Town of East Hampton
Town Council Special Meeting
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
East Hampton High School Auditorium
Minutes
Present: Chairperson Melissa Engel and Council Members Thomas Cordeiro, William Devine, Christopher Goff, Barbara Moore and Susan Weintraub. Also present were Interim Town Manager Robert Drewry, Recording Secretary Cathy Sirois, members of the press and citizens.
Not Present: Vice Chairman John Tuttle
Call to Order and Pledge of Allegiance: Chairperson Engel called the special meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. in the East Hampton High School Auditorium.
Approval of Minutes:
A motion was made by Mr. Goff, seconded by Mr. Cordeiro, to approve the minutes of the August 10, 2010 Public Hearing and Regular Meeting. Voted (5-0-1). Mr. Devine abstained as he was not present at the meetings listed.
Public Remarks:
Angela Sarahina, 37 Old Middletown Avenue, wanted to see two public remarks sections on the agenda. She also felt Ms. Engel should recuse herself from the Ordinance change item.
John Pellino, 10 Brookside Court, commented that the Chief should be reinstated, the harassment investigation should proceed and there should be no ordinance change.
William Dinunzio, 40 Spice Hill Drive, commented on the costs to the town due to the recent actions of the Town Manager and Town Council. The Board of Finance is the proper forum to make the financial decisions.
Barbara Suprono, Walnut Avenue, reviewed the timeline of the removal of the police chief. She reviewed private duty police work and how the budget should be done.
Richard Walker, 69 Collie Brook Road, asked why the Council is not answering questions, where is the money coming from and who is the silent majority he has heard about.
Lori Wilcox, Hawthorne Road, commented on the money saved by the reorganization of the police department and the cost that could have been incurred in breaking the contract for the Town Manager.
Don Coolican, 18 West Lane, thanked Bob Drewry for doing the town a favor.
Richard Gosselin, 23 Hills Avenue, commented that the town has had a police chief for many years. He would like the Council to listen to the people.
George McFatter, 27 Country Lane, spoke against the Council’s actions.
Mike Bloch, 31 Cone Road, noted that he provided a copy of an analysis done by the Town of Colchester to all Council members earlier in the week. He provided an overview of the report. He asked that the Council reconsider the police department organization.
Terry Latimer, 29 Lakewood Road, commented that she is appalled at the actions of the Town Council without all department budgets being reviewed.
Helen Bonoff, 8 Spice Hill Drive, commented against the actions of most of the council members, the absence of a council member at many meetings, the firing of James Thomas and the severance package given to Jeffery O’Keefe.
Mary Ann Dostaler, 56 William Drive, commented on the large dollar amount paid out for the contract for Jeff O’Keefe and the large number of vacation days he has accumulated in two years. She asks that the Council not eliminate the police chief position.
Dale Maynard, 24 Quiet Woods Road, commented that he would like to see department heads including the Superintendent of Schools, the Board of Education and Board of Finance be included in budgetary decisions for next year’s budget.
Dick Vezina, 131 Colchester Avenue, commented that he worked with Matt Reimondo when he first came onto the police force. He feels the town has grown too much to not have a police chief.
Bonnie Sweet Reilly, 41 Lake Boulevard, spoke against the Town Council.
Debra Kohn, 45 Eastham Bridge Road, spoke against the removal of the police chief and does not want the ordinance changed to eliminate the position.
Janice Cavanaugh, 204 Hog Hill Road, commented that she supports the Town Council’s decisions to remove the position of police chief. She provided an overview of area police departments.
Kyle Dostaler, 56 William Drive, asked if the severance agreement includes an indemnity clause to protect the town from future liability and when will copies of the severance agreement be available to the public.
Alice Stelzer, 5 Waterview Circle, commented on a conversation she had with Mr. O’Keefe regarding the Police Department budget.
Ruth Tegge, Niles Street, commented that she does not want the ordinance changed and to bring back Chief Reimondo.
Jennifer Goodman, 39 Eastham Bridge Road, commented that only two people spoke in support of the Town Council.
George Coshow, Shipyard Road, commented that he is a part of the silent majority.
Fran Klein, 12 Bellevue Street, asked the Council to reassess needs based on a 5 year plan for the town. She doesn’t want to see the ordinance changed until the entire town’s needs are reviewed.
Diane Frazier, Mott Hill Road, thanked the Town Council for their decisions and stands by the Council.
Lori Weech, 41 Cone Road, commented on the Council’s disregard for the feelings of the residents.
Alison, Bevin Court, commented on democracy.
Steven Lockwood, 15 Beechcrest Drive, commented that the town should vote on the elimination of the police chief position.
Karen Lee, 52 Pinebrook Road, commented that the Town Council should follow through on the decisions that were made and not flip flop on those decisions based on pressures.
Eric Germain, 14 Maple Street, asked that the Council listen to the people before making their decision.
Andy Shelto, South Main Street, commented on the process of removing the Police Chief position.
Scott Minnick, 28 South Main Street, commented on the Charter Revision and the proposed 4 year staggered terms.
JoEllen Leone, Curry Lane, commented that she hopes the Town Council will listen to the citizens.
Patrick Barber, Town Farm Road, commented that the Charter Revision should go to referendum.
Art Marsden, 85 North Main Street, commented that he is very sad that all of this has taken place in town. He noted his concern is with former Town Manager O’Keefe. He thanked the Council and Mr. Drewry.
Ms. Pickard, 32 Middletown Avenue, commented that the Chief should be brought back.
Laurie Wasilewski, Hog Hill Road, commented that she hopes the Town Council will listen to the people. She wants the Chief reinstated and wants transparency in government.
Discuss and Approve Proposed Language for Ordinance #109 and Set Public Hearing Date:
Ms. Engel provided an overview of the wording changes prepared by Attorney Jane Marsh of Marsh & Bouregy, LLC to Ordinance #109 to abolish the position of Chief of Police and to restructure the Police Department.
The Council members provided their thoughts on the ordinance change and budgetary issues related to the elimination of the Police Chief position.
A motion was made by Mr. Cordeiro, seconded by Ms. Moore, to approve the proposed language for Ordinance #109 as amended on 9/15/2010 and set the public hearing date to September 28, 2010 at 6:00 p.m. at the High School Auditorium. Voted (5-1) Ms. Weintraub against.
Consideration of and Action on Councilor Weintraub’s Request to Have Access to All Emails To and From the Former Town Manager from 9/1/08 to Present, Including Emails That Would be Exempt Under FOIA:
Ms. Weintraub noted that as an elected official all emails should be available to her and none should be exempted as she is aware of all litigation and personnel matters. Her FOI request was made as a town official, not as a resident.
Ms. Engel explained that Council approval is required to receive exempted emails.
A motion was made by Ms. Weintraub to receive all emails from Jeffery O’Keefe for the last two years without exemptions. This motion was not seconded.
Award Contract for 13 Watrous Street Interim Remedial Action Project:
Dan Wolfram, Chairman of the Brownfields Redevelopment Agency, provided an overview project at 13 Watrous Street.
A motion was made by Mr. Cordeiro, seconded by Mr. Goff, to award the contract for the 13 Watrous Street Interim Remedial Action Project to TMC Services, Inc. in the amount of $118,225.00. Voted (6-0).
Consideration of and Action on a Resolution Authorizing the Preparation and Printing of a Concise Explanatory Text for the Proposed Charter Amendments:
A motion was made by Mr. Goff, seconded by Mr. Cordeiro, to authorize the Town Clerk to prepare and print explanatory text for the Charter Revision question that was approved for submission to the electors on November 2, 2010. Ms. Weintraub questioned the cost of printing and distribution and how it would be distributed. Voted (5-1) Ms. Weintraub against.
Prior to the vote Ms. Weintraub noted her concern on the number of elected individuals on the Charter Revision Commission.
Tax Refunds:
A motion was made by Mr. Goff, seconded by Ms. Moore, to approve tax refunds in the amount of $12,485.32. Voted (6-0).
Report of Interim Town Manager:
Robert Drewry, Interim Town Manager reported on the following:
- A letter is being drafted to Connecticut Light & Power to request an extension of the lease on the Annex to March 1, 2011.
- The Town is awaiting the final drawings on the Senior Center expansion. Once the drawings are received the project will be put out to bid.
- A Human Resource specialist was contacted regarding the employee handbook. She could soften the tone, restructure the format and consolidate where possible but it wouldn’t be shortened more than 2 or 3 pages. The cost to complete the review would be $1,200.00. The handbook is in the process of being reviewed by the Town insurance company. During the discussion, the Council decided to await feedback from the insurance company before hiring a Human Resources specialist.
A motion was made by Mr. Goff, seconded by Mr. Cordeiro, to adjourn the meeting at 8:20 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Cathy Sirois
Recording Secretary
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