Stortz unhappy about Johnson's ex-firm

Mayor William Stortz is unhappy with the way a firm hired by the city to try to secure refunds from Connecticut Light & Power is handling the task.
That unhappiness may help to undercut the campaign of Republican mayoral candidate Ken Johnson, who owned the firm at the time city leaders hired it to help rake in as much as $500,000 in wrongful streetlighting charges over the years.
Johnson, who sold his Municipal Energy Consulting Group firm in July, was hired last winter “for his skills” in pursuing CL&P, the mayor said.
But Johnson gave up his interest in the firm rather than have anyone question his ties to the contractor.
Last month, however, the new president of Municipal Energy, James Krone, told Stortz in a letter that Johnson would represent the company in a meeting with city officials about the issue.
“Even though he has no financial gain from this contract,” Krone said in the Aug. 16 letter, “he is willing to participate in these discussions.”
Stortz refused to meet with Johnson, calling him “an unpaid volunteer.”
“Since you have indicated he no longer has any relationship with Municipal Energy, his participation would not be appropriate without all the proper insurance coverage,” Stortz wrote in response.
The mayor also questioned whether the city should provide access to its records to Johnson “without some assurance that the city will be protected as to the use of such information,” thought it’s unclear how Johnson’s use of public records could harm the city’s position.
When Johnson couldn’t attend the session, Krone sent an attorney instead.
“He is not the utility man that we originally hired,” Stortz said.
The mayor said that at this point he is not even sure who Krone is. “We have no resume or credentials” to show that Krone has the longstanding utility experience that Johnson possessed, Stortz said.
He said Krone appears to live in Florida, which hampers the ability of the city to work with him.
“We don’t know technical advice and guidance Mr. Krone has,” the mayor said.
Stortz said he’s not the only one worried about the direction things have taken.
Some city councilors, he said, “are somewhat chagrined as to how things are going.”

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Copyright 2007. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Ken Johnson's new website

It's not going to displace Google, but here's GOP mayoral candidate Ken Johnson's new website: www.bristolfirst.org. It's still under construction, but it looks good.
So far, for those keeping track, we have professional-looking websites from mayoral hopefuls Johnson and Ellen Zoppo. Art Ward, as far as I know, doesn't have one. Yet.


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Copyright 2007. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

City manager should be on November ballot, says Ken Johnson

Press release issued this morning by Republican mayoral hopeful Ken Johnson's campaign manager:

Ken Johnson Announces Campaign to Put City Manager Issue on Fall ’08 Ballot, Pledges Not to Apply for Position.

Bristol mayoral candidate, Ken Johnson, announced today that his campaign intends to obtain signatures to put the city manager issue on the fall ’08 ballot and promised not to apply for the new position.

“The people have a right to vote for their form of government,” Johnson said. “If the charter revision commission does not recommend a change to the city manager system we will launch a door to door campaign to gather signatures.” he said.

Other Bristol residents including prominent businessman, Craig Yarde, have advocated a change to city manager. Johnson wants city hall to know that it is a sentiment shared by many Bristol residents.

“People are fed up with the way things are run around here and deserve to have their voices heard.” Johnson said. “Our ballot initiative will give people that chance.”

“The politicization of the administration of city affairs and the short election cycle distracts the mayor from conducting business efficiently.” Johnson said. “The short election cycle coupled with partisan bickering with the council once the mayor is elected is a recipe for disaster,” Johnson added.

The solution to this problem, Johnson said, is to change Bristol’s charter so that the administrative power is given to a city manager appointed by the council. “The council-manager system combines the strong political leadership of an elected city council with the managerial experience of a qualified city manager educated in public administration,” he said. “The manager would essentially be the CEO of the city.”

“This change will allow members of the city council to focus on their duties as council members and not their campaigns for mayor,” Johnson said.

“I promise not to apply for the city manager position and urge my opponents to do the same,” Johnson added. “I am running for mayor to do what is best for Bristol, not to advance my own career.

“A city manager would be very responsive to the needs of the people because he or she could be fired by the council for poor performance at any time,” said Johnson.

Johnson said that the city manager system could help Bristol’s economic problems. “A study published in Public Administration Review concluded that cities run by managers had more strategic planning and business attraction programs than cities run by mayors,” he said.

Johnson said there still could be a mayor under the new system, whose duties would be largely ceremonial.

Armington toys with idea of running for mayor

Link to story in today's Bristol Press

Stories today about Ken Johnson's run for mayor

Clearing up confusion and Ken Johnson to run for mayor.

Ward vows to be on November ballot

So I phone city Councilor Art Ward this morning to find out what he thinks about the latest mayoral news.
"Hey, I'm reading your blog right now," he answers.
Oh, boy.
So it's been discovered. I knew it had to happen.
For those who wonder, I don't know if it will keep going or not. Some of that is my choice and some of it will be my editor's decision. I only have so many hours to devote to work each week and my hope was that this blog could be done usefully on less than 15 minutes a day. I think it may work out, but we'll see.
Anyway, Ward said that Ken Johnson is "a good guy."
But, he said, with Johnson's leap into the race, “I guess it means that he’s not going to be at my pasta fundraiser.”
Ward semi-dodged the other question about the campaign: whether he'll run as an independent if he doesn't win the Democratic mayoral primary.
“My intentions are to be on the ballot in November,” Ward said. “Basically, I fully intend to be a candidate on the ballot as a choice for the voters in the November ballot.”
“I believe I still represent the view of a majority of Democrats in Bristol and I will carry that forward,” Ward said.
I'm pretty sure that means he's running as an unaffiliated candidate if city Councilor Ellen Zoppo beats him in the Democratic primary. But feel free to interpret it differently if you like.

It's Ken Johnson, not Frank

In one of those sadly-shake-your-head production goofs, today's Bristol Press carries a front page headline that says "Johnson runs for mayor" or something akin to that. It directs readers to page 6 for the story.
Unfortunately, upon arriving on page 6, readers will find a tale about a Southington boy.
The story about the mayor's race is nowhere to be found.
GOP Chairman Art Mocabee said this morning he's getting a barrage of phone calls from people wondering which Johnson is running and how they can find the story.
Perhaps it'll be online later.
These things happen, even at The New York Times. There's nothing to be done except apologize for the confusion and try not to let it occur again, even though we all know it will. Let's just hope it's later rather than sooner.

Mocabee weighs in on campaign

Republican Party Chairman Art Mocabee said that the GOP's candidates are entering the fray "late out of the gate," but not too late.
At the party's monthly meeting Monday, Ken Johnson will let us all know why he's running for mayor, perhaps taking on incumbent Republican Mayor William Stortz in the process.
But we'll also learn who's running with him.
Mocabee said a few City Council candidates have been holding sessions with Johnson, and probably others, during the winter and spring "to come up with some ideas and some themes" for an agenda that will appeal to voters.
“These people have met for a long time,” Mocabee said, and kept their plans “under wraps” for awhile.
He said they include "a bunch of new faces" but wouldn't say more. I guess that means Steve Coan won't be running again this year.
The Republican Town Committee is going to have some choices to make, another refreshing change for anyone who cares about politics.
“The town committee will be put to a test this year,” Mocabee said, adding that "I cast the deciding vote in event of a tie," which can only mean the GOP boss sees at least a potential for a close decision when nominations are made in July.
“I don’t think we’ve had this much debate over Republican candidates in a long time," Mocabee said.
Mocabee hinted that the Republicans are not entirely on the same page.
He said that "personalities are going to have to mesh a bit" before the campaign is through, but "a core" of the candidates is working together well.

Johnson jumps into mayoral race

It doesn't look like the story I assume is in today's paper made it online (we're currently supposed to post most news at bristolpress.com, but the reality is something less than the ideal, as in most things).
So here's the story:

By Steve Collins
The Bristol Press
BRISTOL – In an unexpected twist in an already chaotic political scene, Republican Ken Johnson said Thursday he plans to declare his candidacy for mayor next week.
Johnson, a water commissioner who ran unsuccessfully for City Council in 2003, said he will make the announcement at Monday’s Republican Town Committee meeting.
He said he has already mailed letters to GOP committee members to tell them of his plans.
“There’s nothing here that I’m going to deny,” Johnson said, adding that he wants to wait until Monday to lay out his rationale for seeking the city’s top job.
It isn’t clear yet whether Mayor William Stortz, also a Republican, will run for re-election this year. Stortz, who also served as mayor in the early 1990s, won the post again in 2005 by ousting Democratic incumbent Gerard Couture.
Stortz has repeatedly declined to say what his political intentions are this year. He has often over the years waited until the last minute to either enter a race or refrain from jumping in.
City Republican Chairman Art Mocabee said he’s spoken with Stortz, but doesn’t know what the mayor plans. “He’s just not committed one way or another. He may run. He may not run,” Mocabee said.
“My gut feeling is that he will do what he normally does, to make a decision on that question at the last hour,” the GOP boss said.
“It’s just a situation where the process is going to have to wean its way through,” Mocabee said.
“In the meantime, our process is carrying on. People are not going to be held hostage or wait and wait and wait,” he said.
Mocabee said that Johnson and “a few council candidates” have been working things out for a joint campaign during the past several months to come up with ideas and themes that will reflect their vision of how “to make our community better positioned to be a great place to live.”
Mocabee said he doesn’t know if Stortz will seek re-election and isn’t taking sides in the mayoral contest yet.
Mocabee said. Stortz “knows the game. He knows the ropes. And I trust he will respond appropriately.”
Johnson said that he considers Stortz “a friend.”
“I would appreciate his support,” Johnson said.
There may be other GOP contenders eyeing a possible mayoral run as well.
“I never rule out anything,” said Zoning Commission Chairman Frank Johnson, one of those who admit to considering the idea. He said he is still watching closely from the sidelines.
On the Democratic side, longtime city Councilor Art Ward is already running for mayor. Another councilor, Ellen Zoppo, is expected to join the contest Monday.
Zoppo said that she will let the Democratic Town Committee know Monday what her political plans are for the year. She could still choose to run for council again.
“There is an electoral process in place and it’s flexing its muscles at this point,” Mocabee said.
Johnson and Stortz were once allies, but it took the Democratic-controlled council to keep Johnson on the Water Board recently after Stortz moved to oust him for missing too many meetings.
Johnson is a licensed real estate broker and owner of A Buyer’s Market. He is also president of Municipal Energy Consulting Group, which was hired by the city to help it fight for more money from Connecticut Light & Power’s billing mistakes for street lights over the years.
Johnson, who worked for Northeast Utilities for 21 years before resigning to start his own business, is a 1976 Bristol Eastern High School graduate. He earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Virginia in 1980.
He and his wife, Elizabeth, have three children.
Mocabee said that voters are going to be happy with the new Republican candidate lineup that will be unveiled shortly.
“It’s good growth for Bristol Republicans. It’s exciting,” he said. “And I think the public will be pleased with what we’ve been working on all winter long.”

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Open government?

It might not be a violation of the state's open government law, but it certainly violates the spirit of the statute.
At its first meeting, the new Bristol Downtown Development Corp. talked about creating a budget committee. John Leone, a former mayor who serves as a director, even suggested the panel consist of Mayor William Stortz, Frank Johnson and Gardner Wright.
But the corporate leaders, who are operating under the state Freedom of Information rules, didn't formally establish the committee.
Last Friday, though, Stortz got Wright and Johnson to join him in the mayor's office for an 8 a.m. session to set up a preliminary budget for the new company.
That meeting, Stortz said Wednesday, "was not posted."
At the downtown company's second meeting -- on Monday night -- the directors established the committee AND took its recommendation for a $350,000 budget to get things going.
Stortz said he doesn't think the open government law was broken by the gathering in his office.
"Technically, I don't believe we ever formed a committee" whose meetings would have to be posted, he said. "I don't believe we officially formed it."
That's nitpicking, though, since it's clear the panel existed and that its actions at the Friday meeting were ratified three days later by the nonprofit corporation.
"We were trying to do things right," Stortz said. "We're not trying to hide anything."
That's probably true, too, since everything the three directors decided was discussed openly a few days later.
It may be that this is one of those no harm, no foul situations. But the company's directors, and the mayor, need to make sure they're not skirting the letter of the law. They should err on the side of open government.