Borst: Brennan Report Not Political Despite Cover Letter Links To Town Hall Opponents

By John Voket

Both the sender and recipient of a “privileged” memo accompanying an oft-cited report on a town hall development stressed this week that the report was not politically motivated even though the draft report’s cover letter directs its initial distribution exclusively to outspoken critics of the project.

The memo, from Newtown resident Douglas Brennan, was sent along with the first draft of a presentation he created on the request of First Selectman Joe Borst. That report cited potential flaws in the design of the town hall along with allegations that the facility would cost roughly double the industry standard for this type of municipal building.

Aspects of Mr Brennan’s report have been quoted by opponents of the new town hall project, even before most public officials, including some members of the Legislative Council and Mr Borst’s fellow members of the Board of Selectmen, ever saw either document.

That April 8 cover letter, which was provided to The Newtown Bee, was dispatched to the first selectman through his private home e-mail account instead of through the municipal e-mail at Edmond Town Hall. Correspondence using private e-mail that contain reference to town business are accessible for public review under state Freedom of Information statutes, although the memo in question was provided to the newspaper anonymously, and was later confirmed to be legitimate by the first selectman.

Mr Brennan’s cover letter opens with the words: “Privileged Information,” and goes on to say, “Attached is the latest version of the information I pulled together on FFH [Fairfield Hills]. I hope this is helpful and that you can coordinate it with others (Ruby Johnson, Po Murray, Kevin Fitzgerald, Bob Murray and Richard Cole, etc.)”

Ms Johnson formerly served on the council with Mr Brennan, and mounted a failed petition campaign for election to the council last November. She has been a fixture at local meetings, and a vocal critic of the town hall development at Fairfield Hills, as well as many other projects on the campus and around town.

Ms Murray was a petitioning council candidate who won a seat under the Independent Party of Newtown’s minor party designation. Mr Murray, who is not related to Ms Murray, is chairman of the IPN.

Mr Fitzgerald has written numerous letters to the newspaper and spoken at several town meetings in recent years opposing the town hall development. Mr Cole reportedly hosted a meeting earlier this year where State Senator John McKinney and Representative Julia Wasserman could hear from town hall opponents and critics of the Fairfield Hills Authority.

Mr Borst, who said he was also was present at that meeting, said Ms Murray, Ms Johnson, and Mr Brennan were among those in attendance. Both Mr Brennan and Mr Borst said this week that the memo’s directive to coordinate with the individuals mentioned referred to those attending Mr Cole’s meeting, and had nothing to do with the IPN or their opposition to the previous administration, or former first selectman Herb Rosenthal.

Mr Rosenthal, who was among many town officials in support of the new municipal office project, said it was difficult to see Mr Brennan’s memo or report as anything but political. He also reasserted previous criticism, saying this latest issue provides further evidence that Mr Borst is not conducting town business with the degree of transparency he promised during his campaign.

“Clearly this ties all the letters [to the editor written by the aforementioned individuals] together,” Mr Rosenthal said after reviewing the memo. “All these people talk about transparency when all they are trying to do is derail the project using backroom tactics.”

Mr Borst has also come under fire from his running mate and fellow Republican Selectman Paul Mangiafico for withholding correspondence and being selective about information being presented to his own board versus other boards, commissions, and private individuals.

“This e-mail is disturbing to me and leads me to wonder about the motivation behind sending it,” Mr Mangiafico said. “I haven’t talked to Joe about it yet, but it seems to indicate behind-the-scenes maneuvering is going on.”

On May 27, Ms Murray and fellow IPN council representative Gary Davis issued a letter to Public Building and Site Commission (PBSC) Chairman William Furrier citing Mr Brennan’s report as sole justification behind their recommendation to use remaining bond money to construct parking and utility infrastructure instead of the new municipal offices.

They ask that the PBSC give full consideration to assertions in Mr Brennan’s report before authorizing bid requests to be published for the construction phase of the Bridgeport Hall project.

Since it began circulating among select individuals including the two IPN council members, Mr Brennan’s report has come under some criticism of its own by an architect on the project, and by town public works director Fred Hurley. Mr Hurley, an engineer, is coordinating with utility representatives, developers, contractors, and town crews all working on Fairfield Hills projects.

Upon reviewing suggestions tendered by the first selectman that are outlined in Mr Brennan’s report, Jerry Waters, a town hall project architect with contractor Tai Soo Kim Partners, said incorporating things like geothermal mechanical systems and photovoltaic or solar supplemented electrical generation would significantly increase the cost of the project, and would provide little or no immediate financial benefits in return.

Mr Hurley, who was recently directed by the first selectman to meet with and clarify concerns about Mr Brennan’s report, said that it was “very disingenuous” for Mr Brennan to build the entire cost of a proposed utility infrastructure loop into his cost per square foot projections for the town hall.

“That’s where his $14–$15 million dollar cost projection comes from,” Mr Hurley said, adding that the town still expects to bring the municipal office project in on budget.

Mr Hurley also said the Brennan report’s assertion that the project will cost $400–$500 per square foot is “inaccurate,” and that comparisons to the per square foot costs for leased town space at the Kendro facility on Pecks Lane are “bogus.”

“This report contains a lot of opinions that aren’t necessarily consistent with the facts used to support them,” Mr Hurley said, admitting he has no personal animosity towards Mr Brennan. “He’s a political person with a political position — that’s the problem.”

Mr Brennan, who said he holds both an engineering degree and a law degree, indicated he has worked around the world on “billion-dollar projects,” and is well qualified to offer an educated opinion based on his observations of the project, and many other pieces of documentation he reviewed on the request of Mr Borst early on in his administration.

“There’s no political motivation here,” Mr Brennan said. “My concerns became heightened when the actions of others became political and not forthright.”