Minority Leader of the City Council Speaks Out!

That Council meetings have long been used by members for self aggrandizement and “holier than thou” pontification was exemplified by Aldermen Carlo Carlozzi, Phil Sherwood and Roy Centeno.

One resolution involved the sale of a piece of property adjacent to Booth St. hill to a New Britain attorney and real estate developer. The property is a non-buildable, land-locked sliver of city owned land located on a “paper street” (Morris St.). At this time the piece of land generates no tax income for the City.

Adjacent properties to this sliver of land are owned by the attorney who simply wishes to enhance the use of adjacent properties he owns. If sold the property is added to our tax rolls. The area is already zoned for a particular use – that is not and should not have been in question. The appraised value of the land has also been established by the Assessor’s office.

A zoned piece of property in the city can be used by the owner for any purposed allowed in that zone so long as appropriate permits have been obtained. Assessed value of the property is determined by any and all methods used by the City’s Assessor. If someone wishes to address the familial relations of the purchaser with a City official, that is a conflict of interest and ethics question that should be directed to the Corporation Counsel’s office.
Given these, one would expect that the presiding officer of the Council Meeting might opine on whether discussions of these “concerns” are germane to discussion of the resolution to sell the property. I contend they are not. It is noted here that Alderman Trueworthy was the acting Mayor at last night’s Council meeting – Mayor Stewart is on vacation. As such, he was the presiding officer.

For well over an hour, Trueworthy allowed: Carlozzi to question Assessor Mike Konik and the purchaser on appraisal methodology and use of the property and Sherwood and Centeno to pontificate about ethical considerations involving the Mayor. Carlozzi could have called or visited Assessor Mike Konik to get a dissertation on assessment while Sherwood and Centeno could have filed an ethics and/ conflict of interest complaint with the Corporation Counsel.

This Council meeting was a perfect example of Council Democrats demonstrating, “Everything I learned in, Grandstanding 101.”


Alderman Lou Salvio