The three Democratic members of the City Council are proposing that members of the public and the Council be again be permitted to participate in meetings remotely.
The proposed resolution would provide,
that the City of New Britain allow for remote participation for members of the Common Council as well as the public to ensure the safety of those participating and to maintain access for members and the public to engage in all Common Council related meetings.
The resolution is proposed by Ald. Aram Ayalon (D-3), Ald. Angel Segarra (D-2) and Ald. Iris Sanchez (D-3).
The proposal is set to have a public hearing tonight, Februrary 2, 2022, in the Council’s Committee on Administration, Finance and Law. The hearing is to begin at 7:00pm and is to be held in the Council Chamber on the second floor of City Hall at 27 West Main Street.
Ironically, members of the public would have to attend the hearing in-person in order to testify in support of remote meeting participation.
Effective in August of 2021, Council Republicans announced an end to the remote participation in Council meetings that had been permitted, and even required, because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to that, members of the public could call in their testimony and opinions by telephone to public hearings in Council committees and public speaking sessions of the Council.
Republicans had a 9 to 6 majority on the Council when remote public participation was revoked, and have a 12 to 3 majority now, after the 2021 city elections.
In 2020, Council Republican had attempted to cut-off remote access for Council members to meetings, but reportedly backed down after Ald. Aram Ayalon (D-3) filed a Freedom of Information complaint against the policy.
Council meetings had been conducted with a system that allowed Council members to speak and vote remotely, but that system is now not being used.
The decisions by New Britain City Hall under Republican Mayor Erin Stewart and her Republican Council majority against remote public and Council participation in meetings is in stark contrast to continuing remote participation recently announced by Democratic leaders in the state legislature.
The state legislative leaders announced that, “Public Hearings and committee meetings that are held for organizational purposes, raising bills or voting on resolutions will be held remotely during the month of February,” adding that they would review the policy in February.
“During Zoom public hearings,” the state legislative leaders added, “members of the public will once again be able to testify remotely from the safety and convenience of their home.”
But state legislative leaders went further than just announcing the remote public speaking as a public health measure due to COVID-19, noting that,
Thanks to the option for members of the public to testify about proposed bills via Zoom from the comfort of their home, car, or office, the amount of public hearing testimony submitted to the Judiciary Committee increased by 44% from 2017 to 2021, from 1,500 pieces of pre-pandemic, in-person public bill testimony submitted in 2017 to 2,162 pieces of remote-only public bill testimony submitted in 2021 during the pandemic.
“Remote access has increased hearing length but we see that as a good thing, ” said Sen. Gary Winfield (D-10), Senate Chair of the state legislature’s Judiciary Committee. “It means that people who would testify but don’t have the luxury of taking a whole day to do so now can. It means those who would testify but don’t have transportation may do so.”
“Remote hearings increased access to participate in our democracy, Sen. Winfield added. “So we view it as leaning into what we believe in: a fairer, more transparent and more democratic process.”
“I’ve received calls from constituents informing me that with the remote public hearings they have been able to testify for their first time in their lives on proposed legislation,” said Sen. Martin M. Looney (D-11), the President Pro-Tempore of the Senate.
Meanwhile, in New Britain, the resolution to bring back public and Council remote participation in meetings says that, “due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the ease at which the omicron variant spreads from person to person, it would be of the best interest of the City of New Britain to employ health precautions to ensure the safety of its employees, residents and elected officials.”
