New Milford Resident Says Mayor Gronbach Shows Lack of Leadership: Opinion

NEW MILFORD, CT — The following letter to the editor was written by Steve Looney (real name, we checked) in response to Mayor David Gronbach's letter posted on Monday. Click here to read. To send your letter to the editor email wendy.mitchell@patch.com.

"On my return from this evening's New Milford Town Council meeting I read your article and I must say it actually made me laugh. The spoon-fed article sent to you by Mayor Gronbach was again another example of his childishness and lack of leadership ability.

As someone who attends many Town Council, BOE, BOE Facilities, BOF and Zoning meetings I'm at a loss as to the complaint the Mayor has with town citizens that are simply asking for basic information. In the run up to his election against Pat Murphy, The News Times would not endorse him "sighting his naïveté as to how town government works!" And boy doesn't his most recent rant amplify and bolster their beliefs even more.

From his storming out of the sewer meeting early in his term, followed by his blatant disrespectful comments to the vocal majority of New Milford residents via "Facebook" on his failed Panda Power funds project and now JPS, when will it end? This, however, sets a new low even for him. Even more interesting was the new contradicting information brought up just tonight at this evenings Town Council meeting. Town Council member Mr. Pete Bass read the comments of Mr. Dibella Town Attorney on an item that the mayor claimed Mr. Dibella agreed with him. Nothing could have been further from the truth!!! Mr. Dibella expressed concern about misinformation being put out by the mayor and The News Times on his actual opinion that was given!!!

I ask that you pay attention to the issues at hand. Take some time to review what is going on and what people do have concerns about. I ask that on the JPS issue alone you look up old Town Council meetings where $225k worth of funds are being requested and now we are looking at expenditure of some $775k monies being promised and or spent without any plan or approval by boards!

I also find it ironic that the mayor (who ran on a platform of transparency) would call out by name members of his own party as opportunists! Why? For simply asking for clarification ?? Clarification on items that were NOT presented to the board that said person sits on ?? It is the responsibility of our BOF to gather information and specifics on items prior to any expenditure! "Per our Charter"The BOF member was elected to question and carry out checks and balances! He should not be scolded.

FOI requests should not need to be filed for basic information that should be readily available for anyone to see. The mayor's last paragraph however was by far the funniest "calling on all "reasonable" people to call, to write, to attend meetings. They have been. His issue (besides not listening) is that the vast majority of the comments, the letters and the reasonable people attending the meetings are speaking out against him and the way he is running our town! So perhaps this article is more like a call to what's left of his fleeting base to come and read more scripted notes at sporadic meetings to show he still has some support ????"

— Stephen T. Looney, New Milford resident