New Haven Independent

The action took place Monday night at the Board of Aldermen meeting in City Hall.

Aldermen were poised to approve a state grant that would pay for the purchase of 10 laptop computers to furnish the city’s senior centers. The laptops’ future fell into limbo when Mayor John DeStefano announced he’d close three of the six senior centers where the computers were destined to go. (Click here for a past story.)

After a hearing last week, the aldermanic Human Services Committee approved a plan to buy laptops, which could be used to improve seniors’ computer skills and connect them to younger, web-savvy relatives.

Monday night, one alderman, Robert Lee, stood up to oppose the plan. Lee’s district includes the Bella Vista senior housing complex, home to one of the senior centers slated for closure come July.

Seniors there are up in arms about plans to close their hangout.

Fuming over the slated closure, Lee made his feelings known when his colleagues tried to send the grant approval to unanimous consent, a fast-tracked process by which the proposal could only be approved if all aldermen say “yes.”

Lee took advantage of the procedural process called denial of unanimous consent, to stop the board from considering the process. Because of an April 9 deadline to submit local approval to the state Department of Social Services, Lee’s action effectively killed the proposal.

“Unbelievable!” whispered Westville Alderman Sergio Rodriguez in the back of the room.

Newhallville Alderwoman Katrina Jones took Lee aside. She told him about the deadline. He said he did not intend to deny the board the opportunity to vote on it, but wanted to make his point about the senior centers closing. He told her that he didn’t mean to kill the proposal, and he didn’t know about the deadline.

Then she called for a redo.

Aldermen went back into a special session to consider the item. Before taking a second vote, two aldermen chided Lee for not getting the facts before quashing the proposal.

On the aldermanic floor, Lee deflected the “insults,” saying he cannot be everywhere at once. This time, he joined in unanimous consent to accept the grant.

“I’m all for computers,” he said after the vote. “I don’t want to take anything away from the seniors.”

Lee said his first vote was in protest of the city’s priorities. “My problem is when you close Bella Vista down for $11,000 and we give $160,000 to Tweed. We could have done a lot more with that money.”