New Haven Independent

Hill Alderman Jorge Perez (at right in photo, with back to camera) introduced the proposal in December 2005 to catch the city up with state ethics reform passed in the wake of Connecticut’s Rowland-era scandals.

His proposal included reforming the city’s ethics ordinance by limiting gifts to public officials, making city officials wait a year before working as hired-gun lobbyists and giving the powerless city ethics board some teeth. The bill got stuck in committee, then was finally considered by an “ethics working group” which convened to rework Perez’s draft to comply with the city charter.

Twenty-two months after the original proposal, the working group has completed its task and a hearing has been set for Oct. 29 at 6:30 p.m. in City Hall, at a joint meeting of the Legislation and Aldermanic Affairs Committees.

Perez called the delay “unfortunate.” “This kind of explains why the general public wonders about politicians” being able to get things done, he said.

The Slow Road

Perez said the working group finished three months ago, at which point he asked staff for a public hearing. Doing so requires agreement from both Legislation and Aldermanic Affairs Committees.

The head of the Legislation Committee, Fair Haven Alderwoman Maria Reyes Rivera, is finishing her last term and has not been seen at a Board of Aldermen meeting in months. The alderwoman was not at Monday’s regular Board of Aldermen meeting and did not return a phone call requesting comment.

Failing to get through to her through staff, Perez said he called on the head of Aldermanic Affairs, Edgewood Alderwoman Liz McCormack, to set up a meeting. She did so right away.

“It should have happened sooner,” said McCormack Monday. She said the legislation was a priority for her, but “it’s been hard to get the parties involved together.”

Perez suggested that, in the case of a committee chair who is M.I.A., the president of the board should step in to speed legislation along, if that legislation is a priority.

Aldermanic President Carl Goldfield (at left in the photo at the top of this story) said no one approached him about moving the bill along, but it is true the bill was not a high priority.

“There’ve been no scandals and I don’t think we’ve lost anything — These things are prophylactic anyway,” said Goldfield. “Because I think this government is really clean, [ethics reform] has not been at the top of my mind. It’s not a screaming concern.”

Goldfield said he has been focused on other priorities: Getting the Shartenberg and Intercontinental projects sped through; kicking off recycling reform and starting out on performance-based budgeting.