The longtime chairman of the city’s Board of Finance is likely to be reappointed Tuesday to another four-year term on the volunteer fiscal watchdog panel.
Mayor Art Ward said he plans to ask city councilors to tap Miecznikowski for another stint on the nine-person board.
But, he said, he won’t ask the council to reappoint veteran finance commissioner Don Soucy for another term.
“I’m not surprised I’m not being reappointed. To the victors go the spoils,” said Soucy.
Miecznikowski said he expects “a very, very difficult year next year” as the city tries to cope with the recession.
Soucy, whose term expires at month’s end, has said for months that he didn’t expect to be reappointed.
A champion for education spending, he is one of a group of fiscal overseers who have shown a willingness to hike the school budget.
“If something was accomplished while I was on the board, I think the Board of Ed has received some good increases. Frankly, I wish they received more than they did,” Soucy said.
Ward said he'll ask interested independents and Republicans to apply for the post and pick someone this summer to take Soucy's slot.
There is a legal requirement that city boards have representatives who do not hail from the majority party in control of power at City Hall so officials are sometimes forced to pick people from a particular party.
Soucy was originally appointed by former Mayor Gerard Couture to fill a vacancy on the board and later given a full term on the panel.
He said that he is happy he got a chance to serve.
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Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
53 comments:
Big Mistake
Ward doesn't like Soucy - so his idea is to get rid of him? Why not base your opinion on logic and not hate Ward?
Must be one republican out there who is a member of the City Hall union.
How typical of you Steve. You neglected to mention that Soucy didn't want another term. Way to spin the truth.
?- For the last 6 months, Soucy has been saying that he was getting off the board.
Yes, Soucy's been expecting that he won't be on the board. That's not quite the same as saying he didn't want another term. It's more of a recognition that he wouldn't have a prayer of getting support from Ward.
? - 4:03pm - must have been a real good reason because I know that ward and soucy used to be good buddies.
Yes, Soucy's been expecting that he won't be on the board. That's not quite the same as saying he didn't want another term. It's more of a recognition that he wouldn't have a prayer of getting support from Ward.
Way to twist the words. "not quite the same as saying he didn't want another term". Did you ask him? Did he even request another term from Ward?
Just because he knows he wouldn't get the nod from Ward because he was an Ellen supporter doesn't mean the rest of the council wouldn't go to bat for him and then Ward would be the only "no" vote.
The point is that Don didn't want another term, with or without Wards approval.
Once again, creating controversy where there isn't any.
Did you hear Soucy belongs to a trailer park millionare club that go around the country and develop empty lots into gypsy parks?
Soucy WANTED another term. He knew he wouldn't get it.
The rest of the council would not get a chance to vote on Soucy unless the mayor brought forth the name. Remember when Nicastro refused to bring Letiza's name forward? That set off a yearlong stalemate with the council.
Re: 4:13 PM blog
"must have been a real good reason because I know that ward and soucy used to be good buddies."
True, but the Mayor was also good buddies with C. Ziogas, Minor, firemen, Zoppo, Block, Couture and many others. Could it be he and not them?
Not Chris Ziogas again!?!
Ward doesn't like to surround himself with people who don't agree with him. From what I could tell, the IQ of his inner circle looks like bad Olympic scores.
Its a bad sign when a fellow Vietnam vet isn't going to reappoint a fellow vet, or even bring his name up. But Soucy is and always was his own man and as a parent, I am glad he accomplished what he was able to for the Board of Education. Just another bizarre decision by the mayor. Can't wait to see who the replacement name is.
Don Soucy was definitely on the short list of paybacks once Ward was elected. Actually, now that I think about it, the list is pretty long. It's all been rhetoric about "bringing the party together." His list of people he is not talking to grows longer each day.
Rich Mize is absolutely coming back because his moron quotient equals Ward's. All he cares about is low taxes so he can walk around town as the big man without any regard to how much he has contributed to this town's downward slide....all because he owns a bunch of rental property and doesn't want his personal tax bill to go up. Un-freaking-believable.
Glenn Klocko must be dancing a jig. One less BOF member who attempted to hold him accountable.
No, Dunlop!
Heard that Ward will nominate Ken Johnson.
Rationale is that Ward supported Johnson for Water Board, felt he was qualified.
Johnson felt he should be mayor, felt he was qualified.
Johnson has friends on council who will support him.
Johnson will then give up his contract.
A Win Win Win solution.
No way Johnson - but close. My bet is Ed Krawiecki so he can have a reason to be hanging out in City Hall running things again.
Don Soucy refused to limit education spending when it was prudent to do so. There must be some other places the BOE could have cut spending?
Mayor Ward is obviously concerned with holding down taxes for working families and those on a fixed ioncome. The bloated education budget needed to be trimmed and it wasn't.
Will Johnson have a "hissy fit" if he doesn't get his way?
Arty Ward's world must be getting very small if he feels it necessary to eliminate anyone who is not a supporter. Its his choice, of course, but I think there are going to be a lot of people who think he picked the wrong guy to stay, and the wrong guy to go.
I bet Dunlop was going to be his first-choice until that little campaign finance little problem. Its a good thing too, because I would hate to lose Soucy as LL Director and if he had to endure being replaced by someone like Dunlop, he would have no choice but to hang himself off the nearest foul pole.
No way - Eddie won't want to do the work on the BOF. Besides, the mayor already hooked him up to be the Board of Education's lawyer. Can't have Ed not getting paid for his volunteerism and this new schools drama will keep him very well paid and close to the action.
There's gotta be more to the story than Soucy didn't support Ward and is not getting reappointed because of it.
"Mayor Art Ward said he plans to ask city councilors to tap Miecznikowski for another stint on the nine-person board.
But, he said, he won’t ask the council to reappoint veteran finance commissioner Don Soucy for another term."
Steve, it would be interesting to hear the Mayor's philosophy about why Mize stays and why Soucy goes. Did you ask? Do you know?
? - seems to be a lot of crap about nothing - the city ran before soucy was on the finance board and the city will continue to run when he is no longer on the finance board - move on to something that matters.
Are Johnson, Zoppo, and "Hissy Fit" sorta all one word?
Obviously it's the mayor's discretion who he appoints to th board. I'm surprised Soucy doesn't have his nose up Ward's butt (because even when he was on the RTC he had his up Kosta's). But Soucy's a good guy, but obviously the board was fine without him and will be again as long as Ward appoints someone with the correct credentials and someone with fiscal discipline.
Soucy is close to Kosta: Nicastro doesn't like that.
ERGO, Soucy is out!
More like sissy-sassy fit.
I don't get the impression the mayor and Nicastro are too close. I don't think he has any influence except in his own mind.
If Ward is only gonna appoint supporters, that is going to be small circle. He barely won the primary and barely won the general election, and if you count all the people who sat out the election and didn't vote, presumably because they didn't like any choices, then he doesn't have a lot to work with.
....and the ones he does have to work with spend more time yucking it up being barstool politicians than getting involved.
Re: June 7, 2008 11:46 AM
Records indicate that Soucy was NEVER on the RTC. Check it out.
Is Soucy the topic here, or is it it Wards handling and running of the city?
Lets keep our eye on the ball!
Also, does the fact that Soucy is on the School Building play a role?
You will need to use the past tense of being on the School Building Committee. Mize asked him to serve as the BOF liaison to the Building Committee.
The Finance Chairman will have to appoint another Finance member after Tuesday's Council meeting.
June 8, 2008 7:12 PM:
What records are that? He was on the list as a elected member during the 1990s. Get you facts straight.
June 8, 2008 1:12 PM:
I disagree. I know Republicans (including myself) that think Ward is doing a (somewhat surprisingly)good job.
If Ward stays on the path he's on, he'll get my support in 2009.
"Also, does the fact that Soucy is on the School Building play a role?
June 8, 2008 9:11 PM"
--If Soucy's on the school building, either he's sunning himself or he's going to jump. Either way he's nuts and it's a good thng he's no longer on the Finance Board.
The rumor is that Ward is not going to appoint anyone to Soucy's seat on Tuesday, even though the charter requires him to do so. It looks like Ward learned something from Stortz...if you can't take the heat for an appointment, stall.
Soucy was on the RTC
And Ward was one of Stortz's biggest critics.
June 9, 2008 12:21 PM:
Gee maybe Ward is actually going to take some time and wait until he has made an intelligent and educated decision?
What a travesty!
Don Soucy was a strong supporter of Ellen Zoppo, which is why Ward is not reappointing him. Ward is still carrying a grudge and is very vindictive. It is a well-known fact that Eddie Krawiecki is going to be the name brought forward to replace Soucy.
Krawiecki gets in, puts Johnson in the mayors seat next year.
Watch out Art.
Ed Krawiecki is a fiscal conservative and would be an excellent addition to the B.O.F.
It is a well-known fact that Eddie Krawiecki is going to be the name brought forward to replace Soucy.
Well if it is that well known then maybe someone should tell the Mayor, because he is planning on putting him back in Corp Counsel as an Assistant Attorney.
June 9, 2008 9:21 PM:
That's right!
Guess it's not that "well known"!
Ha ha ha ha ha LMAO
"It is a well-known fact that Eddie Krawiecki is going to be the name brought forward to replace Soucy."
Guess you can hang up that career in political espionage 4:12 ~ seems like you don't have a clue. LOL!!!
I guess we can safely say that 4:12 isn't Steve's "LEAK"!
LMAO
The dem council members made an agreement with Ward quite some time ago that they would would vote for Kraweicki if his name was brought up to replace Soucy. Seems you all don't know what you're talking about! Just a bunch of losers pretending you know what's going on when in reality you don't have a clue!
Any new names surface yet?
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