After Q&A, Council Approves Finance Appointees [UPDATE]

UPDATE, 9:00pm

The Town Council, in a break from recent practice, held a question and answer session with Board of Finance appointees before voting Thursday night to seat them. 

Four were approved unanimously. Town Council member Penny Young voted against the appointment of former First Selectman, Judy Neville.

In comments following the vote, Young said, she could not support Neville's appointment after speaking with voters, which, "caused me to research the election results of four years ago." While she said the town could benefit from Neville's experience, she did not, "think the Board of Finance, as the voters have expressed, is the place for it."

Council members Roger Williams, John Emert and Chris Hussey spoke following Young's remarks, in support of Neville. Emert said he lost an election for Town Council and was subsequently appointed to the Board of Finance. 

ORIGINAL STORY

Five nominees for the , , will go before the for approval tonight. The meeting, to be held at 6:30 p.m. in is open to the public.

Originally scheduled for Jan. 11, the date was moved up due to scheduling conflicts with the appointees and council members, said Kit Devereaux, Town Council secretary.

On Jan. 10 and 11, the Board of Selectmen, Town Council and Board of Finance are scheduled to meet in joint session for town department budget presentations.

Roger Williams, Town Council member said it was important these appointees are seated for those meetings. "We owe it to these people who are willing to serve on the Board of Finance to confirm them prior to that meeting," he said.

Williams also questioned why tonight's meeting, which he learned about in a Dec. 29 email from Town Council chair, Mark deWaele, was not posted on the town website until Jan. 4. 

Asked if the question and answer session planned with the appointees was a change from past practice, Steve Karl, Town Council vice chair, said he was not sure. He said, "A lot of people said they're (the appointees) well-known, why can't we just vote them in and be done with it ... the message to the voter, I think, is we're bound by the charter to do our job and do it right."

Karl said the process, while in a formal setting, will be informal in tone, "it's not the Spanish Inquisition," but a "nice give and take to let the town know their opinions."

Regarding the composition of Finance, assuming these appointees are approved, Karl said people have asked him if it's wise to have one-third of the BOF members made up of the current and former Selectmen, rather than "traditional finance people." 

"We'll vote these folks on because Rob's asked us to do this. Is this really what's right for the town in terms of the way we go forward?" he said.

Mary Davis Cody is being considered for reappointment as a regular member, Judy Neville and Sally Hines are nominated for appointment as regular members and John Kanter and John Sheffield are under consideration as alternate members.