Contention High at March BOS Meeting

Just as the March Board of Selectmen Meeting was getting underway, a girl scout in the audience was excused. It seems that she was to attend the meeting but may have not been at the right one; a replay of the in which one RTM member, Alice Lambert, flipped resident Wayne Cooke the bird with two boy scouts in the audience, could have been replaying in some minds.

A new member was appointed to the Board of Police Commissioners; March 18 was declared Appreciation Day; multiple events were approved for the town green; and some interesting dialogue came about during public comment.

Meeting Minutes

• Forty years and going strong, the Branford Counseling Center, with Pat Andriole at the helm, received recognition from the town when the BOS declared March 18 as Branford Counseling Center Day.  Andriole’s group offers counseling not only to those in Branford, but beyond and is responsible for the annual holiday event of matching needy families with donor families to receive gifts, the fuel assistance program for the elderly and more. Andriole is also the recent recipient of a Red Cross Hero award.

• The BOS approved the use of the green for the following occasions:

• Shoreline Greenway Trail on June 4, from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. to hold a ceremony and celebration.

• on Sept. 10 from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. to hold the 104th Annual Church Fair.

• Tabor Blues Band on June 4, July 9, and August 6 from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. for Blues Jam.

• Branford Garden Club from Oct. 7 to Oct. 14 to place scarecrows on the Green to support the Club (the Madison Town Merchants held this event in their town last year to great success). Selectman John Opie commented, “None of the scarecrows are going to be in our likeness?” The answer was no.
• MADD for Oct. 15, 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. for annual “Walk Like MADD” fundraiser.

• While Jon Grossman and Joanne McGuigan were reappointed to the Board of Police Commissioners with terms to expire Jan. 30, 2014, the BOS got hot when discussing the replacement of the late Bob Denhardt on the Board of Police Commissioners.
  
  Selectman John Opie presented candidate Rick Goodwin, who was nominated by the Republican Town Committee through what he stated was "process" with Denhardt's vacancy coming from the Republican Party.
  
  First Selectman Anthony “Unk” DaRos and Selectman Francis Walsh presented Kurt Schwanfelder for the position to Opie’s dismay.
  
  DaRos stated, “Kurt has been on the RTM for many, many years and when there is an opportunity to bring on a guy of this caliber I think we should seize it.”
  
  Opie responded, “It’s not so much to do with the person as the process. I know both probably better than both of you. Both would do a good job.” Opie went on to explain that Schwanfelder did not go through the 10 member RTC selection committee and was nominated through DaRos and Walsh; not following the town process.
  
  After stating if Schwanfelder had gone through the process, “he’d probably be the candidate we’d be endorsing today,” Opie abstained from voting and Schawnfelder was approved by DaRos and Walsh on the grounds that the BOS has the ultimate say regardless of the nominating process, which they stated is a “recommendation.”

• Also in an appointment, which was another contentious issue of process, Tara Bartlett was appointed to the Representative Town Meeting (RTM) to replace Maryanne Amore. Opie had argued at the last BOS meeting that her nomination had also not gone through the proper process. Her appointment and the appointment of Andrew Campbell to replace Laurel Merrick were approved.

• Jay Jones was approved to replace William Iovene with terms to expire Aug. 31, 2012 and Martin Hallier to replace William Davis with terms to expire Aug. 31, 2013 on the Shellfish Commission.
• The appointment of Stan Konesky to replace Mary Grande on the Board of Recreation Committee was removed from the agenda; . Learn more about Grande .

• Public Comment was nothing shy of heated when citizen Ann Devlin asked for the resignation of Alice Lambert following (flipping the bird) to resident Wayne Cooke at the last RTM Meeting. She also called for her resignation after Lambert’s Letter to the Editor appeared in the New Haven Register earlier this week.
  
  She asked the BOS, “Do you condone this behavior?” She continued stating that the BOS either condones the behavior or asks for her resignation.
  
  Ultimately the BOS stated that they do not make decisions for the RTM and that they hope the RTM will handle the issue. Clearly stating that he did not condone the behavior, Opie also added, “We have no control over an elected official.” He furthered, “This was a poor example of our form of government.”
  
  Walsh added, “Please don’t think we support that behavior.”
  
  DaRos then offered, “Bizarre behavior begets bizarre behavior,” to which Cooke, the target of the obscene gesture, took offence.
  
  The issue was not resolved.

• Cooke then brought his case before the BOS regarding his farm tax status for his property at 573 East Main St.  On Feb. 22 the town informed Cooke that his property’s farm tax status, CT Public Ac 490 would not be restored. The letter from the town attorney stated, “Based on inspection, the Town was unable to confirm that your clients (Cooke family) were farming 573 East Main Street actively and commercially prior to September 1, 2010.”
  
  Cooke argued with support of an affidavit, that he had paid a farmer to “mow, plow, and harrow approximately 2 1/2 acres of an overgrown hayfield located at 573 Main Street in Branford.” The work was completed in August of 2010.
  
  Cooke then provided the BOS with documentation from Ron Olsen, Marketing/Inspection Representative of the Connecticut Department of Agriculture who stated: “I was asked to look at Mr. Cooke’s land to determine the status of a section of land that was recently cleared of Autumn Olive shrubs and planted over with grass/rye seed… This area has been cleared, harrowed and planted… It is my understanding that this land is being readied for panting of vegetable crops in the spring of next year… [2011].”
  
  Cooke’s booklet of documents states, “By not honoring the settlement, the town is imposing additional tax increase in the Cooke family of $48,749.84 per year– with interest– a total of $164,260.94 for the last three years.
  
  In as much as the family has already incurred over $80,000 in legal fees, and can not afford to pay the above amount, the Town is forcing the property into foreclosure.”
  
  Clearly fed up with the ongoing fight between himself and Cooke, DaRos asked Opie to read through Cooke’s material and all material not presented by Cooke regarding the resident’s farm tax status to see if he could make headway with Cooke.
  
  Not completely satisfied, Cooke agreed to the measure and working with Opie.