Was The June 6 Vote

The Last Of The Big Town Meetings?

By Steve Bigham

Townspeople are still talking about last week’s landmark town meeting at Newtown High School that approved both the purchase of Fairfield Hills and the construction of the 5/6 school. Residents approved the expenditure of nearly $49 million for the two projects at the meeting.

Just as remarkable, however, was the number of people who attended (758 voters, plus dozens of curious non-voters) and the excitement generated by the town meeting. Some who were there speculated this week that it was the biggest town meeting in town history, although some remember town meetings in the Edmond Town Hall gymnasium that attracted 700 or more.

 And last week’s town meeting may have been the final town meeting to vote on anything of substance; the Charter Revision Commission has proposed having large expenditures go directly to a referendum, instead of a town meeting. This would help the town avoid small numbers of people approving very large sums of money.

The crowd at the June 6 town meeting, however, was far from small, and the energy it created won’t soon be forgotten.

Legislative Council Chairman Pierre Rochman, sitting near the front of the NHS auditorium, turned around and applauded the crowd moments after it voted in favor of the Fairfield Hills plan.

“It was vindication of the democratic process,” he said.

First Herb Rosenthal agreed.

“Any time there’s an issue of that importance, it’s good to see that the public recognizes it and turns out in large numbers to cast their vote.”

“I’m glad it wasn’t just 100 people voting to spend all that money,” noted Town Clerk Cindy Simon.

But the amount of money is not always the main reason for big turnouts. Take the January 11, 1989, town meeting where 550 people showed up to approve just $150,000. Why the big turnout? The meeting was called to decide whether or not the town should spend that money to fight the state’s plan to construct a prison in town.

“If it’s a passionate issue such as a jail, then the amount of money is not as important,” Mrs Simon said.

On June 3, 1996, 600 people showed up at a town meeting to approve $29 million for renovation and additions projects at the high school and Hawley School.

Last week’s monumental meeting spawned a number of story lines. First, Don Mitchell, a local attorney, was nominated to moderate the meeting from the floor. Moments later, Doug Brennan, a Legislative Council member, nominated fellow council member Joe Borst to moderate. First Selectman Herb Rosenthal quickly rose to his feet to inform the audience that since Mr Borst played a role in the process as a council member, his serving as moderator might be a conflict of interest.

The crowd responded overwhelmingly in favor of Mr Mitchell, a local attorney. Others wondered why Mr Borst would have agreed to be nominated.

“He set himself up for an embarrassing situation,” Mr Rochman said.

But Mr Borst said he was nominated for a reason, adding that he would have allowed for more discussion prior to the vote.

A few residents have complained that discussion on the issues was curtailed simply because many in attendance “wanted to go home early.” Barry Piesner was one of those complaining after his proposal to amend the total expenditure for Fairfield Hills from $21.7 million to $9.5 million was handily defeated in a voice vote.

“Bonding for money should be based on what we need within a reasonable time period,” he said, reminding residents that much of the money won’t likely be spent for at least 2-3 years.

Several hands went up to respond to Mr Piesner’s motion, including that of Newtown resident Po Murray, who suggested that the meeting cut to the chase and move the question. “We don’t want to be here all night,” she said. It was clear that people had made up their minds and were prepared to vote.

And finally, the decision by town officials to place Fairfield Hills on the agenda first and the 5/6 school second did not go unnoticed. Some called it a shrewd political move, while others suggested the whole meeting was “rigged.” No one would argue over the fact that many voters, especially those parents with kids in tow, were there to approve the school. They may have been anxious to vote and go home. However, by putting Fairfield Hills up first, those residents were forced to vote on both issues.

This week, the deadline to submit signatures to force a referendum came and went, meaning last week’s approval is now official.