Furrier: IPN Entitled

To Fill ‘Every Vacancy’

By John Voket

Telling his newly elected fellow selectmen that the Independent Party of Newtown was “a third party that is now the second party,” IPN Selectman William Furrier turned what was expected to be a quick and routine piece of administrative business into a lengthy discussion that resulted in suggestions of a possible need for a Charter revision, December 7.

At the first meeting of the town’s recently elected Board of Selectmen, the first completely new board in well over a decade, First Selectman Pat Llodra got to the business of making appointments. At that point Mr Furrier said that instead of simply seating the candidates already suggested to fill the vacancies by either a town committee or the commission members themselves, that the nomination and interview process to fill openings should be reopened.

“We had a few people who expressed interest in serving on boards and commissions. [The IPN] would like to have the opportunity to forward candidates for open spots,” Mr Furrier said, asking then for the motion to fill the current vacancies on the Planning & Zoning Commission, the Parks and Recreation Commission, and the Public Building and Site Commission to be tabled.

Mrs Llodra explained that no one stepped up to be elected as a third P&Z alternate on the November ballot so it falls to the Board of Selectmen to appoint one, and subsequently the Democratic Town Committee recommended an unaffiliated voter, Rudy Pozek.

While Mr Furrier acknowledged that the IPN might not end up nominating a P&Z alternate, he wanted the selectmen to hold off on any further action until the IPN had a chance to consider putting someone up.

Mrs Llodra reviewed the process of that leads up to a renomination or a new nomination to fill openings or appointed terms that expire. She said the town clerk is charged with first determining that the existing commissioners and board members do not wish to be considered for renomination.

There is also a charter-mandated minority rule that ensures no one major party will occupy all seats on any appointed or elected board or commission. Since the IPN has become an officially recognized minor party for all the seats its members currently occupy, Mrs Llodra said going forward, it would be appropriate for the town clerk to notify the IPN leaders when future openings come up.

The first selectman said town committees usually know far ahead of time and begin the process of nominating or renominating individuals for expiring terms held by those parties long before they receive notice of the expirations from the town clerk.

She said that since the three openings before the selectmen this week were all recognized and made in advance by the DTC, she “would be reluctant to hold up on these appointments.”

Republican Selectman Will Rodgers asked if there was any time sensitivity to filling the vacancies, and Mrs Llodra responded that in the case of the P&Z, the commission was expecting the vacancy to “be filled as of today.”

But it was determined that since the Parks and Recreation Commission is filling a brand-new seventh seat that was created by ordinance earlier this year, that nominating process should be open to anyone in the community regardless of political affiliation.

The Public Building and Site Commission (PBSC) opening was vacated by a Democrat, and Mr Furrier pointed out that due to minority representation it cannot be filled by a Republican. But the vacancy could be filled by an unaffiliated or IPN volunteer.

Nonetheless, Mrs Llodra said the PBSC was also expecting the vacancy to be filled that evening.

At that point Town Attorney David Grogins weighed in, telling the selectmen that they need to make distinctions between midterm vacancies and those opening up because of term expirations.

“By charter, appointed terms for boards and commissions start on January 7, and the issue of parties is only tied to minority representation,” he said. “We have an anomaly, which is three parties, and the charter is going to have to address this issue.”

Mr Furrier said he would move to recommend Mr Pozek for the P&Z seat, but considering the other two commission seats were open to suggestion, he would nominate Po Murray for the Parks and Recreation Commission, and Ben Roberts for the opening on the PBSC.

At that point the board voted unanimously to accept Mr Pozek.

It was subsequently determined that the Parks and Recreation Commission can fill its own vacancy by a majority vote, and that the individual who was awaiting endorsement by the selectmen, former councilwoman Jan Lee Brookes, had already been attending meetings unofficially while she was awaiting what was expected to be an automatic validation of the town committee’s request.

Mr Rodgers then asked if a Republican could be considered for the Parks and Rec vacancy. Hearing an affirmative, he suggested that nomination wait until all interested candidates either step forward or are nominated.

Mr Furrier said that was “an interesting point and certainly valid.” But since “the IPN is now the second party, we have a lot of catching up to do on all the boards and commissions.”

“Just about each and every vacant position realistically should go to the IPN,” Mr Furrier said. “We have no representation on any of the boards and commissions and we are the second party now and not the third.”

“I would challenge that,” Mrs Llodra replied. “This is not a numbers game. It’s about who is best qualified to serve in these positions.”

The first selectman did agree that since the two remaining openings were not widely advertised, they should be prior to any further action.

Mr Rodgers said he is always going to be more concerned about process than personalities, and said it was “perplexing that the Republicans weren’t given input.”

Mrs Llodra said in the future, all vacancies would be advertised to the Republican, Democrat, and IPN committees for consideration, and now is the time to put names forward ahead of the January 7 start date by charter. And she agreed to hold on the remaining two appointments, the PBSC for a Democrat or unaffiliated voter, and the Parks and Rec opening for any registered voter.

Mr Rodgers agreed, while cautioning that the selectmen needed to establish a new vetting process.

“It seems we are about to create a new duty for ourselves to be a screening board,” he said.

Mrs Llodra said the absence of a process gets in the way of making appointments, but “we need an open process, and to make it more clear. We can’t rely on the way this was done in the past.”