CAO Promises Overtime Reform

Hamden’s former mayor promised to rein in New Haven police and firefighter overtime costs in part by modernizing and automating the way extra-duty shifts are assigned.

Scott Jackson proposed that potential cost-overrun solution during his confirmation hearing before the Aldermanic Affairs Committee Monday night in the Aldermanic Chambers on the second floor of City Hall.

Jackson has served as the city’s acting chief administrative officer since January, when Mayor Justin Elicker first came into office.

In that City Hall coordinator position, the former Hamden mayor, former state labor department commissioner, and former state revenue services commissioner oversees the local police department, fire department, public library, Department of Public Works, engineering department, and parks and recreation department.

The aldermanic committee took no action on Jackson’s appointment Monday night so that the full Board of Alders can promptly take an expedited vote next month on whether or not to promote Jackson from acting to permanent CAO.

The committee similarly took no-action votes on the other two coordinators interviewed Monday, Michael Piscitelli and Mehul Dalal, so that they too can receive a local legislative vote within the timeline laid out by state statute.

Looking To Stay?

Alders kicked off their interview of Jackson by praising him for his wealth of local, state, and federal government experience.

In addition to serving as the mayor of Hamden from 2009 to 2015, the chair of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s Sandy Hook Commission in 2014, the under-secretary of intergovernmental affairs in the state’s Office of Policy and Management, the commissioner of the state Department of Labor, and the commissioner of the state Department of Revenue Services, Jackson started his political career working as an aide in Hartford for then‑U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman.

“I’m the only person I know who’s been in government for 30 years who doesn’t have a pension,” Jackson joked. He said he decided to leave Hartford to come work for Elicker’s new government because ​“it was time to get back to helping people” on the ground. To dealing with constituents on a daily basis, to getting back to what inspired him to get involved in politics in the first place.

Committee Chair and Fair Haven Heights Alder Rosa Ferraro Santana asked Jackson if he plans to ​“stabilize now” in a government position where he would like to remain.

Absolutely, Jackson said. ​“Since I left the office of the mayor, I have had three positions [in state government]. Each time I was selected by the governor of the State of Connecticut for that position.” This job, he said, returns him to his municipal roots.

Overtime Issues

Edgewood Alder and Finance Committee Chair Evette Hamilton asked Jackson about one of the most persistent overruns in the city budget: police and fire overtime.

As of the December 2019 monthly financial report, the city anticipates police overtime coming in at $8.65 million for the year, over $3 million more than the $5.55 million overtime budget. The city also anticipates fire overtime coming in $2.33 million over budget, at an expected total of $4.5 million.

“Overtime in some of our departments is a big, big issue,” she said. ​“What’s your plan to help our department heads rein in some of that overtime?”

“Overtime in government services is incredibly complicated,” Jackson replied. ​“The place where you don’t want to land is paying someone not to work.”

He said that scenario can arise when a manager inadvertently skips over an employee who is contractually required to be next in line for an overtime assignment. ​“Then you pay them not to work,” he said. ​“We can’t afford that.”

“One of the things that I think we need to work on is our technology platform for staffing,” he continued. He recommended digging deeper into establishing automated processes for assigning overtime that are in line with civil service work rules mandated in various city labor contracts.

“There seems to be a potential mismatch between our technological capacity and the work we’ve established in the contract,” he said. ​“We’re actually working on that right now.”

What about holding accountable city staffers who are not doing their jobs to the best of their abilities? Hamilton asked.

“Sometimes departments might not do the best job they can do. Sometimes when people should really be working, they might be deviating from the job at hand.”

Fortunately, Jackson said, that seems to be very, very rare in New Haven municipal government. ​“I think our folks are out there,” he said. ​“I think they’re working hard.”

He said that many of the departments under his umbrella, such as police and fire, keep a wealth of data about emergency responder calls. That information can be used to determine if for some reason someone is not doing their job. Some of the other departments, like public works, rely on workflows and ticket systems to prove that a job is being done.

Downtown/Yale Alder Eli Sabin asked about local representation in the police and fire departments. He said that approximately 30 percent of city firefighters and approximately 18 percent of city police are local residents.

“Do you have thoughts about how we can create more pipelines” for local young people to get into these good-paying jobs?

“It’s exposure, exposure, exposure,” Jackson replied. The departments have to be out there in the community, speaking to students, participating in job fairs, letting locals know that they can and should consider becoming a local police officer or firefighter.

“Young people are committed to this state,” he said. ​“We’ve got to open up the opportunities.”

“His Career Has Been Exemplary”

A host of friends and former government colleagues spoke up in support of Jackson’s appointment.

Local attorney Steve Mednick (pictured) said that he worked closely with Jackson on both Hamden’s charter revision and on the taking down of a wall that separated Hamden and New Haven.

​“He saw the challenges and faced the challenges,” Mednick said.

“His knowledge of city government is excellent and extensive,” city Fire Chief John Alston (pictured).

Alston said he called Hamden’s fire chief to ask about Jackson the minute he heard that the former Hamden mayor might be taking the New Haven job.

“He got rave reviews in terms of understanding the balance between management and labor,” Alston said about Jackson. ​“He understands city government. He listens. In a short amount of time, he’s been tremendous in helping us work on some of the challenges we’re facing in our department.”

New Haven State Rep. Al Paolillo, Jr. (pictured) said that he started his political career alongside Jackson working as a fellow aide to then-Sen. Lieberman. He said Jackson was the first in the office every morning, one of the last to leave, always seeking the larger stack of files to work on in regards to helping constituents get what they needed.

“His career has been exemplary,” Paolillo said. ​“It’s an honor to be a New Haven resident tonight.”