Sam Gurwitt Photos
Mayor Curt Leng.
Mayor Leng tells dep’t heads not to answer budget questions — at risk of termination.
In past years, they would have answered those relatively routine questions. But this year, many of them have told Farmer that they cannot answer, and that he must send his questions to the mayor’s office instead.
Those responses are the result of a new policy that Mayor Curt Leng has begun in his administration for the current budget season.
In the past, council members and members of the public could simply ask department heads directly about their sections of the budget.
Now, department heads have been instructed not to answer questions from members of the public or town politicians, and rather to refer those questions to the mayor’s office or the finance director.
While some department heads and council members said the policy improves the flow of information and avoids wasting department heads’ time, others called it a “gag order.”
In an April 12 email to department heads, Leng informed his staff of the new policy
“The following directive is effective immediately,” he wrote. “A) any inquiry you receive from any member of the Legislative Council, [Board of Education] or public be immediately sent to the Finance Director and/or his Designee, as well as to Patrick Donnelly, Dep. [chief of staff], and cced to the Mayor and [chief of staff] Garretson.”
The email continued: “B) Failure to strictly following this protocol and responding in [an] inconsistent manner can lead to discipline or termination. The times call for far stricter procedures than have been allowed.”
The mayor’s office and finance department, he wrote, will then document all questions and “ensure timely responses to help provide what I hope will be [the] most productive and informative clearinghouse of budgetary info ever produced for the Council.”
The email listed three reasons for the new policy: “a) consistency and accuracy; b) to establish a non-disruptive workday to [department heads], especially given the extremely intense times that we are currently in; c) to curb any extensive/non-germane [requests] to allow Department Heads to stay focused on what’s needed in the middle of this world Health Emergency and pandemic.”
The email clarified that department heads can still answer operational questions and constituent-related questions asked by council members. “However,” it continued, “challenging times require strict adherence to the budgetary policies listed above.”
“We’re work[ing] to make sure all questions are answered in a timely manner and that answers are shared with all members of the legislative council,” Leng wrote to the Independent to clarify the policy. “Just trying to make the process as efficient and transparent as possible, especially needed during challenging times. To be clear, every single question will be answered.”
Council President Mick McGarry said the town has been considering some way of streamlining questions to department heads during budget season for a few years now. He said the new policy allows equal access to information to all members of the council. Without the policy, if a council member asks a question, only they get an answer. On the other hand, if all questions are funneled through the mayor’s office, he said, the answers can be distributed to every member of the council.
Such protocols are common in other places, said Finance Director Curtis Eatman, who just arrived in Hamden in February after working in Schenechtady, New York. He said the new protocol streamlines the process, because it means department heads don’t have to answer the same question 15 times for 15 different council members.
Eatman said he was surprised when he arrived in Hamden and saw that anyone could ask a department head a question. In Schenechtady, he said, council members and members of the public must send their questions to the mayor’s office, which then forwards them to department heads.
Town Clerk Vera Morrison echoed Eatman. She said the policy helps department heads because it allows them to focus on what they need to do rather than answering the same question 15 times. “It’ll save us time and effort,” she said. Though, she added, if someone asked her a question, she would probably answer it anyway.
Justin Farmer.
Other department heads, on the other hand, had a very different opinion of the policy.
“In effect it’s saying ‘don’t talk,’ which could be interpreted as a gag order,” said one department head, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation. “If you’ve got concerns about the budget, and a council member asks you, you’re being told just don’t give your concerns.”
The department head said that for some department heads, who don’t disagree with anything the mayor put in the budget for their departments, the policy is less of an issue. But for those who have concerns about aspects of the mayor’s budget, it makes communicating that to the council harder.
Councilwoman Marjorie Bonadies said she understands that the mayor might be trying to streamline the process, but that it seems not to be working.
“As much as he can try to micromanage, I don’t think it’s actually being practiced,” she said. “I get what he’s trying to do, but it’s not happening.” She said she has asked department heads questions and received answers, even while department heads acknowledged they were technically not supposed to do so.
Farmer put his thoughts in starker terms. “It definitely is a gag order. No ifs, ands, or buts about it,” he said. “This is the kind of backdoor politics that gets in the way of doing actual work.” He said he has had trouble communicating with Leng’s administration. “And things like this set us back.”
Department heads were supposed to present their sections of the budget on April 14 and 15. Those presentations were postponed to give department heads and council members more time, and will take place during the budget deliberations process, when the council begins actually amending the budget. Budget deliberations were supposed to begin this week, but have been postponed until May 5 to give the administration more time to compile information.
I'm fond of saying, Hamden is the new New Haven. I may be speaking too highly of Hamden. Sounds like Hamden is the old New Haven.