Good evening everyone I call to order this October 1st 2025 public hearing and regular meeting of the Committee on Administration Finance and Law and Public Services. The time is now 630 p.m. Ms. Clerk will you please call the roll Alderman Connors Present Alderman Barbosa Alderman McNamara Here Alderman Santiago Alderman Simpson. Present. Alderman Gibson. Here. Alderman Pabon. Here. Alderman Smedley. Here. Alderman Saavedra. Here. You have a quorum also seated are Alderman Russell Alderman Malinowski. Thank you Ms. Clark. Thank you. And when you get to your desk, will you please read into the record the notice of public hearing? Oh, there's a little feedback. Yeah, we got a little echo. Unless someone wants to make a motion. I make a motion, Mr. Chairman. Alderman Bolin-Savedra. I make a motion that we waive the reading. Second. A motion to waive the reading made by Alderman Bolin-Savedra, seconded by Alderman Simpson. All in favor say aye. Aye. All opposed nay motion carries reading is waived. Having been properly noticed we will begin the public hearing. Please remember to state your name and address for the record and limit your speaking time to three minutes. The item for public hearing is 3 6 9 5 5 to amend Chapter 2 of the Code of Ordinances to create a uniform term of office for department heads. I have two speakers on the sign up list. Donald Malinowski. Good evening. State your name and address for the record. You have three minutes. Thank you. Good evening everybody. After attending the council meeting on Wednesday I felt compelled to come and speak tonight concerning this proposed ordinance. I think it's appropriate at this point for me to read FROM OUR CITY CHARTER, SECTION 8-2, EXCEPT OTHERWISE PROVIDED BY STATE LAW OR THE CHARTER, ALL DEPARTMENT HEADS SHALL BE APPOINTED AND SUBJECT TO THE AUTHORITY OF THE MAYOR FOLLOWING THE CONSENT OF THE COMMON COUNCIL AND MAY NOT BE REMOVED FROM OFFICE EXCEPT FOR CAUSE WHICH SHALL NOT BE POLITICAL. IMPORTANT POINT. THE OTHER SECTION IS TERMS OF THE DEPARTMENT HEADS. Common Council discretion, the Common Council may in its discretion establish by ordinance a uniform term of office for all department heads, which term shall be for a period no less than four years. So while one can do a thing, one should not necessarily do a thing. When we have an opening for a department head in the City of New Britain, we expect to fill that department THAT POSITION WITH SOMEONE WHO HAS PROFESSIONALISM, MANAGERIAL SKILLS, EXPERIENCES, EDUCATION. IN OTHER WORDS, AN ESTABLISHED PROFESSIONAL. FOR ESTABLISHED PROFESSIONAL, WHEN THEY ARE IN A JOB SEARCH AND THEY START LOOKING AT PERSPECTIVE POSITIONS, THEY CERTAINLY ARE TAKING A LOOK AT THE POSITION ITSELF AND AT THE CITY ITSELF. We will be interviewing them. The city of New Britain will be interviewing them. The mayor will be interviewing them. There is a process. However, they will also be interviewing us. And they will be trying to decide, especially for a position that requires them moving to the city, such as fire chief or police chief, they will be trying to decide if they're going to move their established family to the city, if they're going to sell their home somewhere else, whether it be local or whether it be somewhere else in the country. And by the way, why should somebody decide they're going to move? If we have a national search for a position, why should somebody decide to move across the country when in a four-year position, they don't even qualify for the retirement package that the city provides? You need to have five years to be vested. So national results will yield no candidates. A candidate who is Going through the advantages and disadvantages of the job certainly will say, I have to go in front of the council every four years and beg for my job back. These are professionals. These are people who spend a lot of time getting to where they are. Thank you, Don. Thank you, Don. Next we have Michelle Malinowski. Oh sure, Donald Malinowski, 69 Baruda Street. And I would also like to note that Alderman Santiago joined us at 6.29 p.m. for the record. Chairwoman Malinowski from the Historic Preservation Commission, the floor is yours. Please state your name and address, and you've got three minutes. Microphone on. Hit the man with the mouth, the person with the mouth there. Yeah. How many Malinowskis does it take? Michelle Malinowski 1928 Stanley Street New Britain Connecticut 06053 and a lifelong resident of the city of New Britain. Many of my comments are actually mirroring those of the previous speaker. I think what we need to address is department head continuity is a key component of effective and efficient city government and creates a culture of stability within that department. And some department heads possess historical and institutional knowledge of their departments and the functioning of city government which is an axe an asset. I'm truly concerned that a four year contract for department heads will diminish and I stress that a pool of qualified candidates if a position becomes vacant and also can create a revolving door of department heads because as people look and are searching for a position and they see that this position is basically years okay you know they're gonna question why should I bother okay we want to draw the best okay so I think what is outlined here or what is proposed is going to be a detriment to the functioning the government functioning of our departments and the city as a whole and I'm also concerned that the city the city services and needs of the residents will be negatively impacted by this proposal and the and this is my personal observation that I see this okay as a political overreach of council power and I was very dismayed by that thank you for your time. Thank you Michelle any speakers online. Hello, caller ending 7-4-5-1, please state your name and address for the record and you have three minutes, 7-4-5-1. Caller ending 7-4-5-1. Floor is yours. Three minutes. State your name and address. Yes. My name is Albert Lucas from CMS. Address is 66 Harbor and Close, Leven, Connecticut 06519. I am testifying tonight on behalf of this proposal from personal experience of dealing with this here in the city of Leven. Here I serve as our Director of Legislative Services. Back in 1992, we did a charter revision which included this similar provision. Prior to that, we did not have a provision for terms for department heads, but we've had it now since 1992. I will say that all of our departments, we've done national searches for all of them. We've had no issues in terms of attracting quality candidates. related to the opening positions that we have had over the years. We have found that this actually empowers the executives to be able to select their own department heads once they come in and gives them the ability to have a check and be in charge of their department heads. This was an issue prior to 1992. when we had department heads that were very defiant to the chief executives because they felt like they had permanent appointments and therefore that they had more authority than the chief executive did. So from a perspective of, a good government perspective, I can tell you that the meeting has worked out very well over the years. Again, we had no issue attracting professional candidates from all the departments It's actually been very helpful to managing the city and being able to put the power in the appropriate places for the appointed authorities to actually have the authority to actually appoint more than once. And that is the case generally in most of the towns and cities around the state. So I'm available to you all for any type of consultation. I just wanted to give you guys a real-life example of how it's been working for us for the better part of the last three decades. Thank you. Thank you very much for the call. Do we have any other callers? Thank you. All right. Are there any additional speakers for this item? Are there any additional speakers for this item? Seeing no speakers, we will close the public hearing and move on to the regular meeting. The time is now 6.42 p.m. I would ask if the caller wants to remain on the line, given the subject matter expertise, we would be grateful for that. Should anyone want to ask the caller questions, I'm not sure if that would, hang on a minute. All right. Oh, there's an echo. All right. So seeing no speakers, we will close the public hearing and move on to the regular meeting. The time is now 6.43 PM. The item on the agenda is item number 36955 to amend chapter 2 of the code of ordinances to create a uniform term of office for department heads. May I have a motion? Mr. Chair. Alderman Santiago. Just for conversation's sake, make a motion ACCEPT AND REFER TO THE COUNCIL WITH A NEUTRAL RECOMMENDATION. I HAVE A MOTION. ITEM NUMBER 36955. MOTION MADE BY ALDERMAN SANTIAGO. DO I HAVE A SECOND? SECONDED BY ALDERMAN SIMPSON. MOTION TO REFER IS MADE. DO WE HAVE ANY DISCUSSION ON THE ITEM? ALDERWOMAN SCOTT. HI EVERYBODY. I JUST WANT TO SAY THAT THIS IS very simple this is simple and it's very good government and it's good legislation and we should move forward with this and take a look at it it's a positive move for our government for the city it follows our very own charter that we have that requires us to make these simple steps this resolution to provide an ordinance for this resolution This is our responsibility for transparency and what we need to do to support our very own charter. We need to move to do this for our department heads. It's very simple it's just missing and it's not present and this resolution would correct and implement things that are missing. And I know that I am not a voting member here tonight but there are. a couple of amendments I believe that need to be made to this resolution and seeing as you know we do we had our caller call in from New Haven and let us know that for three decades this has been working out there and that you know I happen to be a professional myself and I don't think that this would deter me from applying for a job. So I think. I hope that you guys could look at this and do the amendments now ask for the amendments that we need to look at this resolution further. DIRECTOR DEWOLF. Thank you Alderwoman Scott Alderwoman Boland-Savedra. DIRECTOR DEWOLF. I make a motion to table. DIRECTOR DEWOLF. Second. DIRECTOR DEWOLF. Motion to table made by Alderwoman Boland-Savedra seconded by Alderman Smedley. Is this a roll call vote. No. All in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed. I have five to three. The motion of the item is tabled. Motion to adjourn made by Alderman Santiago seconded by Alderman Gibson. Time is now 6 46. Thank you.