BOF Charter Proposal Is Not A ‘Political Power Grab’
To the Editor,
I have a lot of respect for the engagement and advocacy of some of the folks who have weighed in on the proposed Charter Revisions; however, mischaracterizations of this bipartisan action as a “political power grab” by the “one party dominated Legislative Council” does not bolster their credibility.
The dramatic language in these letters may be effective in national politics, but a simple reading of the Council minutes will show the charge to remove the advisory Board of Finance (BOF) from the Charter, reverting to a prior form of Government, one that is more in line with our peers in neighboring towns, was a charge put forward by a Democrat-led Legislative Council (LC.)
After the majority party on the LC changed with the last election, the Republicans as well as minority members recognized the good sense in that action and endorsed the Charter Revision Commission’s (CRC) recommendations. The CRC was deliberately an even split politically with several well-respected local attorneys appointed.
These recommendations represent a year and a half of work from dedicated volunteers, with input from both our Town Attorney and a second municipal attorney.
In Newtown both major parties have a track record of putting forward unaffiliated and minor party candidates. The voters always have ultimate choice in the budget process and elect the Legislative Council, which is and has been the Town’s fiscal authority. Many do not realize that in Newtown the Council already fills the same role as the BOFs in Southbury and Monroe, but also makes ordinances.
Concerns about redundancy, a lack of purpose and election politics compromising objectivity (as we saw start in the run up to the 2015) prompted this charge. I have candidly heard from former BOF members who welcome this proposed change, feeling that our advisory version of a BOF has outlived its need. I have great respect for all the current and former members of the BOF and would welcome them on the LC or an appointed body.
I believe Newtown would benefit from something like the Congressional Budget Office or the Office of Policy & Management, an independent body of experts not subject to the partisan pulls of winning elections to retain their seat. A board free to be task-oriented and work on value added projects like benchmarking against other communities, studying regionalization and shared services where it makes sense for Newtown, or developing a plan to transition away from taking on debt and to a pay-as-you-go model.
There may be a discussion to be had, but misleading voters with a false narrative of partisan theatrics is not constructive. I encourage everyone be an informed voter by following The Newtown Bee’s coverage and their internet webcast with the Charter Revision Commission and Legislative Council Chairs.
( Link to webcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKg_JEU4XdY&t=66s )
My comments are my own and not on behalf of the Legislative Council of which I am a member.
Thank you,
Ryan Knapp
Sandy Hook
Ryan, please don’t hook onto one Letter to the Editor and use it to wave the bloody shirt of partisanship and turn a blind eye to the preponderance of bipartisan and nonpartisan voices that think elimination of the Board of Finance is a bad idea for which you have offered no concrete replacement. You are taking an elected voice away from the voters and putting the functions in the Legislative Council. I’m sure the voters can see that the people out front advocating for eliminating the Board of Finance are members of the Legislative Council, who stand to gain further influence over the financial processes of the town through a “yes” vote. People who watch the Legislative Council in action, under both Democrats and Republicans, can see that under the present structure they will not add value to the process by taking on additional work which is presently undertaken by an elected Board that specializes. All you have to offer as an alternative are promises, not plans the voters can vote on. I don’t think the voters are in the mood for “trust me”.
Respectfully, the powers already exist with the Legislative Council, which has just as much financial expertise and more governmental experience. The authority of the LC will essentially be the same as it is now. Two former BOF members, now on the LC, and a former BOE Chair, also on the LC, all voted to move this change forward. I have deep respect for those who serve on the BOF, but the body has become as political as the LC, redundant in the approvals processes and does not do the specialized work it once did.
Decisions on this matter are best made with a long term outlook. Even if the LC has as much financial expertise as the BOF at present, this may not always be the case. Ideally, BOF members would be chosen/elected based on their expertise in the field. LC members deal with a broad range of issues – including but also beyond financial.