Charter Revision ... Hiccup or Back to Basics?

There was a Special Meeting of the Legislative Council tonight to approve the appointment of a 9-member Charter Revision Commission. Now, after we unanimously approved the establishment of the Commission one would think that this vote would have sailed through, but clearly that would be too simple for Hamden ...

The meeting was a mess of confusion as a majority of Council members didn't know if the make-up of the new Commission was in conformity with state regulations. The main point of confusion centered on the rule that states no more than 1/3 of the commission can be made up of elected or appointed officials of the Town.

5 of the 9 members presented for appointment were in fact Town Commission members. Now, it appears that a couple of them were willing to resign their other commission posts to serve on the Charter Commission, but no one did by the meeting time. We tried to verify the rules with the Town Attorney, but she was trying to make sure that we were in complete compliance and couldn't give a definitive answer until she could research the matter thoroughly.

In the end, the Council tabled the item, in a 7-6 vote (I voted to table). Hopefully we can address the confusion, ensure that we are doing everything legally and appropriately and get Charter Revision back on track. Better to do things right then to push things through incomplete or out of compliance.

If anyone has any questions or comments, please e-mail me at anytime at councilmancurtleng@yahoo.com.

Charter Revision Approved for Hamden

By: Ann DeMatteo, New Haven Register

HAMDEN — Because of action taken by the Legislative Council, members of Charter Reform Now will not be collecting signatures at the polls Tuesday.

The grassroots group, which wants the town charter amended, had threatened to be out on Election Day to force the Legislative Council to open the charter for examination.

But the council has unanimously voted to appoint a Charter Revision Commission of five to 15 persons. The commission will be appointed in about 30 days.

Councilwoman Carol Noble, D-at large, chairwoman of a charter exploratory committee, said her recommendation is for the charter to be reviewed very carefully and for the commission to seriously think about changes.

Michele Mastropetre of Charter Reform Now urged the council to vote in favor of opening the charter, as it has not been looked at in 25 years.

Councilman Curt Leng, D-6, said he thought having charter revision was a positive step, something he hoped would improve governmental operations and transparency, but he said caution and care had to be taken in making changes.

Council President Al Gorman, D-at large, said that he expects nine members to be appointed. Anyone who wants to serve should call the council office at (203) 287-2577.

Charter Reform Now spokesman Bill Burns said that the council action eliminates the need for petitions on Election Day.

“We thank the Legislative Council for its forward-looking action,” Burns said.