Common Council

SPECIAL MEETING OF THE COMMON COUNCIL MIDDLETOWN CONNECTICUT QUESTIONS TO DIRECTORS JUNE 3, 2019 AT 6:00 P.M. MINUTES The Special Meeting, the Questions to Directors Workshop of the Common Council of the City of Middletown, was held in the Council Chamber of the Municipal Building on Monday, June 3, 2019, at 6:00 PM. Present: Councilman Gerald Daley Councilman Eugene Nocera Councilman Sebastian Giuliano Councilman Philip Pessina Councilwoman Deborah Kleckowski Councilwoman Linda Salafia Councilman Robert Santangelo Absent: Councilwoman Mary Bartolotta; Councilman Robert Blanchard; Councilman Carl Chisem; Councilman W. Vance Cotten’ Councilman Grady Faulkner, Jr.; and Corporation Counsel Daniel Ryan Esq. Also Present: Council Clerk – Linda S.K. Reed Health – Kevin Elak, R.S. Arts Coordinator - Keisha Michael Planning & Zoning Dir. – Joseph Samolis City & Town Clerk – Ashley Flynn, CCTC Police Department – Capt. John Lezefski Communications Dir. -- Wayne Bartolotta Recreation & Sr Serv. Dir. – Cathy Lefkowitz Equal Opp. & Diversity – Faith Jackson Technology Services – Bryan Skowera Fire Department – Dep. Chief Al Leary Water & Sewer Dir -- Joseph Fazzino General Counsel – Brig Smith, Esq. Youth Services Coord. – Justin Carbonella, MPA Members of the Public: 40 1. Call to Order Deputy Mayor Robert Santangelo, calls the meeting to order at 6:01 PM and leads the public in the Pledge of Allegiance. The Clerk reads the Call of the Meeting and the Chair declares the call a legal call and the meeting a legal meeting. 2. Questions to Directors Opens The Chair asks if anyone has questions for any directors. The Chair calls on Councilman Sebastian Giuliano. Councilman Giuliano asks City Attorney Brig Smith, Esq, to step to the podium. Councilman Giuliano has questions regarding Agenda Item 13F, the ordinance described as correcting scrivener’s errors in the Code of Ordinances. As he reads it, it seems like blanket instructions to substitute words and terms throughout the Code, wherever they may appear. He asks if he is reading this proposed ordinance correctly. Attorney Smith replies that, as he recalls, it is a catchall. Councilman Giuliano agrees that it seems to be a catchall. He notes that, as he understands it, this would be turned over to printer and expect the printer to make these changes. Attorney Smith adds that an online publisher as well would receive the document. Councilman Giuliano states that, this would happen without regard, adding that it would simply be like telling the computer to find all of these terms and substitute another term. Those changes would occur without regard for the context of where those terms may appear. This is troubling to him. He asks Attorney Smith if he would have a problem with sending this item back to Committee and we do it ourselves like legislators we are. Attorney Smith replies that he has no issue with this, adding that he does not know if there is, operationally, any urgency for renaming the commission or the department. Operationally, he is fine with this.  JUNE 3, 2019 SPECIAL COMMON COUNCIL MEETING – QUESTIONS TO DIRECTORS Page 2 Councilman Giuliano states that it’s the Council’s job to legislate, not to just hand it over to a printer or online publisher and expect them to do this. He continues, noting that the difficulty that he has with this is that we should be looking at the context of the changes to be made and make sure that they are doing what we intend and it is not creating another problem somewhere else. Attorney Smith replies that the only question, adding that he does not know for sure, if this would be the only reference within the Code of Ordinances. There are probably a limited number of references and, contextually, decide if it make sense to replace it. Councilman Giuliano states that he would be happy to participate in that process, even though he is not on the General Counsels Commission. He wants to be sure that there is no urgency to this and that there is time to do this. Attorney Smith replies that he does not know. Operationally, he can tell the Council what they need to do to make the changes and send it back to the Committee. Whether it is urgent, noting that he believes that the department is here, if there is urgency to the timing at all. Inaudible comments by unidentified speaker. Attorney Smith states, “No urgency.” Councilman Giuliano thanks Attorney Smith and tells the Chair that he has no other questions. 3. Questions to Directors Closes There being no further questions for this director or any other director, the Chair states that he will adjourn the meeting. Councilman Gerald Daley moves to adjourn. Councilwoman Deborah Kleckowski seconds the motion. There being no discussion, the Chair calls for a vote. The vote is unanimous with six (6) aye votes. The Motion to Adjourn is approved. The meeting is adjourned at 6:08 PM ATTEST: LINDA S.K. REED, COMMON COUNCIL CLERK K: review/ minutes/ 19 June 03 – Questions to Directors – 03 June 2019