Press release from Democratic City Council candidate Bruce Lydem:
The continued debate over the town manager form of government continues. As a candidate for Bristol 2nd District I have stated and been consistent in my support for our current form of government.
We should not lose sight that the board of finance is a unique situation that we have. Members of that board, past and present, have been frugal with taxpayer funds. Secondly, all members of the board are volunteers and give generously of their time and expertise.
Many cities in the state of Connecticut of significant size have a strong mayor form of government. Bristol is of a significant size. The current structure helps us to govern our ever growing city and allows us to professionally manage its growth.
Democracy is vital to our society. Citizens should have a say, by voting, in or out, their elected leaders. Under a town manager system the citizen’s right to rid themselves of leadership they don’t approve of will be eliminated. This is not right! I believe that the people of Bristol should have the power to decide the fate of their city.
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Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
10 comments:
Great press release! Nothing of substance from you as usual. Let's leave everything as it is! Great! This has served us well. Taxes go up every year, development stagnates, more closed door government, more partisan politics. Wow I love this city and the dimwits we draw into politics every year.
Bruce, whatever you do, don't rock the boat and take a stand on anything at all that might be a little different from the status quo. You might turn off your base... You know, the pro Zoppo crowd with their tails between their legs and your union brothers who are funding your campaign.
Hey Bruce, you state that the voters should ahve the right to vote out leadership it doesn't want.
Don't you think they should have the right to vote on thier form of government.
Who are you to tell me what type of government I want or don't want?
I know you've been busy lately but, have you heard how ticked off Bristol residents are with the status quo.
That's why your girl Zoppo was defeated.
Why is everyone attaching Lydem to Ellen?
Q: Did he campaign for her?
A: Yes
Q: Did he work the pols for her?
A: Yes
Q: Did he support her against the advice of his union brothers?
A: Yes
I wonder did she approve of this press release, or did you try to patch things up with the unions and get their approval first?
Bruce Lie Dem. The name says it all.
How are McCauley and Minor getting off the hook here?
I don't know how they will make any decisions with out their W.W.E.D. bracelets now that she won't be around.
W - What
W - would
E - Ellen
D - do?
The unions dropped Minor because he is in favor of a city manager. they know where their bread gets buttered, and its in the backroom not the city manager's office.
Give it a rest!
Lydem very well said ,you have my support on election day.I do not see to many other canidates sending in press releases on important issues that could effect our Bristol. good luck
Mr. Lydem expresses his support for our “current form of government”. I am glad he is willing to state his position succinctly and would encourage other candidates to do the same if they have not already done so and explain their reasons as directly as he has. His expressed reasons for doing so, however, do not seem to make much sense.
He cites the fact that Bristol has a Board of Finance manned by volunteers who have been “frugal with taxpayer funds”. I completely agree with his contention that this Board is a critical part of Bristol city government and has served citizens very well, extraordinarily so in many cases. It has, in fact, likely mitigated numerous problems that we may have had to deal with had city departments, our elected leaders and even we the populace received everything we have asked this Board for over the years. This Board is a very cautious, low profile (most times), powerful and unheralded component of our government. Why Mr. Lydem cites this Board as a reason to dismiss the concept of developing a position of City Manager does confuse me though. To assert that there has to be one entity or the other is simply presumptuous as well as misleading. Creating a position of City Manager does not have to impact the existence, role or power of the Finance Board. That he insinuates this is so is disturbing.
Mr. Lydem cites the fact that “Many cities in the state of Connecticut of significant size have a strong Mayor form of government.” Many is not all. Elsewhere on this site there were references to and links provided for some Board of Education election information in West Hartford. I believe West Hartford would satisfy Mr. Lydem’s definition of “significant size” (61,000 and 22 square miles – Bristol 61,000 and 27 square miles) and in some though not all ways could be considered comparable to Bristol. West Hartford has a City Manager and a City Council form of government. It was the first municipality to adopt this form of government in the State of Ct in 1919. They have a Mayor, a Deputy Mayor and a Minority Leader (presumably from the party not represented by the person holding the Mayor’s position) who are all part of the Council. To quote from their website, “the council acts as the elected policy board and the town manager serves as the chief executive officer responsible for carrying out the policies of the council”. Pretty simple. It is interesting to note that the West Hartford Town Council is also a volunteer group – they are elected but not paid. Bristol is clearly not akin to West Hartford in all ways and the cities may have more differences than similarities. In the scheme of things, however, it might behoove Bristol to consider striving to more closely emulate West Hartford than, say, Hartford, which has a strong Mayor form of government and over the past few years has bestowed increasing power on it’s position of Mayor.
I do not wish to imply that Bristol should yearn to be all that West Hartford might represent. That is not realistic, and in my mind rather undesirable. Bristol has an appeal that is quite different than West Hartford, and I believe that it’s identity as a strong family city where people of minimal, modest or comfortable means can commingle, enjoy one another and deal with the difficulties we face as well as striving together needs to be preserved. But West Hartford has dealt with the development of Blueback Square in their already crowded down town, which, without it, is frequently lauded as a “destination”. They seem to have been able to work things out to the satisfaction of a majority of city residents. West Hartford gets better, increases it’s tax base, increases business, adds options for its residents, creates jobs… Please use the following link to see for yourself what West Hartford’s government is like, and contemplate the fact that there are successful alternatives to the way Bristol operates.
http://www.west-hartford.com/government/government.htm
Mr. Lydem also asserts that our current form of government allows us to “professionally manage” the growth of our “ever growing city”. I have resided in Bristol for 26 years, and I cannot recall having a mayor who was a professional City Manager. I’m sure there are and have been a number of “professionals” involved in our city’s elected government, but asserting that it’s leadership has allowed us to professionally manage our growth in the past is ludicrous. Simply look at where we are.
I find it an egregious misrepresentation for Mr. Lydem to assert that “under a town manager system the citizen’s right to rid themselves of leadership they don’t approve of will be eliminated”. A City Manager is an employee. He or she works for the city and is answerable to your elected officials. You do not have to wait two years to get rid of a poor performer. You can replace the person in this position at any time – if you define the terms of the position appropriately. This job would not be protected by a union, and should not be protected by a crippling employment contract. The people of Bristol, to paraphrase Mr. Lydem once again, would have the “power to decide the fate of their city” with a City Manager in much the same way they have right now. We elect the City Council and they are the boss. The City Manager runs the business end of government and the City Council, as it should, focuses on policies, planning and communicating with all of us.
The degree to which Bristol residents would have an effect on how the city is run or setting priorities should not be diminished by creating a City Manager position. At the very least, what it can do is assure some continuity and improved accountability on the “business” end of the whole operation. If a good manager is found, a great deal of good could result. If a poor manager is hired, elected officials will have to deal with that as they do with any other issue - correct the situation and move on. If you don’t like how things are going with either, you can vote out the Council. If dissatisfaction with the Manager and inactivity by the Council to address it is the reason for the disdain for the Council, vote in a new Council that will address the situation. It is not that complicated. A City Manager is not a monarch. It is a position charged with getting the business of the city and our endeavors to improve the city done as effectively and efficiently as possible so that our tax dollars are utilized to their maximum potential.
Establishing a City manager form of government for Bristol would not guarantee a brighter future for the city. The issues we face will remain the same. The candidates who run for office to represent us will likely remain the same. Their ability and effort to create a better city will remain the primary factors in determining what Bristol will be like tomorrow. If we are fortunate enough to have candidates with ability who sincerely want to put forth the effort to improve our lot, a good City Manager should afford them a much greater mechanism to succeed. The fact that a City Manager is in place might actually compel some of Bristol’s brightest and most energetic to contemplate running for office. With the management, organization and effectiveness of the city’s various departments being tended to by a professional manager, elected officials can be much more involved in doing what they were presumably elected by us to do. Listen to and represent all the citizens of Bristol. Set goals and establish priorities. Make decisions and establish policy. Having a paid City Manager should in no way diminish their power to govern the city or erode the power of Bristol’s citizens to decide the fate of the city, as Mr. Lydem contends. It should, in fact, greatly enhance both.
John Cullen
Can’t say I’d like to be paying property taxes in West Hartford on a property similar to the one I own in Bristol, but I sure would like to have my leaves sucked up at the curb as they still do…
Bruce, you have my vote in November. I am glad to see that their is a canidate that takes care of issues that are important to the people of Bristol.
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