards of selectmen and town councils have to okay the nominations. There are a lot of checks and balances throughout the systems."

One check in many strong mayoral systems is the option for voters to recall leaders.

"A lot of these towns have recall votes for their entire elected slates," O’Brien said. "That includes the board of education and board of selectmen — anyone can be recalled. It’s not a simple process — nor should it be — but it’s something we’re looking at."

O’Brien said that if the Charter Revision Commission does decide to suggest a strong mayoral form of government, an option to recall the mayor would give voters more control.

"My thought is if you had a mayor who was really messing up, the people would have the right to take that person out. There would have to be a process to elect a new mayor."

The Charter Revision Commission has discussed all of these issues but is not prepared to make any motions on specific revisions.

"The only changes we are contemplating at this time are changes in the timeline for passing the budget," O’Brien said. "There would be opportunities for budget referendums at a quicker pace. We’re not looking to change the town meeting or referendum. We just want to make the process more efficient."

O’Brien said the Charter Revision Commission has been meeting twice monthly, but the schedule may become more frequent as board members collect all the necessary information to debate different charter revision options.

"We’re trying to be thorough and take at least six months," she said. "It would probably behoove us to have something done by the November elections, because they will be highly attended."

In the end, Winsted voters will have the last say when it comes to charter revision.

"Even if we recommend to the Board of Selectmen that we move to a mayoral form of government, the board will have to give the people choices," O’Brien said. "Voters may choose a strong mayor, or they may choose the option to improve and strengthen the town manager’s position. Or they may decide not to choose anything at all."

The next Charter Revision Commission meeting will be Wednesday, March 26, 7 p.m., at Town Hall.

 

Latest News

Bobbie C. Palmer

LAKEVILLE ­— Bobbie C. Palmer, born in Lakeville on Jan. 13, 1948, passed away peacefully on March 4, 2024. He is survived by his loving wife, Marva J. Palmer, son Marc (Sandra) Palmer, daughter Erica (Fleming) Wilson, two grandchildren, Andrew Yost and Ciara Wilson, and two great grandchildren. He was predeceased by his parents Walter and Francis Palmer and four brothers; Henry Palmer, William Palmer, John Palmer and Walter Palmer Jr.

He leaves behind a legacy of love, kindness, and laughter that will be cherished by his family and those closest to him.

Keep ReadingShow less
Finding ‘The Right Stuff’ for a documentary

Tom Wolfe

Film still from “Radical Wolfe” courtesy of Kino Lorber

If you’ve ever wondered how retrospective documentaries are made, with their dazzling compilation of still images and rare footage spliced between contemporary interviews, The Moviehouse in Millerton, New York, offered a behind-the-scenes peek into how “the sausage is made” with a screening of director Richard Dewey’s biographical film “Radical Wolfe” on Saturday, March 2.

Coinciding with the late Tom Wolfe’s birthday, “Radical Wolfe,” now available to view on Netflix, is the first feature-length documentary to explore the life and career of the enigmatic Southern satirist, city-dwelling sartorial icon and pioneer of New Journalism — a subjective, lyrical style of long-form nonfiction that made Wolfe a celebrity in the pages of Esquire and vaulted him to the top of the best-seller lists with his drug-culture chronicle “The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test” and his first novel, “The Bonfire of The Vanities.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Art on view this March

“Untitled” by Maureen Dougherty

New Risen

While there are area galleries that have closed for the season, waiting to emerge with programming when the spring truly springs up, there are still plenty of art exhibitions worth seeking out this March.

At Geary Contemporary in Millerton, founded by Jack Geary and Dolly Bross Geary, Will Hutnick’s “Satellite” is a collection of medium- and large-scale acrylic on canvas abstracts that introduce mixtures of wax pastel, sand and colored pencil to create topographical-like changes in texture. Silhouettes of leaves float across seismic vibration lines in the sand while a craterous moon emerges on the horizon, all like a desert planet seen through a glitching kaleidoscope. Hutnick, a resident of Sharon and director of artistic programming at The Wassaic Project in Amenia, New York, will discuss his work at Geary with New York Times art writer Laura van Straaten Saturday, March 9, at 5 p.m.

Keep ReadingShow less
Caught on Camera: Our wildlife neighbors

Clockwise from upper left: Wildlife more rarely caught by trail cameras at Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies: great blue heron, river otters, a bull moose, presenter and wildlife biologist Michael Fargione, a moose cow, and a barred owl.

Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies

‘You don’t need to go to Africa or Yellowstone to see the real-life world of nature. There are life and death struggles in your wood lot and backyard,” said Michael Fargione, wildlife biologist at Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, New York, during his lecture “Caught on Camera: Our Wildlife Neighbors.”

He showed a video of two bucks recorded them displaying their antlers, then challenging each other with a clash of antlers, which ended with one buck running off. The victor stood and pawed the ground in victory.

Keep ReadingShow less