Op-Ed: A Need to Advance Good Government in City Hall

By Ald. Aram Ayalon

A series of recent decisions by the mayor and the Republican-led majority of the New Britain City Council, point to the lack of good government practices. For example, mayor Stewart decided to put aside a well-qualified and community-supported deputy chief of Police Murphy and appoint a less experienced and less qualified childhood friend as police chief instead. Another example was to put on the November 2022 election ballot a question regarding five important changes to the city charter without specifying on the ballot what they were.  A third example pertains to the city budget. In a second year in a row, mayor Stewart decided to take more municipal bonds for city projects, increasing city debt without consulting with an independent financial advisor. Since 2016, the city added new bonds every two years kicking the debt can further and putting the city in a deeper debt hole. The mayor continues to rely on the financial advice of her investment underwriter, her former chief of staff, John Healey of Mesirow Financial Holdings, Inc., who profits from the city following his advice.

What are the aspects of good local municipal government practices and what changes are needed in New Britain? According to ChangeLab Solutions, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization that works with local municipalities to create healthier communities through equitable laws and policies, the following practices should be followed:

• Use Participatory Budget (PB) that allows community members to directly decide how to spend local budgets. At present, New Britain residents have little say about the budget and hence schools are woefully underfunded. The current practice of one-way communication through public hearings where the public has 3 minutes to speak, often results in deeper public mistrust.
• Use Public Deliberation to shape policies by engaging the public, especially groups whose voices are often marginalized. Currently, most municipal decisions are made by mayor Stewart and a small group of cabinet members with little public participation which result in such practices as lavish tax abatement to rich developers who stand to gain more profit while taxpayers are left to pick up the tab.
• Use Participatory planning for community planning where diverse perspectives are brought to the table early in the planning process. The City of New Britain has a long-term planning committee but includes little input, voice, and participation by various public constituents. When public hearing is conducted it’s often late in the process and those who show up tend to be older male homeowners. 
• Use pro-voter policies such as extending local voting to non-citizens and undocumented immigrants, making polling places more accessible, and providing public finance to local candidates. Voter turnout in New Britain during municipal elections is shamefully low (15%). Recently, the city of New Britain moved polls from schools to churches making those locations less accessible with less lighting at night and less parking spaces in some locations. Furthermore, the recent redrawing of voting wards in New Britain reduced the voting power of the Latino and black communities who constitute 60% of the voting population but only two of the five wards represent this ratio.

In sum, we need more public voice and participation in the process of planning, budgeting, policy making, and voter participation. Furthermore, currently, the mayor’s position in New Britain holds too much power. Because of the 18-year rule of father and daughter Stewart, the city’s workforce includes many friends and relatives of the Stewart family. Furthermore, mayor Stewart controls who gets to be nominated to the city council from the Republican side, some of whom are city employees. She also appoints all staff and commissions; and holds veto power over city council decisions. On the other hand, the New Britain City Council has diminished power – it has only one administrator and has little budget to support independent investigation and attorney advice. We need a new and fresh voice at the mayor’s office and to reopen the city charter and provide more balanced power and more voice and input to the public and the common council. The residents of New Britain deserve better!

Editor’s note: The author of this op-ed is the Minority Leader on the City Council.

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