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Proposed Town Charter revisions are designed to concentrate power within the Town Administration, and away from the Board of Finance!
Report by Paula Antolini
Oct 20, 2014 1:20PM EDT
Attention Taxpayer: Be informed about Bethel Town Charter proposals on November’s ballot. If passed, they could have serious ramifications!
First Selectman Matthew Knickerbocker’s recently published an Op Ed piece in the NewsTimes. The most important words were offered in the headline: “Be informed about Bethel charter proposals on ballot.”
This is my response to his essay:
Being informed means looking beyond handy rhetoric and identifying the hidden pieces that will have serious repercussions down the road if these revisions are passed.
First of all, the majority of appointees were individuals who shared Mr. Knickerbocker’s point of view, and not at all representative of the taxpayer-at-large. Not only did Mr. Knickerbocker appoint his very own Administrative Assistant to serve, others included a former Selectman, the daughter of a former Selectman, and a never-elected First and Second Selectman candidate. Hardly a cross-section of our community.
While it’s true that State statute mandates a Charter review every five years, it does not require that it be dramatically altered. Usually changes are simple “housekeeping” – such as correcting outdated terminology.
However, the proposed changes to this Charter are not only radical; the ballot language itself is undecipherable to anyone who does not hold an advanced degree in political science. Many of the questions are cleverly “bundled” in an attempt to encourage a “yes” vote.
These proposals, if approved, would concentrate raw political power within the Executive branch of our municipality.
For example, the Board of Finance guarantees taxpayers a seat at the budget negotiation table by virtue of their elected status. Removing their line item control strips power from the very officials representing the taxpayer-at-large, and severely compromises separation of power.
The Board of Finance played the dominant role in multiple budget revisions this past summer because they had the ability to make those line item reductions. The proposed Charter change shifts this power to Town department heads, thus weakening the position of the Board of Finance as an elected decision-making body.
Is it better fiscal management for Department heads to decide what specific items to cut from a rejected budget? Absolutely not. Because the Town departments and the First Selectman’s office function as one organism, objectivity relative to spending can easily get muddled. The Board of Finance is the only elected office that makes its decisions apart from the Administration.
On changing from a 3- to 5-member Board of Selectmen and 2- to 4-year terms: This is one of the combined questions where if you vote “yes,” you are actually agreeing to TWO revisions! Be aware that if you approve 4-year terms, no recall provision exists to remove an ineffective leader from office. Four years is a long time for one person to manage a town the size of Bethel. Of the 10 towns in our area, only two have 4-year terms. There’s no Charter change necessary here – simply elect the incumbent every two years and they’ll serve in perpetuity if the voters will it. There is no “long overdue” “need to bring terms up to four years, as Mr. Knickerbocker claims.
Another change gives the Administration more freedom to spend, by allowing “budget neutral” transfers from the dozens of Town accounts up to the amount of $50,000 from each account. Another revision doubles the amount that the Selectmen can spend supplemental to the approved budget without holding a Special Town Meeting – from $25,000 to $50,000.
There was no outcry for any of these proposals, despite Mr. Knickerbocker’s statement that some of the suggested changes came from the public. Most of the proposals came directly from the First Selectman’s office, leading many to see this as a bid for more Executive power with the support of the opposition party!
The Town Charter is our local version of The Constitution – an important document that should never be subjected to agenda-driven changes. This Charter Revision was a carefully-planned and executed effort by one branch of government to concentrate power within itself.
Bethel voters should carefully examine and understand each question before making decisions that will affect their taxpayer rights.
Many of us will be voting “NO” on all six Charter Revision questions on Tuesday Nov.4th.
Cynthia McCorkindale, Chairman
Bethel Action Committee
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