This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Politics & Government

Lakeview Ave. Bridge Arbitration Subcommittee Holds Its Final Fact Finding Session

Interviews with New Canaan's Town Treasurer, the town auditor and the Chair of the Town Council.

The Fourth of July has come and gone but fireworks are still going off in New Canaan. On Wednesday night at , the Lakeview Avenue Bridge Arbitration Subcommittee held its third and final meeting aimed at getting the facts and improving the process to make sure the mess that was the Lakeview Ave. bridge project doesn't happen again.

V. Donald Hersam, the town's treasurer since 1965, appeared before the committee. Hersam's signature is on the checks issued to cover the arbitration award. He said the questions being asked last night were the first that he'd answered about his job in 46 years. 

"It is primarily a signatory position," Hersam told the committee. "I have no administration or authority over regulation of funds." 

Find out what's happening in New Canaanwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Town Council member Thomas O'Dea asked Hersam about his responsibilities in the post, for which Hersam currently receives an annual stipend of $1,400.

"So it's my understanding you've never been asked to perform an audit function or corrabation function of the checks?" he asked.

Find out what's happening in New Canaanwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"This is the first question I've been asked in 46 years," Hersam said. "And that's being honest." 

The town's auditor, Scott Vassett of McGladrey and Pullen, was asked about the auditor's role in this case and why there was no mention of the litigation expenses in the audit report. 

Mark De Waele, Chairman of the  created a handout for the subcommittee in which he made "three recommendations to address the deficiencies that led to the Lakeview Ave. bridge issue."

His recommendations are:

  1. Require a monthly report from each Town Council Subcommittee Chair, to update activity at the committees they oversee. Each Chair would be responsible for contacting their respective department prior to the Town Council meeting. 
  2. Establish a formal monthly meeting of the Town Council Executive Committee — the Chairman, Vice Chairman and Secretary — to create the Town Council meeting agenda. 
  3. Establish a quarterly meeting of "the , Town Council Executive Committee, Secretary of the , CFO, Town Administrator, department heads, Chairman of Committees and the Superintendent of Schools."

The temperature of the meeting was raised when the subject of whether or not the arbitration judgement against the town was bondable. Paul Foley, chairman of Public Works Subcommittee interpreted C5-25 of the Town Charter to say that judgements against the town cannot be bonded.

O'Dea, who is an attorney, stated that C5-25 "does not say that you can't bond it" and that the phrase "non-bondable is not in it".

O'Dea said that he has been reading and interpreting statutes for more than 20 years. Foley countered by saying that he's been in securities for more than 30 years and said this issue would not have happened if there had been full disclosure of these judgements and payouts by town leaders.

Town Council member Penny Young said, "and that's the responsibility of all three selectmen". 

Appearing agitated, Foley said, "Penny, you've made your point."

Young replied, "well, you're making points, I'm entitled to make my points." 

Foley finished by stating that Young "was in charge of the Charter review committee and thought (Young) would have more of an opinion on the Charter as well."

To that, O'Dea said, "I'll take my 20 years of legal experience over your 30 years of securities experience. But when it's a securities issue, I'm going to you."

The subcommittee will meet again on Tuesday, July 19 to formulate recommendations to present to the Town Council.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?