Stacking The Deck?

To the Editor:

The Republican campaign promise for an impartial review of the Fairfield Hills Master Plan took an awkward turn at the March 15 Board of Selectmen meeting. Earlier, the selectmen had stated the desire to have “fair open-minded people” serve on the review committee. (The Newtown Bee, 2/26/10) They had signaled their intent to have the new committee review the contents of the plan now in use and to consider any and all possible changes or uses of the campus without any foregone conclusions.

However, during the selectmen’s meeting a member of the Fairfield Hills Authority requested the selectmen to allow the authority to move forward with its plan to engage the services of a broker to market the FFH campus. He explained their continued interest in finding persons who would lease buildings for business use. The discussion that followed emphasized that “tapping the expertise of the broker can inform the review process.” (Selectmen minutes 3/15/10). Interestingly, in 2006 the FFH Authority entered into a $25,000 contract with North American Realty to help market the property. The $25,000 resulted in no leases and no success. In the case of a broker, he would only receive his fee, usually about five percent to six percent, if a lease is consummated.

The selectmen voted Yes to the request, and subsequently, at its March 17 meeting, the FFH Authority recommended Michael Struna of Advantage Realty from among the three brokers who had submitted proposals. “After the proposed agreement has been written with the input and approval of Attorney Fran Pennarola and the subcommittee and signed by Michael Struna, it should be forwarded to the Board of Selectmen with a recommendation that the agreement be approved by the board and signed by Pat Llodra.” (FFH Authority minutes 3/17/10)

What message does this action send to the soon to be appointed FFH review committee? It could be interpreted that you are free to review all aspects of the master plan now being used, but it could also color their thinking if they feel the selectmen believe that leasing buildings for commercial use is an important component of any campus plan. I’m not sure what type of pressure “fair open-minded” people will feel as they undertake the review and consider the long-term needs of the community.

The Republican campaign promise could have led our leaders to invite the three interested brokers to meet with the review committee, make presentations, and answer questions, but not commit the town to sign an agreement. They chose another path. Only time will tell the full impact of this recent action by the selectmen and the Fairfield Hills Authority. Nevertheless, this action indicates the deck as been stacked to obtain the results they support.

Ruby Johnson, PhD

16 Chestnut Hill Road, Sandy Hook                          March 24, 2010