Letter by Marie Bachand, Vicky Ramos and Manny Sandoval,
To the members of the North Oak Community,
We the members of the North Oak Neighborhood Revitalization Zone would like to make a statement at this time. It is with a sad heart and much displeasure that we bring information that has been detrimental to the North Oak Area NRZ. Due to the unruly behavior by someone representing the North Oak NRZ, the city of New Britain has informed the NRZ that the City will cease to provide any assistance to the elected officials representing the North Oak NRZ. As many of you may or may not know, there has been an overextension of power and authority by an elected official of the North Oak NRZ. The individual conducting himself in such an unprofessional and unruly manner and who has recently made decisions that may have had an adverse effect on our neighborhood is Pablo Rodriguez, who was recently elected as the President of the NRZ. Pablo has chosen to act on behalf of the North Oak NRZ without actually cooperating with the rest of the elected NRZ Board members and his failure to discuss any decisions with the rest of the board may have resulted in an unwarranted response to the neighborhood due to his behavior.
The fact that Pablo along with the rest of the North Oak NRZ board members are elected requires that we meet and discuss all decision-making opportunities before any decisions are made. It further requires that we as a unit vote on any and all decisions that may have an effect on our neighborhood. In this capacity Pablo has continually overextended his authority and has made decisions that have been detrimental to the reputation of the NRZ. It is for this reason that the remaining board members would like to remind Pablo that this is a volunteer position with shared leadership with fellow board members, all of whom have been elected to represent the North Qak area residents. This is not a dictatorship and Pablo can no longer continue to act in such a manner. We, the Board of the North Oak NRZ, are officially joining the leaders of the Common Council along with other city officials and city residents to request the resignation of Pablo Rodriguez as the President of the North Oak NRZ. If Pablo so chooses to resign he may be permitted the opportunity to continue on as an NRZ community member. However, if Pablo instead chooses to continue his attempts to demean the mayor, as well as continue to embarrass fellow citizens such as Edgar Lopez, a fellow board member who was attempting to conduct community services within our community, we, the Board, will be forced to conduct a vote in which we will ask all stakeholders to weigh in on the said removal of Pablo Rodriguez from the position of President of the North Oak NRZ.
Pablo’s accusations against a fellow community member have caused the unjustified termination of the Public Safety Committee Chair, and has caused undue stress and hardship on Mr. Lopez. It has also been determined that Pablo undermined the status and importance of each board member of the North Oak NRZ by failing to include them in the decision-making process associated with the NRZ. This, accompanied by intentional defamation of the Mayor of New Britain, has caused community leaders on both sides of the aisle to request Pablo’s resignation. Councilman Carlozzi and Councilman Rosado have both expressed distaste and are appalled by his actions.
So, it is with unfortunate regret that the remaining board members of the North Oak NRZ call for Pablo’s resignation. Pablo, thank you for the time and dedication you showed towards your community; however, at this time we believe this is the only course of action. Good luck in your endeavors.
In Solidarity,
Marie Bachand
Vicky Ramos
Manny Sandoval
