Board of Selectmen Meeting April 26, 2021

Board of Selectmen Meeting April 26, 2021

At the April 7, 2021 Board of Selectmen meeting my comments to be read aloud at the Public Audience section were not forwarded.

Only after I texted Sean Askham, Deputy First Selectman, about the omission and accompanying emails were my comments read in another time-frame.

All my comments are sent to the Board of Selectman and Town Manager Maria Capriola, where it is alleged that Town Manager Maria Capriola can subvert the process of transparent government, by controlling the narrative which is an abuse of power.

The picture attachments I include in my submissions are not forwarded and not shown at Public Audience although the pictures are depicting pictures taken on Town grounds.

Now it appears my written comments are not forwarded to the Board of Selectmen allegedly by Town Manager Maria Capriola as I get a confirmation from the Town Clerk.

Susan Masino, President of the Grange wss given center stage with her comments at Public Audience that the Board of Finance abused their power and violated the public trust by not forwarding the Meadowood acquisition to a vote although the Board of Finance has the ultimate vote on what is forwarded to the referendum. Susan’s comments met the narrative of favorability with a myopic view of the acquisition, dismissing the total financial impact to the Town.

During the discussion on the Meadowood acquisition, First Selectman Eric Wellman was completely unprofessional in his comments stating that he would use his time and bully pulpit to support the effort to gather signatures. This appears to be an ethical violation as he stepped over the line and violated the Board of Selectmen policy on not commenting on comments made during Public Audience. What a hypocrite!

Deputy Selectman Sean Askham chastised the Board of Finance for not placing the Meadowood acquisition on the Referendum for a vote as a priority one expenditure although the Board of Selectmen has cut priority expenditures in the past.

The Board of Finance is the ultimate budget authority with the appropriate checks and balances on the spending of the Board of Selectmen and the Board of Education budgets.

During First Selectman Tanzi’s administration in 1991, I tried to circulate a petition to bring the budget to a Referendum for a vote.

While collecting signatures at the Town Dump where Simsbury citizens gathered to get rid of their trash, I was arrested by the Simsbury Police, hand cuffed, taken to the Police Department, fingerprinted and had a mugshot taken # 3816. ( Show mugshot picture)

At that time forcing a referendum vote on the budget had severe consequences.

The case was nollied and Dill v. Coe became a precedent setting lawsuit. It was written up in the New England Law Journal. I received $1 from the court for winning the lawsuit. USA Today highlighted the case. My Attorney was Jon Schoenhorn.

Not one person on the Board of Selectmen came to my defense.

At the April 12, 2021 meeting of the Police Commission, I had my comments at Public Audience read aloud.

Commissioner Mike Long took exception to my comments that were televised so he decided to suspend Public Audience at the Commission meetings.

It is interesting to note that Mike Long convinced all the Commissioners, Chairman Jennifer Caulfield, Tenesha Grant, Travis Schweizer and Terry Fogarty to go along with his punitive actions.

The Police Commission was appointed under the Town Charter in 1993 and has had Public Audience on their agenda until the Commissioners unanimous vote to suspend Public Audience.

If Mike Long can convince the Police Commissioners to suspend Public Audience, I can ask at the next Charter Revision to return the duties of the Police Commission to the Board of Selectmen.

I am asking that the Board of Selectmen remove Mike Long from the Police Commission as he has subverted the Public’s First Amendment rights to address their concerns in a public forum. Commissioner Mike Long, along with the other Commissioners were appointed to serve the community and oversee the Police Department. As a result of their actions, they too should be removed from serving the public.

Recently, Town Manager Maria Capriola made substantive changes to the vacation policy for Town employees, including the Police Department. Many of the affected employees were in a Union. These changes in the working conditions should have been negotiated with the Unions as it is a failure to bargain the changes.

As a result of the changes to the vacation policy, it is alleged that the Simsbury Police Union filed a complaint under the Municipal Employee Relations Act which governs the collective bargaining relationship between a municipal employer and a union.

I will be voting “NO” on the Meadowood Acquisition and the Latimer Lane School.