Though Democrats have controlled City Hall for years, the powerful Zoning Commission is a Republican hotbed.
Of the five members who currently sit on the panel, four are GOP loyalists, including its longtime chairman, Frank Johnson.
The commission generally has five full members and three alternates.
Mayor Art Ward has plans to fill two vacant alternate positions next week - and at least one of his choices is yet another Republican.
Ward said this week he intends to tap Michael Thomas, whose background I don't know, and Joseph Geladino to serve as the two alternatives until December 2010. The City Council will vote on the choices next week.
Geladino ran unsuccessfully for a 2nd District council seat last year on the GOP ticket. Ward said that Geladino asked to be on a land use board so he's getting the chance.
What isn't clear is whether it's okay for five Republicans to sit on the 7-person board.
It's not unimaginable that the sole Democrat, John Lodovico, could be absent sometime and if Geladino filled in, an application could be heard entirely by Republicans.
I think, though, that state minority representation rules require that no more than two-thirds of a municipal board hail from the same party. If that's the case, there can't be more than four Republicans serving as zoning commissioners, which would preclude the appointment of Geladino.
It's all sort of funny since, of course, nobody ever dreamed that a heavily majority Democratic town such as Bristol would appoint too many Republicans to something as crucial as the Zoning Commission.
And yet that appears to be a problem.
Update at 3:45 p.m. - Mayor Art Ward said the issue was "just brought to my attention" and he's going to review it.
By the way, he said he plans to name the members he wants for a Park Revitalization Committee this week. I'll provide the names as soon as the mayor tells me who they are, unless someone tells me sooner than that.
Here's the version of this that was in the newspaper:
An unexpected hitch may prevent the appointment of former Republican City Council contender Joe Geladino as a zoning commissioner.
It appears that Geladino’s appointment would tip the commission’s balance so far in favor of the GOP that its makeup would violate a state law guaranteeing neither party dominates municipal boards unfairly.
What’s peculiar about the situation is that Bristol has been controlled by Democrats for the past 14 years and the Republicans are outnumbered in the electorate by more than two-to-one.
Even so, four of the five members of the Zoning Commission appear to be registered Republicans, including its longtime chairman, Frank Johnson.
The only Democrat is John Lodovico, vice chairman of the panel.
The commission generally has five full members and three alternates, but the alternate positions are vacant.Mayor Art Ward said this week he plans to fill those two of the vacant alternate slots at Tuesday’s council meeting.
Ward said this week he intends to tap Geladino and Michael Thomas to serve as the two alternatives until December 2010. The City Council will vote on the choices next week.Geladino ran unsuccessfully for a 2nd District council seat last year on the GOP ticket.
Ward said that Geladino asked to be on a land use board so he's getting the chance.
State minority representation rules require that no more than two-thirds of a municipal board hail from the same party. If that's the case, there can't be more than four Republicans serving as zoning commissioners, which would preclude the appointment of Geladino.
If Geladino were tapped for the volunteer post, it’s conceivable that a situation could arise in which he could fill in for Lodovico, if the Democrat was absent, and the five members rendering a decision on a particular application could all be Republicans.
Told late Wednesday that there might be a problem with minority representation for Democrats on the commission, Ward said he would have to review the situation to see if he can go ahead with Geladino’s appointment.
The current members of the zoning board are Johnson, Lodovico, David White, Gina Newman and Kenneth Nairne.
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Copyright 2007. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
20 comments:
Good one Steve ..... keep stirring the pot . You successfully demonized Zoppo in the primary and successfully protected and promoted Ward in the primary thru the election . Now keep digging up issues to detract the public from the fact they are getting but-slammed by the un-elected unionized parahannas bleeding the taxpayers dry .
Here's an idea ...... NOT !!!!!
You have to love anonymous people making wild charges rather than providing facts. I'd like to know, for instance, just how people are "getting but-slammed [sic] by the unelected, unionized pirahannas bleeding the taxpayers dry."
It sounds like an interesting story.
does the city council get to approve the appointments to the Park Revitalization Committee, isn't that a Mayor's personally appointed board?
That's probably right, come to think of it. But I'm not sure.
Geladino should not be appointed to anything, his public behavior was disgraceful like that outbuurst at City Council.
geladino is also a developer in town and for that reason alone, beside the fact that he is not a good choice based on personality and past behavior, ala hothead, should keep him off the board
"Just brought to my attention?"
"Geladino asked for a land-use appointment and is getting it?"
Yeesh.
I think Park Revitlizaiton gets voted on by council. How else could Stortz have refigured it two years ago?
.....digging the that part about Steve being told about appointments beforehand by a third party - third party (ies) had better be watching each other - "ette Brute"
Wonder if anyone from the Park Board will be on it this time around?
I thought that Couture, in his last minute efforts, disbanded the Park Reviatalization committee, along with many others. If he could have done that, then why can't Ward form his own committee.
By the way, there were/are some good people on the committee: Hines, Schurr, the former football coach, just to name a few.
All are non-political, which will probably result in their exclusion.
Non political - please don't make us laugh so hard, they were all in Ellen's back pocket.
How sad. Art Ward is basically saying F-U to the Bristol Democrats and trying to spite the elected Democrats with his appointments and the Park board situation. FIrst Stortz spent 2 years dishing out political revenge, now Ward is doing the same thing. This is why Bristol sucks and won't get better.
I don't think the people ward reappointed to the park boark are running for anything or into the so called "politics."
How sad that you cannot see past any of your negitivity that people volunteer on boards and committees to make a difference and get involved in their communitiy. Unlike you who has to restort to the blame game.
Who cares about political party. What about those Walgreens windows??????
I still like the Walgreen windows. It reminds me of Downtown when it was active and vibrant.
Looks like all those that predicted Artie would go back to the good old boy routine knew what they were talking about.
We are now on the slippery slope downhill!
The Zoning Commission is pro-business, no matter how badly it impacts the community.
Growth at ANY COST!!!
And expensive it can be.
So Steve have you heard anything on the appointments yet?
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