Community Corner

BOF Plays Hot, Cold; Sheehan Surrenders

Finance Board Agrees To Not Freeze Wages

Showing the decisiveness of Bret Favre on retirement, the board of finance voted Monday to not freeze the wages of town employees.

On March 7, the board of finance kicked off its budget hearings with an approved resolution to freeze the salaries of all town employees. But by the end of that meeting, the vote changed as member Brian Vachris’ vote changed; the board of finance .

On March 9, things reversed when member Rosalyn Dupuis, sick for the original meeting, voted for a wage freeze for town employees,

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But Monday, the decision changed again. Dupuis decided to vote against a wage freeze, effectively ending the board of finance’s efforts.

“Let’s just say I did some research,” Dupuis said on her decision to change her mind, while refusing all other comment.

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Member J.W. “Bill” Sheehan, who originally proposed the wage freeze, said he would stop making motions to that effect. All salaries that were already cut would be restored as well, Sheehan said.

“I made the effort,” he said. “I hope the first selectman, the next time he does a negotiation, is a little tougher.”

Board of Finance members Sheehan and George Peteros, both Democrats, and Republican Norman Glidden consistently voted for a wage freeze. Republicans Ron Fedor and Alan Wilensky consistently voted against a wage freeze. Dupuis is a Democrat, Vachris a Republican.

The board of finance, by town charter, cannot to demand a wage freeze. Instead, the board of finance cut the salary increase in each budget, practically demanding a wage freeze.

Anger Over Contracts

The board was angered over recent contracts that gave town employees raises, particularly the new police contract, which gave officers a 2.25 percent raise in the first year. No board of finance member appeared satisfied with the contract, although Fedor and Wilensky opposed freezing salaries “because the timing wasn’t right.”

The the police contract in February. Many RTM members also expressed anger over the contract, although eventually voted for it after First Selectman Dan Steward said it was the best the town could hope for.

Steward, who called the board of finance’s decision to demand a wage freeze “inappropriate,” appeared relieved about the board’s final decision to allow town employees to keep their contractually obligated wages.

“I think it was the right decision,” he said.

Steward, who said he talked to Dupuis after Wednesday’s meeting, said elected officials often change their mind. The board of finance’s contradicting decisions is just a sign of the American way, he said.

“I think it is part of the democratic process with people … deciding how to vote,” Steward said.

TAG Appearance; Vachris Gives Advice

The meeting began with comment from Sarah Karlberg and Teresa Price, two Clark Lane Middle School students in the . The duo urged the board of finance to give the board of education enough money to continue to fund the program.

Currently, the board of education has chosen to not fund the program next year.

Bob Price, Teresa’s father, also said the board of education should have a higher allocation to avoid massive teacher layoffs. A good education system is paramount to keeping property values high, he said.

Vachris, who said he would strongly support the TAG program if he were on the board of education, said Price was naive to expect the public education system to provide that kind of education. The best way to teach your children is to do it yourself, he said.

“If you guide (your children) through the system, on the Internet, you can learn so much faster than any state-sponsored education program,” Vachris said.

Price agreed, but added, “Not everybody is going to have the time.”

The two girls also said they would attend the board of education meeting tonight to again make their case.


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