Charter Revision Commission Sets Up Shop

By Steve Bigham

The Charter Revision Commission has elected a chairman, hired an attorney, and conducted preliminary discussions on how it plans to forge ahead. The commission, however, will not begin the nuts and bolts of its work until after holding a public hearing scheduled for November 30.

“Under the laws governing charter revision, we can’t discuss anything substantive before we have our first public hearing,” noted Chairman Bill Sheluck this week.

In the meantime, the board is establishing the framework for how best to go about reviewing the town’s current form of government. Last week, the board elected David Grogins of Cohen & Wolfe attorneys to serve as its attorney. Mr Grogins, a Newtown resident, also serves as town attorney for Newtown. He was selected by a vote of 10-2. Attorney Catherine Thompson had also expressed interest in the position.

Mr Sheluck, who was elected chairman October 25, said his goal is to get the public involved in the charter revision process as much as possible, and not just at the public hearings.

“Our goal is to get the public involved to the greatest extent possible,” he said this week. “If we don’t do that, I think people will get the impression that these are 12 people who met in a room by themselves without a feeling for any other opinions.”

The Legislative Council created the 12-member Charter Revision Commission last month after several weeks of squabbling among members over who was best suited to serve. In the end, it selected Owen Carney, Al Cramer, Ed Kelleher, Mike Floros, Harry Waterbury, Jane Sharpe, Kevin O’Neill, Joe Hemingway, Jack Rosenthal, Ken Bigham, George Caracciolo, and Mr Sheluck. Ironically, Mr Sheluck was not among those originally recommended to serve. He was added to the list, along with two others, in the 11th hour.

The commission is charged with reviewing the Newtown Charter and with making recommendations to: 1) make no changes or 2) make changes, which will improve the process, procedures, or structures used to govern the town. In addition, the council, along with the first selectman and finance director, submitted specific suggestions for charter changes to the commission. Council Chairman Pierre Rochman opposed handing over so many suggestions in such a “frivolous” manner. He apologized at the charter commission’s first meeting.

“I don’t think the Legislative Council has helped out at all. They’ve thrown the kitchen sink and the toilet bowl at you,” he said.

Mr Sheluck agreed.

“When you’re asking 12 people to spend up to 16 months of their time to look at revising the town charter, then you hand them a charge, and the nature in which it was handed, it was kind of disappointing,” he said. “It reflects the lack of consensus on the Legislative Council as to what we should be looking at.”

Fortunately, Mr Sheluck said, the commission appears strong enough to make good decisions in spite of the council. Of course, the final decision on what should or should not be amended lies with the Charter Revision Commission members, who are not obligated to act on the council’s suggestions.

At its next meeting, the commission is scheduled to review the council’s suggestions, discuss its own decision-making process, and decide whether or not it wants to break up into smaller groups. Last week, Mr Sheluck passed out town charters from seven different Connecticut towns, each of which represents several other towns with similar governments. Town charters from Westport, Monroe. Ridgefield, and Trumbull were chosen because each is governed by a Board of Selectmen or single selectman. The charters from Cheshire, Watertown, and Glastonbury were also chosen because of their town manager form of government.

“We plan to discuss these various forms of government,” Mr Sheluck explained.

The commission is also expected to set up target dates for completion and the chairman believes a year should be enough.

“We feel that if we allow the process to go the full 16 months, the decisions we make early in that process will be cold, so to speak, by the time we finish. That’s not to say we won’t take the full 16 months if we need it,” the chairman said. “Our goal is to try to make the November election next year.”

At The Helm

Having lived in town with his family (which includes three young girls) for just four years, Bill Sheluck is a relative newcomer to Newtown. He grew up in New York City and lived in Manhattan before moving Connecticut after a career in banking.

At age 60, he has moved to the country, where he hopes to spend the rest of his life. He believes he brings a fresh outlook to a town that finds itself at a crossroads. Mr Sheluck says he has no special interests and is one of the least-connected members on the board. He admits he knows very few people in town. Nevertheless, he brings with him a basic philosophy about small town government.

“People who live in small towns don’t realize how lucky they are. The input and impact they can have is enormous, whether at the voting booth or in volunteering for various positions. People can have an impact,” he said. “The charter of the town should reflect the ability of people to be a part of that process. As we get larger as a town, we have to have ways to make decisions in a more efficient manner.”

The key to the success of this particular charter revision Commission, according to Mr Sheluck: building consensus.