The Common Council of New Britain will meet this Wednesday. Public comment will begin at 7:00PM where any member of the public can address the Common Council, the regular meeting is to follow. The agenda for this meeting can be viewed here and the associated documents can be viewed here.The agenda seems relatively light for this week. The only issues being discussed seem more like formalities than hard pressing matters. There may be some discussion over the transfer of funds from the General Contingency Fund to the Health Department in order to cover the rising costs of evictions, however even that issue seems tame.
While the Mayor’s veto is not on the agenda and Majority Leader Sherwood has said he does not intend on bringing the matter before the council it is unclear as to whether the issue will come up. There have been times in the past when issues have been added to the agenda at the last minute. Perhaps by keeping the budget off of the agenda the Majority Leader is hoping to keep the public at bay.
However, you should still take the time to attend the meeting and speak out during public comments on the issue of the budget. In several Herald articles Phil Sherwood has spoken out as a supporter of taking legal action against the Mayor. He is alleging that Mayor Stewart has acted in violation of the City Charter by utilizing his veto powers, despite the fact that corporation council previously provided the legal opinion that the Mayor was acting within the guidelines of the City Charter. When he did not like the opinion of Corporation Council he asked how the Council could seek an outside legal opinion.
In short, Mr. Sherwood would like to see this matter brought into court at the tax payers expense so that the City of New Britain could sue the City of New Britain. In this bizarre legal battle the only guaranteed loser would be the taxpayers. They would have to fund the outside attorney, they would have to fund the Mayor’s defense, and in the case that the Courts chose to ignore the City Charter, as Mr. Sherwood has, the taxpayers would be hit again with higher taxes. This matter must be addressed before it can even be allowed to arise, we must speak out against this wasteful game of vengeance that Alderman Sherwood would play at the tax payers’ expense.
Frank,
ReplyDeleteI just received a warrant signed by Alderman Trueworthy calling for a special meeting to override my veto from last week. Problem is they do not have the authority by Charter to perform that action. Corporation Counsel has already ruled on this issue and they will essentially have an illegal vote at that meeting.
Unfortunately these people will stop at nothing to pander to their special interests and continue to act against the best interests of the taxpayers.
You might want to look into this before tomorrow.
This is what happens when you elect a little child to lead!
ReplyDeleteHow can an Alderman issue a warrant?
ReplyDeleteAs I read the charter, that is a duty reserved for the Mayor?
Sounds like an illegal meeting all the way around. The FOI law requires 48 hours public notice before a public meeting can be held. There is no such publication on the agenda for Wednesday's meeting, and I could find no legal notice posted on the city web site where the city normally makes such postings, so how can they proceed with a meeting on the veto in total violation of state law?
ReplyDeleteOh that's right, these zealots that have hijacked the council have long demonstrated their belief that laws don't apply to them!
It would appear that these left wing loons are as out of control with their perceived power as the radicals in Congress are!
ReplyDeleteLinks to the agenda and associated documentation can be found in the NBRTC version of this article at: http://www.nbrtc.com/archives/968
ReplyDeleteWhere shall I start?
ReplyDeleteHmmm, Truewothy is out issuing warrants? Sherwood is suing the city? All while sidestepping the truth!
Correct me if I am wrong. As I understand it Mayor Stewart vetoed the additional funds that the common council added to the original school budget correct?
So he did not line item veto the school budget, Correct?
Mr. McNamara is at it again. When will this insane game end.
It is so transparent that this is a well developed plan hatched in some back room of the DTC that I am beginning to believe it is the Democratic leadership that is violating the city charter and state law.
Phil Sherwood, John McNamara, Mike Trueworthy rest assure that you are being watched and scrutinized.
These kinds of shenanigans will not be tolerated.
Isn't there a process to hold an alderman accountable if he issued an illegal warrant that he had absolutely no authority to issue?
ReplyDeleteremoval from office maybe?
Is it possible these actions might have even been criminal in nature?
ReplyDeleteIf Sherwood and Trueworthy plan on suing the city on this issue, where would the funds come from? Would they use the same attorney to represent Rich Marzi?
ReplyDeleteIf Sherwood and Trueworthy plan on suing the city on this issue, where would the funds come from? Would they use the same attorney to represent Rich Marzi?
ReplyDeleteThey will use your tax dollars to hire a lawyer to sue the mayor, who will also be entitled to a lawyer to defend him paid for by the taxpayers, then if there were an award for any cash payout, the taxpayers would have to pay it, because the mayor is acting in his official capacity as mayor, so you, the taxpayer would have to indemnify him for any action brought against him.
ReplyDeleteIn a nutshell, Sherwood is proposing to spend your money for the city to sue and defend itself.
Sounds pretty crazy, doesn't it?
Sounds more like someone might be coming unhinged because he didn't get his way and the only one who suffers is those who are footing the bills for this craziness through your taxes, which whether or not he wins, would have to go up to pay for for all the legal fees, and of course if he won, you would have to find another $1.5 million through higher taxes too!
No matter what, the only losers are the taxpayers!
Frank:
ReplyDeleteDemocrat Council Members, Shirley Black, Roy Centeno, Paul Catanzaro, ToniLyn Collins, Syvia Cruz, Eva Magnuzewski, Adam Playosz and Larry Hermanowski join their BOSSES, Phil Sherwood and Mike Trueworthy and vote as their bosses dictate. You wonder, how can they purport to be thinking people when others do the thinking for them. Watch them, do they anything that hasn't been scripted for them? Especially, watch Eva- she's like a robot-anything longer than one sentence has to be scripted for her. God forbid she should be asked a question. How sad! How can these people collect a paycheck?
And they're happy to do it with a smile, "batteries included", no brain necessary.