Nomination to Durham P&Z stirs controversy

Durham Selectman Jim McLaughlin walked out in the middle of the last Board of Selectmen's meeting in frustration over his inability to get either of the other selectmen to second the nomination of Campbell Barrett to fill an alternate vacancy on the Planning and Zoning Commission.

Based on past practice, when a member or an alternate member of a board or commission resigns, the party that the person represents nominates someone to fill the slot. That nomination is then approved by the Board of Selectmen (BOS), who do not have to accept it, but who have never not accepted a nomination, at least not in the memory of this reporter. In this case, the resignation of a Democratic alternate on P&Z left the task of filling the vacancy to the Democratic Town Committee nominating committee, co-chaired by Amy Bloom and Kary Strickland.

They submitted the name of Campbell Barrett and his resume to the selectmen's office prior to the Aug. 25 meeting. That afternoon, Renee Edwards, a former Democratic member of the BOS, received a call from First Selectman Laura Francis asking her to withdraw Barrett's name from nomination. Since Edwards was not part of the nominating process, and Francis did not ask her to contact the people who were, Edwards did nothing. "It wasn't my call to make," Edwards explained.

So, Monday evening Campbell Barrett and Kary Strickland showed up at the meeting in case anyone had any questions and to present the candidate. This is what normally happens. McLaughlin placed Barrett's name in nomination and waited for the usual second, but nothing happened. McLaughlin asked why no one (either Francis or Selectman John Szewczyk) was seconding the nomination.

Francis explained that she could not do so based on the advice of P&Z attorney Tom Byrnes. He had proffered this advice after Francis came into possession of a letter Barrett wrote weighing in against the planned Silver Eagle-Price Chopper application earlier in the year. This prompted Francis to call Byrnes. "He would have to recuse himself if this came up again," Francis said, based on Byrne's opinion. During this discussion, Barrett, an attorney, was not allowed to speak or explain his earlier position or actions.

Then McLaughlin stood up and left, noting on his way out that there was "no point" in remaining in the meeting.

Contacted several days later, McLaughlin was still upset. "I'm so disappointed," he said. "This smacks of the old style of politics. Tom Byrne, who is an excellent P&Z attorney, is not responsible for making political judgments on who should serve on our P&Z Commission. He is paid with tax dollars - Democratic tax dollars and Republican tax dollars - to make sure that P&Z is on solid legal ground when they make decisions."

"Hundreds of people voiced their opinions on the Silver Eagle-Price Chopper project, which is currently in the courts anyway, and probably won't be back to P&Z for years, if ever. Is anyone who voices an opinion on a current issue unfit to serve on a board or commission?" he asked.

Meanwhile, Francis laid her reluctance to speak to anyone before the meeting about the pending nomination and her decision not to second it to her respect for the Freedom of Information process. "I wanted any discussion to take place in public," she said. However, without a second for the nomination, little public discussion about Barrett ended up taking place anyway.

Special town meeting set

Following this rocky start, the rest of the meeting was rather anti-climactic. The major piece of business conducted was the setting of a special town meeting for Wednesday, Sept. 10, in the downstairs library meeting room. Three of the items on the agenda involve transfers - $13,900 from the reserve fund for cemetery repairs to the Durham Cemetery Company for actual repairs; $50,000 from Highway Department Reserve to the actual highway department account, again to allow work to be completed; and $179,795 in miscellaneous transfers recommended by the Board of Finance (BOF) on Aug. 12.

The fourth item will be to approve carryovers in the amount of $402,793, also as approved by the BOF on Aug. 12.

Two other possible agenda items might be approved before the meeting, including possible purchase of roadside mower if the BOF approves that purchase next week and a temporary rate increase of $250 per household for customers of the Durham Water Company to cover a budget shortfall.

Requests to use town roads or town-owned land were approved for two organizations, including parking for the Durham Fair around the firehouse by the Durham Fire Company and use of town roads by the New Britain Police for a charity motorcycle ride on Sept. 4.

The First Selectman was also authorized to execute a memorandum of understanding allowing the town to participate in an Emergency Management grant program.

Public safety and traffic concerns

In response to a request from the Public Safety Committee to make improvements to Higganum Road, the BOS decided to find out why previously approved improvements, including repainting the center line with reflective paint, posting reflective speed limit signs in both directions and placing reflectors on the guard rails, has not been done. The request to install S-curve and "Blind Driveway Ahead" signs was postponed in deference to Francis' feeling that the BOS, acting as the town's traffic authority, is not making these decisions in the best way.

Based on workshops she has attended, she believes that the town needs to adopt the "best practices" advocated by state traffic experts, as well as create a manual so that decisions are standardized.

Other Business

The selectmen accepted the resignation of Trish Dynia from the Historic District Commission.

They also discussed forming a working group to study possible uses of the 55-acre +/- Lake Grove School property. After discussion with Tom Byrne, Francis suggested that the group should not have members of P&Z or the Inland Wetlands Agency on it, but only representatives from the BOS, the Economic Development Commission and town planner Geoff Colegrove as staff.

Francis announced that the flu shot clinic, for all residents 18 and over, will be held on Oct. 24 from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. and then from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the medical building on the Durham fairgrounds.

Town clerk Kim Garvis is attempting to establish a Town Hall team for the upcoming adult spelling bee. Garvis and Francis have also met with providers about twon website improvements, and Francis said she had been interviewed by a Middletown filmmaker for a documentary on Red Sox vs. Yankee fandom.

Finally, Francis noted that the issue of joining a regional health district was moving to the front burner again, this time with Middlefield coming along, and the BOS adopted a proclamation designating September as Leukemia, Lymphoma and Myeloma Awareness Month.