Mayor Stewart's Veto Message

City of New Britain
Office of Mayor Timothy Stewart

MEDIA RELEASE

July 1, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

STEWART VETOS HIRING OF OUTSIDE COUNSEL CLAIMING CITY OF NEW BRITAIN CANNOT AFFORD COSTS OF POLITICAL GAMES


New Britain Mayor Timothy Stewart today exercised the authority granted the mayor in the City of New Britain charter by vetoing a recent Common Council resolution authorizing the Council to hire an attorney to review the Mayor’s line item veto of the FY 2011 budget.

In a veto message sent to Town and City Clerk Peter Denuzze, Stewart elaborated on his reasons for the veto: “In addition to the actual cost of the $20,000 appropriated for an attorney, there is the cost of uncertainty and the cost of continuing this mentality of dueling branches of government. We cannot afford either type of costs when we are literally watching every dollar in the current tight fiscal circumstances.”

Stewart had hoped that the bickering and political partisanship would cease given that the Board of Education had set its budget and the tax bills have been mailed out, but “most members of the Common Council have succumbed to the temptation that many in our society do today: If an outcome is not to your liking, sue. Unfortunately, this attempt to manipulate democracy to suit political agendas can have disastrous consequences for our City.”

The Mayor feels strongly that taxpayers should not pay the costs for political agendas, particularly when the Council had the authority and duty to act in a timely fashion. “If the Council felt so strongly about education funding, they should have acted earlier and made sure that they built in time in the budget process to override any mayoral veto.” Stewart added. “It is not my problem, nor should it be the taxpayers problem or cost, that the Council did not exercise all the authority and powers given to them under City Charter and ordinances. Is the Council willing to issue additional tax bills to plug the resulting $2 million hole in the budget? This is not an academic exercise; the outcome has real consequences for residents and businesses that need to be considered before proceeding.”

The Mayor concluded his message with a plea to members of the Democratic caucus to reconsider the hiring of outside counsel, “By picking and choosing what parts of the Charter they agree with, the Council is playing with fire that could bring local government to a standstill. I implore the other nine members of the Democratic caucus to carefully weigh their decision to override this veto. The citizens need to hear your voices and opinions, not just those of your President Pro Temp and Majority Leader. This is an important vote that should be made by personal conscience, not by political party.”

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Note: A copy of the Mayor’s veto message is attached, including a copy of a letter from Aldermen Sherwood and Trueworthy that is referenced in the message.