Thanks, Aunt Myrtle. Now, put the gun down.

As fun as it would be to keep talking about national politics, it’s probably time to return my gimlet eyes to local politics.

(Wait! one last sip:
How awesome are Republicans? They may be drunk with victory, but boy, are they mean drunks!

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/11/gops-top-tax-guy-republicans-will-block-permanent-middle-class-tax-cut.php?ref=fpb

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1110/45181.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/15/mitch-mcconnell-earmark-ban_n_783767.html

And then there’s this fresh Hell:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyWKlxNAh30

Can you feel the brain cells die as you watch? I know the mere thought of those two getting into a “situation” together makes me never want to let anyone have sex. With anyone. Ever. Again.)

Ok. Gasp! Ok.

No more capitol cocktails. The hypocricy could kill a person. Local brews. Local brews.

So. Been to a Town Council meeting lately? Or are you too busy trying to decide if you should support the Bush Tax Cut sunset? Well. You might be able to catch the meetings on cable access. If you keep the tv on channel 17 for the rest of your life. (Better than DWTS at least).

At the November 8th meeting, the Town Council weighed in (almost!) on the teacher contracts.

What teacher contracts? Oh. These:

http://www.newmilfordspectrum.com/default/article/A-pay-freeze-New-Milford-teachers-agree-to-do-680250.php

Let's pause here. This is a big deal. New Milford teachers and the town’s Board of Education, reached an amicable agreement in July, over salaries and benefits for the next academic year. The upshot is that teachers are accepting a pay freeze. They have also agreed to slightly higher copays for some medical visits. And they did this without a lengthy and expensive arbitration process. So. Tax payers: hug a teacher. And also a BoE member.

Now. Onc e the contract is approved by the teachers and the BoE, it goes on file with thew Town Clerk. Note the date of the article (September 29th). And count 30 days forward. According to the town charter, that’s how much time the Town Council has to approve, reject, or decline to notice, the new contract. The Mayor and TC chose the latter course, but it seems it’s because someone forgot to count.

I guess the Mayor and TC wanted to say something about the contracts, but didn’t realize the contract had been filed (do none of them read the local paper? This was big news), or that they only had a 30-day window. Which, given how long most TC members (not to mention the Mayor) have served this community, seems a little odd. But not as odd as this explanation, from the meeting minuntes:

“[A Councilman] asked why the Town Council was not notified that the agreement was submitted to the Town Clerk. Mayor Murphy stated that it is not required to.”

See? “It is not required.” That’s logical and satisfying, isn’t it?

I know. But … given that the TC agenda from October 25th included this item:

“Mayor Murphy told Town Council members if they know of anyone whom they think should be recognized for something they have done in the community or another accomplishment, they should let her know.”

And, given that the BoE successfully negotiated an even more recent contract, this time with school administrators, also with a $0 salary increase, also with concessions on benefits, also without arbitration

http://www.newstimes.com/local/article/New-Milford-school-administrators-avoid-798796.php

it’s not like there wasn’t anything worth commenting on.

(Um, Mayor Murphy, how’s about thanking the teachers, adminitrators, and the BoE for agreeing to a pay freeze, and saving tax payers money!?! Too much to ask, I suppose.)

Well, even though the magic 30 days had passed, preventing the TC from epxressing their official dis/approval of the contracts, some members exercised their First Amendment right to free speech, and comment less officially at the November 8th meeting.

“Mr. Bass stated that all parties should be thanked. Mayor Murphy thanked all those involved for a good job including those people in the audience from the Board of Education.”

At the risk of sounding ungenerous, these “thanks” were recited with all the passion and sincerity of an 8-year-old thanking their Aunt Myrtle for a hand-knit Christmas sweater.

But, wait, there was more! Following the national trend of seeing one’s first amendment and raising you the second amendment, Councilman Raymond O’Brien had this to say:

“Mr. O’Brien stated that the Town Council usually approves contracts ‘with a gun to our heads’ because it is always told that if they don’t approve the contracts, they would go to arbitration and the town would lose.”

Of course, he isn’t exactly accurate on how the process works. I’ve looked in the Town Charter, and it really doesn’t say “After contract is filed with Town Clerk, a gun will be placed to the Town Council’s head until they vote their approval. If they reject the contract, the Town will automatically lose in arbitration.” But then, my reading of the Health Care Reform Act didn’t turn up any Death Panels either. So, there might be a special ink, visible only to conservatives, involved here.

Well, Mr. O’Brien. Thanks for the statesmanlike response. Honestly. A gun to your head? There’s a lot I’d like to say in response to your stunning hyperbole (not to mention hypocrisy: how’s about that civility manifesto?), but it’s not printable.

But that’s not even the most incendiary part of his comments. There’s more:

“[Councilman O’Brien] would much rather be advised earlier so that the Town Council could have some meaningful input before it is filed with the Town Clerk.”

Ummm ……. Because that’s not how the system works.

So, what? Councilman O’Brien would like a seat at the bargaining table? Should Councilman O’Brien just write the contracts himeslf? Why not just let Councilman O’Brien be in charge of everything? Charter, shmarter.

Councilman Peter Mullen tried to dial back the crazy:

"Dr. Mullen stated that communication is great, but disagreed with O’Brien’s statement. He felt the Town Council is not forced to accept a contract. They are not told the Town will lose."

Yeah. Well. That and telling Sarah Palin she can’t see Russia from her house will get you a blank stare and a headache.

Look. I’m quibbling over a minor detail. The comments of a cranky man about teacher contracts that already passed really don’t add up to major policy.

It’s just so disheartening.

It’s just another casualty in the decline of civil discourse.

These contracts were the result of hard work, good will, community spirit, and mutual trust, on the parts of our educators and our Board of Education. They are an example of putting community before personal gain. The contracts are something to celebrate.

Is it too much to ask that people like Councilman O’Brien not spoil the moment with petty carping (while also attempting some sort of political coup where he actually gets to take the place of the BoE and the teachers’ union in deciding contracts)?

Would it be putting a (metaphorical!) gun to the Town Council’s heads to expect a sincere, full-throated “Thanks!”

Or is it too close to budget season?



(are those crickets?)

Add hawk

I’m a regular citizen. I love my town, I love my town’s school system. I hate arbitrarily high taxes, and I hate wasting time and money. Like most people, I have ideas on how things in my town could be improved. But I’m not an elected official, or a personal friend of the mayor, and I don’t have access to giant billboards I can place all over town in the dead of night. How can my voice be heard?

Well, according to Town Councilman Pete Bass, I can be part of an ad-hoc committee!

What’s that? It’s unclear if anyone knows for sure. (I didn’t even know what “ad hoc” meant. It’s latin for "For this". It means (according to the online dictionary) “a solution designed for a specific problem or task, non-generalizable, and which cannot be adapted to other purposes. Common examples are organizations, committees, and commissions created …. for a specific task.” This committee is tasked with saving the town and school – and tax-paying citizens – money.)

Here is what the Housatonic Times reported back in May of this year:

http://www.housatonictimes.com/articles/2010/05/01/news/new_milford/doc4bda0d7371508046908865.txt

• Town Councilman Pete Bass says the committee would “study issues related to short- and long-terspending and revenue and to try to identify potential savings.”
• New Milford attorney Randall DiBella… said such an ad-hoc committee could make “suggestions” but could “not have a binding edict” for various boards and commissions in town.
• Town Council member Ray O’Brien said that, in addition to long-range goals, the ad-hoc committee should look at the short term, indicating that it would help if, by the next budget cycle, the school board could provide more detailed information to the Town Council on “how much electricity they are using by building and how much oil they are using by building.”
• (This is disturbing: will the focus of the committee be to scrutinize the Board of Education? “I think we’re trying to micro-manage the Board of Education,” [Councilwoman Mary Jane] Lundgren said.)
• Not so! “My motivation has nothing to with micro-managing the Board of Education,” Mr. Bass countered. “We all need to communicate together and come up with ideas and solutions,” he said. “It brings everyone together to study things in a think-tank manner.”
• Mr. Bass and some of his colleagues indicated the committee should consist of members of the Town Council, the Board of Finance, the Board of Education, financial officials for the town and the school district and members of the public, particularly those who work in finance-related areas…. Mr. Esposito and Town Council member Cecilia Buck-Taylor said the committee would benefit from having members who work as financial professionals.

Intriguing.

Here is what has been decided since then:

• The official name of the committee is the Advisory Committee for Efficiency and Cost Savings Ad Hoc.
• Input from the public is welcome, as is out-of-the-box thinking. Fresh ideas. New perspectives. In fact, even though the committee consists of 6 elected officials and one appointee, the mayor could “just as easily” have picked you, or me, or any other budget-minded citizen. Or someone with financial expertise. (But she didn’t.) (But the public is welcome and encouraged to think outside the box.) (And I’m just glad no one said “ruffle some feathers.”)
• The committee membership consists of members of the Board of Education (chairwoman Wendy Faulenbach, Thomas McSherry, Alexandra Thomas), the Town Council (Peter Bass, Cecelia Buck-Taylor, MaryJane Lundgren), and 1 hand-picked mayoral BFF – newly-minted Board of Finance member (Beth Falder). (So much for all that financial expertise.)
• The official political affiliation of these members is: 3 Republicans (Bass, Buck-Taylor, Faulenbach), 2 Democrats (Lundgren, McSherry), 1 New Milford First-er (Thomas), and 1 unaffiliated New Milford citizen (Falder).
• (I could also say, the committee is made up of 2 men and 5 women, or look up everyone’s birth dates or astrological signs, but I think I’ve digressed enough).
• The committee will disband on New Year’s Eve, before the spring budget smack-down begins. (Which, I am told, is the beauty part of it, because no one has “territory” staked out before budget season. Honest…)

Is this making sense to anyone yet? 7 people, 4 months, 0 boxes. 1 transforming set of ideas. Leading to … peace and harmony? An economic miracle? (Or more of the same “town council is good, board of education is bad!” nonsense?) I’m a bit confused. And, frankly, skeptical.

Here’s what I don’t get:

• How transparent will these meetings be? (Hint: posting the meeting minutes in the town Clerk’s office will not meet my definition of “transparent.” How about a special section in the Spectrum, or a web page linked to the town website?)
• How much public participation will actually be allowed? (Please, please, please let it be more than a “public participation” moment between the pledge of allegiance and the real business, where the public is admonished for breathing too loudly). Are members of the public going to actually serve on the committee? (Doubtful. Especially if they’re not deficit hawks. Maybe I should brush up my power point skills and come wearing a suit)
• Will members of the public be allowed to vote on committee proposals? (Good God, let’s hope so! Otherwise, what’s the point?)
• How will ideas be presented, discussed, decided upon? (“Save us money!” is a tall order when faced with a $90m budget servicing 30,000 people. And there are many legal and contractual considerations that must be abided, even if they may appear “costly.”)
• What is the scope of these meetings? (Will everyone sit down with a copy of the town and school budget and reenact that wonderful budget meeting scene from “Dave”? Or will people spend an hour or two bashing tax-and-spend liberalism and tisk-tisk the wastrel youth of today?) I assume the committee will break down into several sub-committees, who will conduct research and present findings to the group. Maybe this is where Joe Citizen can get involved more directly.
• How will ideas be evaluated? (Because I’m pretty sure we’ll here “Get rid of the libraries!” and “Don’t let people take their pensions and retire out of state!”, neither of which is legal, practical, or even desirable.) It’s tough to be both “inclusive” and “realistic.” (And “non-partisan.” But I digress again.)
• What will the committee do with these ideas? (Beyond writing up a report and presenting it to … actually, I don’t even know to whom, exactly.) Will any governing body (say, the Board of Ed or the Town Council) have to implement any of these ideas?
• What, exactly, is the point of this committee? Councilman Bass suggested at the July 12^th Town Council meeting, that the committee would serve as a liaison between the BoE and the TC (and perhaps the BoF too). But the mayor corrected that statement, saying the committee to provide advice and assistance to the BoE (and other committees!), but that the BoE and the TC are not required to take their advice.
• When will this committee actually meet? The inaugural meeting has been rescheduled twice. It’s currently slated to happen August 12, 7pm, in the Loretta Brickley Room of the Town Hall. (Will it change again? Will it be prominently displayed on the town website?)
• Will this really be anything more than a “let’s slap the Board of Education around and ignore anything troubling about the Town side of the budget”? I’m hoping so, but I have my doubts. (Are you a betting reader?)

In any case, I am intrigued. I’ve thrown away my box (the better to think outside of it) and shook myself up and gathered my brain clouds for a storm of ideas. I’m ready to share them at the maiden meeting, August 12^th (or not, if they reschedule it again). I’m hopeful that we will all transcend party and bureaucratic standing and turf wars and petty grudges and do something meaningful. I’m hopeful that the (reasonably sane) public will actually be welcomed and heeded. And I’m hopeful that, come January, the committee will have a positive impact on the budget process. (It could happen.)

But, just in case, I’ll also start a billboard fund.