Should aldermen be able to abate car taxes? Should an alderman serve in place of the “minority leader” when all members of the board are from the same party? Should the deputy parks director be a certified arborist?
Those were among the questions added Thursday night to the list of ideas to consider as the city begins its decennial chance to change the city’s foundational laws. The city’s charter covers rules including the powers of the mayor, the establishment of various departments, even the city’s name.
Once a decade, the city is required to take a look at the charter and see if it needs revision. The Board of Aldermen Thursday night officially kicked off that process by forming a 15-member Charter Revision Commission and giving it marching orders.
Aldermen approved a list of 15 topics the commission is now required to consider, although it may take up other matters as well, as it sees fit. If the commission decides that revisions are necessary, proposed charter changes will appear on the ballot in the November 2013 election, to be approved or denied by a popular municipal vote.
Thursday’s Board of Aldermen meeting was the second in a row featuring contention over the process of charter revision. East Rock Alderman Justin Elicker again called for a public hearing to be held on the creation of the commission so that people have a chance to have a say in who’s on it. People have had plenty of chances, and time is running out, his colleagues argued. Elicker’s efforts to force a public hearing failed.
New Names, New Ideas
At the last meeting of the Board of Aldermen, in mid-October, board leadership submitted a list of 13 nominated commission members and a list nine topics for consideration. On Thursday, those two lists were swapped out for one with 15 nominated members and 15 topics.
On the list of nominees, two names were removed and four were added. Hill Alderman Jorge Perez, the president of the board, explained that one nominee, former Green Party Alderman Allan Brison, is moving out of town and thus couldn’t serve on the commission. Another nominee, attorney John Cirello, is already on another city board and thus can’t be on the commission, Perez said.
Four new people were added to make sure the proportions of the commission meet the requirements laid out in city law: The charter commission must have no more than half of its members from the same party. No more than a third can be elected or appointed officials currently in office.
The four new people are: Edward Fertik, Caleb Kleppner, Helen Martin-Dawson, and Brian Perkins. Click here for a list of the other 11 commissioners.
Members were selected by the leadership of the Board of Aldermen from some 65 names submitted by lawmakers.
The list of topics to consider in charter revision already included increasing mayoral and aldermanic terms from two to four years, changing the size of the Board of Aldermen, and making the school board, currently appointed by the mayor, popularly elected (or a hybrid of the two approaches).
Thursday night aldermen added six more items to what had been a nine-point list:
10. Review and make recommendations on the Democracy Fund Board powers including but not limited to it powers, its members terms, its composition and the process of appointing its members and place in Charter.
11. Review and make recommendations on the qualifications for the Department of Parks, Recreation and Trees, Deputy Director including but not limited to requiring that the Deputy Director, be a licensed and certified arborist.
12. Review and make recommendations for the definition of residency as it relates to residency requirements in the Charter
13. Review and make recommendations concerning the process to have a member of the Board of Aldermen serve in the place of the Minority Leader when the Board is fully composed of members from one party.
14.Review and make recommendations concerning to clarify the process of amending the wards of the City of New Haven, including situations where technical corrections are required.
15. Review and make recommendations concerning to clarify the ability of the Board of Aldermen to abate motor vehicle taxes and other taxes in situations that can not be defined as “poor and unable to pay”.
Click here for the full list of topics the commission is required to consider.
Process
As the creation of the Charter Revision Commission came up for a vote Thursday night, Elicker (pictured) stood to make a motion to send the matter to committee for a public hearing.
“I believe public input is critical to public process,” he said. He reminded his colleagues that he had denied “unanimous consent” at the last meeting in order to have the matter sent to committee, “but through procedural maneuvering,” the item was bypassed the regular process.
If he hadn’t denied unanimous consent at the last meeting, the commission would have included someone who was moving out of town and with a makeup that wouldn’t have met the legal requirements, Elicker said. That’s an indication that more time is needed to vet the commission nominees and the agenda items, he argued.
Fair Haven Alderwoman Migdalia Castro (pictured) disagreed. She said the charter revision process has been far more transparent this year than it was during an aborted attempt to start it last year. She said she has done outreach in her ward to ensure that everyone who wanted to be nominated to the commission had his or her name submitted for consideration. She said the commission’s work is “time sensitive” and must proceed without delay.
“This is democracy at its best,” she said. “It’s time for us to stop hindering us moving forward the city.”
“I think the process is more important than the time sensitiveness,” said Downtown Alderman Doug Hausladen.
Elicker counted back from the November 2013 election and calculated that the commission would have more than six months to work, even if a public hearing on its formation were held.
“We can play some procedural games and make up things” about timelines, he said.
Perez interrupted him to say that accusations about such aldermanic wrongdoing are against the rules.
“The bottom line is if you think the public should have input, vote yes” on the motion to send the matter to committee, Elicker said.
Westville Alderman Adam Marchand objected to that characterization of the vote.
After Aldermen Castro, Tyisha Walker (pictured), Michael Smart, and Al Paolillo spoke again against sending the matter to committee, Beaver Hills Alderman Brian Wingate made a motion to end debate and vote.
Elicker’s motion to send the matter to committee went down 22 to 3. Only he, Hausladen and East Rock Alderwoman Jessica Holmes voted for it.
Aldermen then voted to form the committee and set its agenda, with only Elicker and Hausladen casting dissenting votes.
During the meeting, a group of parents and children from Teach Our Children, the education reform group, sat in the back row of the aldermanic chamber. As the meeting ended, single mom Renee Wells (pictured) said, “I’m very disappointed. I think Elicker had a fantastic point.”
Wells said she wants to make sure the charter revision commission makes the Board of Ed an elected body, rather than appointed by the mayor. She said Teach Our Children has been focused recently on improving school bus safety. She said she had been hoping to speak at the meeting to make sure that the charter revision commission has a “true selection of people from throughout the city.”
Wells said said many people, especially in “lower income areas,” have not been tuned in to what is happening with charter revision, so a public hearing would have been useful.
TERM LIMITS!