Board and Commission Appointments Face Change

Efforts are underway to change the process of how people are appointed to boards and commissions in Branford. This comes at the same time that new commissions are being created — including the potentially powerful Public Building Commission. 

The three-member Board of Selectmen (BOS) makes appointments, typically following recommendations by the town’s political parties. However, volunteers have always been able to go directly to the selectmen rather than the parties, or the selectmen can hand-pick candidates. The three- member board is pictured above. 

But there is nothing written in stone that guides how candidates are nominated, or even how vacancies are posted. That leaves residents, particularly those unaffiliated with political parties, unsure how to apply. Click here to read a story about that. 

In Branford, unaffiliated voters outnumber the combined total of registered Democrats and Republicans. They are the swing vote in any election.

These hazy procedures have historically resulted in complaints from the political leaders, especially from the minority party, that they weren’t notified of a vacancy or an upcoming appointment. Over the years, there have been many contentious appointments and re-appointments. Click here to read one story about that.

Several recommendations have been suggested to clarify the process:

• Republican First Selectman James Cosgrove (pictured) sent letters last month to the Democratic and Republican Town Committee chairs stating that people should be able to apply directly to the Board of Selectmen. His formal letter puts the town’s political chairs on notice of an expanded way to handle appointments. One possible effect is that over time the nominating power of political parties may be weakened. 

In an interview Third Selectman Bruce Storm, a Democrat, said he interpreted Cosgrove’s words to mean that ​“people should directly to the BOS rather than go through the political committees. He’s got the votes, he can put through whomever he wants,” Storm said. The BOS currently consists of three elected officials, two Republicans and one Democrat.

• Storm also asked that candidates’ names be placed on the agenda at least one meeting prior to when the vote will be taken so all the selectmen have a chance to become familiar with the candidates.

• Stan Konesky, Jr., the nominating chair of the Democratic Town Committee (DTC), suggested that vacancies be posted in a prominent place on the town’s website so everyone knows what’s happening.

The Eagle contacted Peter Black, the nominating chair of the Republican Town Committee (RTC) for his take. He declined comment at this time. 

VOLUNTEER SERVICE

Vast numbers of Branford residents volunteer countless hours serving on dozens of boards and commissions to help run the town. They make decisions about finances, safety services, zoning, sewerage, libraries, open space, trees — - virtually every phase of life.

There is a list of all the boards and commissions on the town’s website. It contains the volunteers’ names and when their terms expire. It may also list vacancies if someone announces a retirement. But to access that information, a person has to click on each category. There is no one list of vacancies, and there is nothing that tells a person how to apply.

Another complication is that people wishing to apply must first check the town’s online charter and codes to find out if they even qualify for the seat.

The provisions for each board, committee or commission are different with some requiring a particular political makeup, and others requiring professional or personal expertise. For example, no more than three of the five members of the Planning and Zoning Commission may be members of the same party. The Town Center Revitalization Review Board’s seven members must include at least one financial expert, and at least one architect, engineer or construction professional.

COSGROVE’S LETTER

In March, Cosgrove formally notified by letter the chairs of both the Republican and Democratic town committees that he plans to publicly encourage an appointment process that permits residents to directly seek appointment to a board or commission by contacting the selectmen.

In the letter, Cosgrove said he would not limit himself to nominations from the town committees, and that residents should feel free to contact any of the three selectmen.

“The overwhelming majority of registered voters in Branford are not familiar with the town committee system and therefore have no effective voice in that process. I believe that allowing interested and qualified candidates to apply directly to members of the Board of Selectmen will help those who are disenfranchised from the current system of nominations,” he said in the letter.

Cosgrove said he will follow the terms of the charter and codes when making appointments, ​“not the expectations of party leaders in either party. In short, I am not suggesting that we replace the current town committee process but simply adding another way to become involved in serving on a board and commission. I hope you agree that this approach will contribute to a more open and democratic process that will engage all interested residents of Branford.”

When asked this week about the letter, Cosgrove told the Eagle that his suggestion doesn’t apply just to unaffiliated voters, but to anyone. ​“It could be any voter, it doesn’t matter what party. There are a lot of people who are registered for a party who don’t understand the committee process.”

Cosgrove told the Eagle that this would ​“make it easier” for people to apply. He said anyone interested in serving may send a letter of interest or a resume to any of the three selectmen at Town Hall.

When asked what would make the process more transparent, he said he announced a list of vacancies during a meeting a few months ago and he plans to continue that. ​“Periodically, we’ll announce it at a Board of Selectmen meeting,” he said.

UNAFFILIATED VOTERS

As it turns out, unaffiliated voters constitute the majority of voters in Branford. While under Connecticut law they may not vote in primaries they do vote in elections. Their actions and needs are never far from the political thinking of either Republican or Democratic leaders.

At a recent meeting of the Democratic Town Committee, (DTC) former First Selectman Unk DaRos said political parties are part of a process. Each party has different positions and philosophies, he noted.
 
​“If you want to get into the process then join a political party. That’s how it has worked for many, many years. You go forward with the agenda of that particular party. That’s what you do.” It was a process DaRos engaged in over the years.

DaRos also told the DTC: ​“There is no such thing as an unaffiliated voter. That’s because the unaffiliated voter winds up being disenfranchised. That is by choice. You go out as an independent or an unaffiliated then the agenda is your personal agenda. Who do you answer to? I think it might be a slippery slope.” What he means is that the party process requires a commitment of work and time.

But the reality is that the unaffiliated voters in town make up the largest voting block at election time. In September 2013, there were 9,168 unaffiliated voters, 5,969 Democrats and 2,889 Republican registered voters. To win election to public office in Branford, Dems and Republicans have to woo the unaffiliated voters. 

Many unaffiliated voters currently serve on boards and commissions and typically they have done so by asking the chair of a board to submit his or her name to the Board of Selectman for review. Or they may have applied to the selectmen or the town’s political committees.

STORM’S APPROACH

Third Selectman Bruce Storm (pictured) is in the same position that Cosgrove was when he served two years as third selectman — politically outnumbered. ​“I feel the way I’m sure Jamie felt when he was third selectman,” Storm said.

At a March BOS meeting, Storm complained that he was not informed of a proposed appointment to the Planning and Zoning Commission until the BOS agenda was posted the day before the meeting. Storm asked that the vote be delayed until he received a resume for Fred Russo, and had a chance to confer with him. 

At the next meeting, Storm voted in favor of Russo’s appointment, but suggested that all new appointments be placed on the agenda at one meeting and then voted at the next to allow all BOS members time to read resumes and contact the people.

“It would give you a sense of who these folks are,” Storm told the Eagle. He said regardless of whether a person comes through the political committee process, or is recommended by a member of the BOS, it’s important that everyone have access to credentials. ​“It would be more transparent.”

He said posting the proposed names on the agenda and allowing a two-week lapse before the vote would allow everyone time to become knowledgeable about the candidates. ​“I’m just one vote, but if I have some serious concerns, I’ll articulate that,” he said.

When an appointment was unanimously approved during the BOS meeting this week, Storm thanked Cosgrove for giving him the resume two weeks in advance.

The Eagle asked Storm about the upcoming number of new commissions that are being proposed, especially the Public Building Commission.

“With the possibility of creating a standing building commission that would have considerable power and influence, you want the best possible people on it and not ramrodded through,” he said.

Storm said some boards and commissions have more power. “You want to really be careful about who serves on those commissions,” he said.

ANNOUNCE VACANCIES

At a DTC meeting in March, Konesky, the chair of the DTC nominating committee, said the DTC was unaware of the opening on the P&Z board. He said notice was not properly put on the town’s website. “It may have been an oversight.”

Konesky also told the DTC that in his view “I think there should be a period of time where the vacancy should be posted on the town website for the public to read. The vacancies should remain open for four weeks so that people in the RTC, the DTC and the public can look at them.  That’s only fair and I think that should be presented to the Board of Selectman for review.”

He said when DaRos was first selectmen he and DaRos “met once or twice a month to discuss potential openings and re-appointments.”

In an interview with the Eagle after the DTC meeting, Konesky described the first selectman’s role in this process. “To have an open and transparent government, his avenues are the DTC, the RTC and the public. The more he opens up those vacancies the fairer it is—if he wants an open and transparent government. If he doesn’t and he says I am just picking this person and no one knows about it, then all citizens of Branford do not have the opportunity of a fair and equitable process.  That is a true and transparent process. Put it on the website for a month so we can learn about it.”
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