Betts taps Hamzy & Krawiecki to manage his campaign

Press release from Whit Betts, the GOP state House candidate in the 78th District (the blue coloring is in the original):

Betts Announces Campaign Managers – Hamzy and Krawiecki

Whit Betts announced that Bill Hamzy and Ed Krawiecki Jr. have agreed to be his campaign managers for the upcoming election for the 78^th District House seat.

“I am so happy to have the enthusiastic support and commitment of Bill and Ed who are good friends and whose legislative knowledge will be an enormous help to me.”

In accepting Whit’s offer to be campaign manager Rep. Bill Hamzy said       

 “I have been fortunate enough to have earned the right to represent the people of the 78^th District as their state Representative.  I know what is required of a person who serves in this capacity.  There is no doubt in my mind that Whit has the passion, the integrity and the diligence to be a successful and honest representative of the people in this district.  That is why I have agreed to help manage his campaign to be my successor and look forward to helping him get elected in November.”

 Krawiecki said, “I am thrilled to have been asked to lend a hand in helping this outstanding civic leader in his effort to represent the people of Bristol and Plymouth.  Nearly 30 years ago, I was first honored with the privilege of representing the same district.  The work was long and difficult and the problems many.  Today we need a representative to replace Bill Hamzy, who did an outstanding job for the last 16 years, with problems that are growing by the day.  We have a deepening financial crisis which the next legislature must handle straight on.  There is no disagreement, the future will be a challenge and Whit Betts is the perfect candidate and individual to lead us as we search for sound fiscal judgment going forward.  Whit will devote his full time energy to the job.  Whit has the tremendous capacity to hear out everyone and all of their ideas.  Whit has a reputation that is above reproach and when the time comes to vote you can be sure that he will have considered all points of view. “

I am honored to have the strong support of Ed and Bill, and to have them join John Letizia (Campaign Treasurer), a conservative democrat, on my campaign team. I will continue to invite and welcome the help of community leaders and people from both Plymouth and Bristol.

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Copyright 2010. All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Let the City Council decide instead?

In a room packed with all sorts of politicians, past and present, watching the Bristol Downtown Development Corp. implode, one of its board members was ready to throw up his hands.
Tom Cosgrove said that maybe the nonprofit should simply let the City Council make the decision on which developer should get the nod.
The city attorney, Edward Krawiecki, Jr, shook his head.
Quietly, he said, "No f--ing way."
City Councilor Ken Cockayne said he didn't feel comfortable with the idea.
"Good boy," Krawiecki said in response.

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Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Krawiecki hired as city attorney

Former city attorney Edward Krawiecki, Jr has his old job back.
Mayor Art Ward got the unanimous backing of city councilors to install the former state House minority leader as the city's top lawyer, a post he held during former Mayor William Stortz's tenure.
Ward won backing to hire Tom Conlin as a full-time city lawyer, replacing Ann Baldwin, who retired last month.
Only city Councilor Kate Matthews opposed hiring Conlin. She said the city should advertise the job and make sure the best person is tapped for the $87,000-a-year job.
I'll have more on it later.

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Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Krawiecki on his new motorcycle

I particularly like the "Oddities From All Over the World" above Ed Krawiecki's head in this shot. He won the Harley in the fundraising raffle done by the New England Carousel Museum this weekend.

Krawiecki is a city lawyer and a former state House minority leader. He may be a future biker dude.

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Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Krawiecki roars off with a new Harley

Press release from the New England Carousel Museum tonight:

The Winners of the 2009 Harley Davidson Fat Boy Raffle sponsored by The New England Carousel Museum are.

The Winners of the Harley Raffle are

First Prize 2009 Harley Davidson Fat Boy ~ Ed Krawiecki Jr from Bristol, CT

Second Prize Trailer ~ Rose Burns from Stafford, CT

Third Prize $100 Gift Certificate to Yankee Harley Davidson ~ Armand Meyer from West Hartford, CT

The drawing was held on Saturday, November 7, 2009. Thank you to all who helped promote the raffle this year.

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Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Lawyers zing politicians; Krawiecki appointed

The two lawyers who resigned last month told the City Council Tuesday they felt overburdened, underpaid and underappreciated for the long, hard hours of work they put for low wages.
“I was taken for granted and taken advantage of by the politicians because of my affection for my hometown,” said Jeff Steeg, a former assistant city attorney.
Dale Clift, the former city attorney, said the $33,000-a-year pay he received “imposed an unreasonable financial burden” given the many hours he devoted to city business.
Both of the lawyers, who are partners in private practice, said they pushed for several years to get more money or benefits as well as to bolster the city’s legal muscle so they wouldn’t have to do so much.
Each of the two attorneys delivered a long address to the council. The texts of their speeches are here, in PDF form:

Attorney Dale Clift's address to the City Council

Attorney Jeff Steeg's letter to Bristol residents

I'll write more about what they had to say on Wednesday. This is just a start. But I strongly urge anyone who cares to read what each of the lawyers had to say. They provide a context to what happened that is necessary to understand their choices, but also to get a glimpse into how City Hall operates, or fails to operate.

Krawiecki finally gets appointed
After trying for more than a year to convince his Democratic colleagues on the City Council to agree to let him hire a GOP lawyer to fill one of three part-time city attorney slots, Mayor Art Ward finally got his way Tuesday.
The council unanimously to endorse Edward Krawiecki, Jr, a former city attorney, for one of two part-time assistant city attorney positions.
Krawiecki will join two full-time lawyers -- Richard Lacey and Ann Baldwin -- whom he used to oversee when he served as the city’s top lawyer during former Mayor William Stortz’s most recent administration.
Two other city lawyer positions, including the city attorney, are vacant because their holders resigned last month after city officials repeatedly refused to hire more help, increase their pay or add health insurance benefits to the jobs.
The two vacant posts have been advertised, with applications due by June 17.
The city attorney needs five years of experience for the $33,000-a-year position while the assistant collects $28,000-a-year and needs only two years of experience in order to be eligible.
Krawiecki, who served for 16 years as a state lawmaker while also practicing law, easily meets the experience threshold.
When Ward took office in 2007, he kept Krawiecki on for months until the council rebelled and forced him to replace the Republican with a Democrat, Dale Clift, who had been a part-time city lawyer for more than a decade.
Last year, the four council members who refused to back Krawiecki -- Frank Nicastro, Cliff Block, Craig Minor and Kevin McCauley -- said they didn’t mind hiring a Republican to fill the office’s fifth slot.
But they didn’t want Krawiecki.
Minor said last summer that he told the mayor “that demoting Ed to assistant corp counsel was very bad for morale and organizational dynamics.”
“I tried to use a military analogy: you don't demote the company commander to sergeant and keep him in the same unit,” Minor said at the time. “The men will be constantly looking to the ‘sergeant’ to approve whatever the new commander says, which completely undermines his authority.”Five other Republicans who sought the city job were turned down as Ward held out for Krawiecki.
McCauley said that he considered voting against Krawiecki, but decided that as long as everyone agreed on the need to fill the other two positions in the legal office, he could vote in favor.
Ward said that applications would be reviewed quickly, followed by interviews so the city can “get ‘em on board.”

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Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Krawiecki's likely to win appointment

By all accounts, the nomination of Edward Krawiecki, Jr as an assistant ciy attorney is likely to win approval on a 6-1 vote tonight. Two more open slots would be filled later after applications are reviewed for the city attorney position and the other part-time legal slot.
The city also has two full-time lawyers.

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Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Ward plans to nominate Krawiecki

Mayor Art Ward said Friday he intends to ask the City Council to endorse his selection of Edward Krawiecki, Jr as an assistant city attorney.

Ward said he'll advertise the open city attorney position and another assistant city attorney slot, but in the meantime the legal office needs some help so he's going to press ahead with Krawiecki's nomination.

Councilors had informally agreed to back Krawiecki for the part-time post as part of a package deal that filled the city attorney post, too. But when that fell apart, it wasn't clear what would happen next.

Now we know: Ward's going to ask the Democrat-dominated council to vote for the Republican lawyer who last served as Mayor William Stortz's city attorney.

It's unclear whether the council will go along, but Ward acknowledged that it might not.

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Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

City eyes Kilbourne, Krawiecki to fill lawyer slots

It appears that two former city attorneys may be hired soon to fill a pair of vacancies created by the resignation of both of the city’s part-time municipal lawyers.
A deal is in the works that would install Dean Kilbourne, a former city attorney, as the city’s top lawyer, according to several Bristol officials.
Filling the part-time assistant’s slot would be Edward Krawiecki, Jr, who served as the city’s top lawyer from 2006 to 2008.
Kilbourne was the city’s top attorney from 2004 until Krawiecki took over after the election of Mayor William Stortz in 2005.
Mayor Art Ward declined Monday to name the lawyers he’s spoken with about the possible jobs, but confirmed there are “two potential nominees” who would need City Council backing.
Ward said the two he’s eyeing “would definitely enhance the ability of that office” to handle the workload placed on it.
He said that he and city councilors have informally agreed to accept the resignations of Dale Clift, the city attorney, and Jeff Steeg, the only part-time assistant city attorney.
Both Clift and Steeg said they would step down at month’s end unless the city added health care benefits to their positions. Clift earns $33,000 annually and Steeg collects $27,000.
Krawiecki said he spoke with Ward over lunch last week, who asked him if he could lend a hand.
While he’s still considering the offer, Krawiecki said, he believes that when a mayor asks for help, people have an obligation to try to assist.
“If you can do it, you step up,” said Krawiecki, a former state House minority leader who has a private legal practice in town.
Kilbourne, a former city Democratic Party chairman, could not be reached for comment this morning.
Clift has been city attorney since last spring. Steeg has been an assistant city attorney for a decade.
The city also has two full-time lawyers, Richard Lacey and Ann Baldwin.
There is a part-time city lawyer slot that’s been vacant for more than a year because Ward had long wanted to hire Krawiecki to fill it but couldn’t get the Democratic-controlled council to go along with him.
The two Republican council members, Ken Cockayne and Mike Rimcoski, have said they think Ward should tap Krawiecki to fill the gap created by the resignations of Clift and Steeg.
Ward said the city plans to advertise the third attorney’s slot and hire someone to fill it.
The city charter requires the mayor nominate a corporation counsel -- or city attorney -- and that the choice have the support of the City Council. The job runs with the term of the mayor.

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Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Republicans push Krawiecki

Both of the city's Republican councilors said hiring Ed Krawiecki, Jr to fill one of the part-time city attorney slots is a no-brainer.

Councilor Mike Rimcoski said that he and fellow GOP Councilor Ken Cockayne were ready all along to back Mayor Art Ward's bid to tap Krawiecki to fill a vacant city lawyer position.

But the Democratic council members were firmly opposed.l

"That's why his name didn't come up," Rimcoski said.

Both Rimcoski and Cockayne said that Krawiecki, who served as city attorney from 2006 until early 2008, has the background to step in quickly and lend a hand.

"He can pick up the ball right where it is," Rimcoski said.

The city's only two part-time lawyers, Dale Clift and Jeff Steeg, have turned in resignations effective June 1. They said they might reconsider if the city included them in its heathcare plan.

But Ward said he has no interest in keeping either of the attorneys on the job.

Cockayne called the two lawyers' tactics an attempt at "blackmail" in order to force officials to give in.

He said that when he heard the news, "I was pretty upset."

Cockayne said the mayor took the right stand. But, he said, he wouldn't let them stick around until June 1.

"I would have walked them out of the building," Cockayne said.

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Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Krawiecki takes a swipe at Wright

A former state House minority leader from Bristol issued a blistering denunciation of freshman Democratic state Rep. Chris Wright, a city Democrat.

Edward Krawiecki, Jr, who served in the House for 16 years before stepping down in 1994, said Wright’s support of a tax package that threatens ESPN is baffling.

“His vote is damaging the largest employer in Bristol,’ Krawiecki said.

“Chris is behaving in a way that makes no sense,” said Krawiecki, an attorney who may be eyeing a mayoral run.

Wright said he’s racked up a bipartisan record, voting against his own party leaders on a number of occasions, particularly in the insurance committee.

Wright said that perhaps Krawiecki is simply trying to get his name out in the press by “taking a shot at the freshman rep from the other party.” 

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Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Don't mess with ESPN, officials warn lawmakers

A proposed tax plan offered by state lawmakers would cause the state to lose jobs and if it passes “we will lose large employers like ESPN,” according to Lt. Gov. Michael Fedele.

Fedele, a Republican, told party officials in Bristol recently that “ugly” spending cuts are needed to trim government and that “a no tax budget” is the best answer to Connecticut’s fiscal problems.

Mayor Art Ward, a Democrat, also took issue with the revenue measure approved by a legislative committee that would sock ESPN for millions of dollars.

That bill had the support of state Rep. Chris Wright, a freshman Democrat from Bristol’s 77^th District.

The sections that would hike taxes for ESPN, Wright said, were part of “a larger overall package” that backed.

“I didn’t want to vote to kill the overall bill,” Wright said, even though he is “doing all I can to see what we can do about that part” of the measure before a final plan is approved.

"We are having constructive dialogue with state officials," Mike Soltys, an ESPN vice president, said Monday. But, he said, at this point "it's too early to tell" the outcome.

Wright said the focus has shifted to the appropriations panel and its work on reducing spending.

He said that if the spending side of the budget can be cut, then legislators can take another look at the revenue proposals included in the finance measure he supported.

Hopefully, Wright said, “we can take some of those provisions” that ESPN doesn’t like out of the bill before final passage.

Soltys said ESPN is unhappy about efforts to remove sales tax exemptions on broadcast equipment purchases that’s been in place since 1982.

Another proposal would end the tax waiver for purchase of time using satellite or fiber signals, a potentially costly change for the sports broadcast giant.

There are at least two other provisions in the bill that ESPN is pushing to have removed.

The large tax hikes sought by Democrats, Fedele said, “are unacceptable in these times. Companies do have options.”

The Greater Bristol Chamber of Commerce is also pushing to kill provisions in the proposed tax plan that would hurt ESPN.

The company, which is a division of Walt Disney Co., has said that it has invested more than $600 million in property and facilities in Connecticut in the last decade alone. It has also spent $700 million with Connecticut vendors in that period, Soltys has said.

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Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Krawiecki, Cockayne, Stortz among possible GOP mayoral candidates

At least five men are eyeing the possibility of running for mayor on the Republican ticket this year, including a former state House minority leaders, a former mayor and one of the party’s two city councilors.

The chairman of Bristol’s GOP, T.J. Barnes, said Friday that he has been talking with potential contenders for awhile after getting word that Ken Johnson might drop out of the race.

Johnson told the Republican Town Committee on Monday that he could not run this year, as he expected, because of personal reasons. That left the party without a standard bearer for this year’s face-off with first-term Democrat Art Ward, who is seeking reelection.

Barnes said that among those who are weighing a run against Ward are former state House Minority Leader Edward Krawiecki, Jr, city Councilor Ken Cockayne, unsuccessful council contender Joe Geladino and Lenny LaMothe, a park department employee. Others are also considering it, Barnes said.

“We’ll probably have a mayoral candidate out there in the next month or so,” Barnes said.

Former Mayor William Stortz, who held office in the early 1990s and again from 2005 to 2007, may also be weighing a run.

“If Bill wants to run for mayor, he knows the process,” Barnes said. “If he wants to, he can throw his hat in the ring”

Asked Friday if he planned to run again for the city’s top job, Stortz laughed, as he has before when questioned.

“Always smiling,” Stortz added, content to leave the issue up in the air.

Ward said he fully expects to face a Republican challenger this year.

“I’d be very, very surprised if they didn’t have a candidate,” Ward said, adding the political system requires that voters have a choice.

Barnes said he anticipates his party will have a full slate of City Council candidates this time around.

He said that “a lot of unsolicited people” are talking to him about potential campaigns. They hail from all three council districts, Barnes said.

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Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Council unanimously backs Crowley site purchase

City councilors gave their unanimous blessing Monday to buy the former Crowley dealership on Pine Street for $2.25 million in order to build a new school there.

The council did not take action on a proposal to buy land on Matthews Street for a second school, but officials said they expect to complete negotiations for the parcels there in the next two weeks.

Superintendent Philip Streifer said he expects to finish the deal “very, very quickly” in order to keep to a tight timetable for completing the land acquisition.

The city aims to build two new kindergarten to eighth grade schools – each with 900 students – sometime after June 2010. If money is scarce, the $132 million project may not be finished until 2015, officials have said.

Councilors said they had no problem approving the purchase of the Crowley site, which includes several adjoining parcels, in order to build one of the new schools next door to the existing Greene-Hills School, one of three elementary schools targeted for closure under the plan.

The city may also buy a small market at the corner of Pine and Daley streets as part of the project.

There doesn’t appear to be any opposition among councilors to buying two large lots and several smaller ones on Matthews Street, near Clark Avenue, to provide space for a second school.

Streifer said that the negotiations have to be completed soon.

“The clock is ticking with getting the deals done,” Streifer said.

Under a Board of Education plan, four older schools will be closed when the new ones are finished – Memorial Boulevard Middle School and three primary schools: Greene-Hills, Bingham and O’Connell.

Architects will have about a year to complete blueprints, which will be followed by a state review. The city must have a construction contract in hand by June 13, 2010 in order to preserve a 73.9 percent reimbursement rate for the project as a whole.

One hitch that developed Monday is that councilors expressed concern about former city attorney Edward Krawiecki, Jr’s representation of several of the property owners on Matthews Street.

City Councilor Frank Nicastro asked if that could pose a conflict of interest that might rebound to hurt the city in some way.

“There does appear to be an issue,” said Dale Clift, the city attorney.

Richard Lacey, a city lawyer, said that Krawiecki has a conflict if the legal work he is doing now as a private attorney is ‘”substantially related” to work he did as a municipal lawyer.

Lacey said the council could declare that it is not concerned or it could ask for an opinion from the Connecticut Bar Association or it could simply do nothing.

“The prudent thing to do” would be to ask for the opinion, said city Councilor Craig Minor.

But Streifer suggested that doing so might create a delay. The superintendent also said that there isn’t much to negotiate, since the city is set to pay the highest appraisal value for the relevant properties anyway. It can’t pay more than that unless ordered by a court later.

Clift said his office will prepare a memorandum by week’s end detailing the issue involved with Krawiecki’s representation of the property owners.

Nicastro said that Krawiecki is “a good attorney,” but he wants to make sure taxpayers are protected.

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Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

If the COO proposal loses...

Mayor Art Ward wants to get a part-time assistant if the COO plan loses -- and add another part-timer for the City Council as well, if necessary.

Want to guess who several political insiders say is likely to get the job working for Ward?

Ed Krawiecki, Jr, the former city attorney that city councilors have refused to consider hiring as one of Bristol's part-time lawyers despite Ward's pleas that the city could use Krawiecki's knowledge and experience.

Krawiecki is a former state House minority leader and served as city attorney for two years during Mayor William Stortz's administration.

It could get quite interesting.

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Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Ward says he's still pushing for Krawiecki to get job

When the city asked for lawyers interested in serving as one of its assistant corporation counsels, it received five resumes from Republican lawyers interested in the part-time position.But Edward Krawiecki, Jr, the former city attorney, wasn't one of them.Personnel Director Diane Ferguson and Mayor Art Ward confirmed this week that Krawiecki didn't apply.
That’s a major reason why Ward pulled Krawiecki's nomination for the assistant city attorney job at the last minute last month - a nomination the mayor knew the Democratic-controlled City Council would likely refuse to confirm anyway.
Ward plans to try again to fill the vacant city lawyer’s post in a few months. He said Friday he assumes Krawiecki will want the job and that he’d back him once again.
The mayor said he hopes that councilors “will see the significance” of Krawiecki’s experience in dealing with state development officials, school land purchase negotiations and other key issues facing the city.
“It’s a plus-plus for everybody” to have Krawiecki in the city attorney’s office because of his extensive background, the mayor said.
“Ed had a handle on exactly what we were doing,” Ward said.
Ward said that he has no problems with any of the five attorneys who applied for the position. “I know them all,” he said, and respect each of them.
But, he said, Krawiecki has specific knowledge of the issues the city is facing now that nobody else can match.
Last week, Ward said he'd try again in the fall to round up resumes for the job.
He said Friday that he thought Krawiecki had applied for both the city attorney’s position and the assistant city attorney’s slot last time around.
It was only after the deadline, he said, that he learned from Ferguson that Krawiecki wasn’t among the applicants.
At that point, Ward said, he showed her Krawiecki’s resume but never asked her to accept it. He also said he never intended her to consider it after the deadline passed.
“When she said he did not put in for the assistant corporation counsel’s position, it was over,” Ward said.
The push for Krawiecki to take the job is likely to lead to a showdown between Ward and the council, which has four Democrats and two Republicans, over the possible appointment of the GOP mainstay to fill the last vacancy in the legal office.
The majority Democrats have said they don’t mind picking a GOP lawyer to fill the final slot in the five-person office, but they maintain that they won’t back Krawiecki for the job.
All of them have informed the mayor they would support Tom Conlin, a Republican who once served on the Board of Finance and did apply for the post. Conlin is a legal partner in Bristol with state Rep. Bill Hamzy, a Plymouth Republican.
The legal office currently has two part-time attorneys, including Corporation Counsel Dale Clift, and two full-timers, Ann Baldwin and Richard Lacey. The other part-timer is Jeff Steeg.

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Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Krawiecki never sought attorney's job

When the city asked for lawyers interested in serving as one of its assistant corporation counsels, it received about five resumes from Republican lawyers interested in the part-time position.
But Edward Krawiecki, Jr, the former city attorney, wasn't one of them.
Personnel Director Diane Ferguson confirmed this week that Krawiecki didn't apply.
I'm told by a few interested parties, but haven't confirmed, that Mayor Art Ward, a Democrat, raced in with Krawiecki's resume after the deadline for applications had passed.
That's one of the reasons that Ward pulled Krawiecki's nomination at the last minute - a nomination that Ward knew the Democratic-controlled City Council would not confirm.
Soon after, Ward told Ferguson to tell the applicants, including some prominent names in the legal community, that the position wasn't going to be filled now. Letters went out to the hopefuls telling them the news.
Last week, Ward said he'd try again in the fall to round up resumes for the job, but again made clear that he wants Krawiecki to fill it.
Next time around, I'm guessing, he'll get his resume in on time.

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Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

The showdown over Krawiecki continues

Updated at 1:50 p.m. Thursday...

The city attorney’s office is going to need to make do with one less lawyer for at least a few more months.
Mayor Art said Thursday he would still like to appoint Republican Edward Krawiecki, Jr, a former city attorney, to fill the position.
“I really believe we can make the case for my choice. It’s quite obvious that it’s non-partisan,” said Ward, a Democrat.
The move sets up a further showdown between Ward and the Democratic-controlled City Council over the possible appointment of the Republican mainstay to fill the last vacancy in the legal office.
The majority Democrats have said they don’t mind picking a GOP lawyer to fill the final slot in the five-person office, but they maintain that they won’t back Krawiecki for the job.
City Councilor Craig Minor said he told the mayor months ago “that demoting Ed to assistant corp counsel was very bad for morale and organizational dynamics.
“I tried to use a military analogy: you don't demote the company commander to sergeant and keep him in the same unit,” Minor said. “The men will be constantly looking to the ‘sergeant’ to approve whatever the new commander says, which completely undermines his authority.”
“The new commander never gets the chance to establish his own ways of doing things. It makes absolutely no sense given the wealth of experience possessed by the applicants,” Minor said.
The two Republican councilors, Mike Rimcoski and Ken Cockayne, strongly support Krawiecki.
Ward said the city notified the five other Republican lawyers who sought the job that it wouldn’t be filled for now. He said none could match Krawiecki.
All the respondents were “amply qualified professionally and I know many of them personally. I had no reservations about any of the other five,” the mayor said.
“I am thinking of waiting until September or October and putting out a new call” to see if there will be “a larger response” to his request for lawyers interested in the job, including perhaps some Democrats, Ward said.
In the meantime, Ward said, “We do have an opportunity to save” some money by leaving the position vacant.
The decision leaves the office with two part-time attorneys, including Corporation Counsel Dale Clift, and two full-timers, Ann Baldwin and Richard Lacey. The other part-timer is Jeff Steeg.
The move follows an unsuccessful bid by Ward, a Democrat, to install Krawiecki in the post. Krawiecki was the city attorney during former Mayor William Stortz’s last term.
Before the last regular council meeting, Ward said he decided to ask his colleagues to put Krawiecki into the part-time assistant city attorney's role because there's nobody better for the position."We're in difficult times. We're in trying times. That calls for bipartisanship," the mayor said at the time.
But the next night, during the meeting, Ward said that Krawiecki's nomination "will not be made this evening due to some personal issues that arose."Krawiecki apparently asked the mayor not to back him.
That came after four Democratic councilors – Frank Nicastro, Craig Minor, Cliff Block and Kevin McCauley – said they would not vote for Krawiecki. Some said they didn’t trust him.
Several of them said they didn’t have a problem with appointing a Republican to the job and were ready to vote for Tom Conlin, a former Board of Finance member, if Ward would agree.
But Ward instead declined to nominate anyone.
He said that after he asked for resumes from attorneys interested in the job, not a single Democratic lawyer expressed interest. But several sources said that Conlin was among those who did.Clift was appointed to the top city legal job in April after the council spent months leaning on the mayor to replace Krawiecki.
The mayor said that based on the last eight months – and the transition between the election and his taking the helm at City Hall – “I’m still of the belief that my consideration” of Krawiecki “is still the most appropriate,” based on his experience dealing the state on downtown, brownfields “and the types of the projects that are going to serve the city’s best interests.”
“Based on the due diligence and performance” shown by Krawiecki, Ward said, “I still feel he would be an asset” to the city attorney’s office.
The mayor said he spoke with Clift and Krawiecki about “working conditions and the environment” in the legal office if they were both there and each of them “agreed they can work together with no reservations.“I believe the office would experience the optimum of efficiency,” Ward said, if the council would go along with his pick for the job.

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Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Nothing on Krawiecki tonight

Mayor Art Ward didn't try to nominate Ed Krawiecki, Jr as an assistant city attorney after all.
Ward said that Krawiecki's nomination "will not be made this evening due to some personal issues that arose."
I'm not at all sure what that's about.
And that comes after I felt quite confident that the council would have voted 4-3 to reject the nomination.

Update at 9:20 - The mayor told me that Krawiecki asked him late today not to put the nomination in. Ward said he cited personal issues. That's all Ward claims to know.
It isn't clear then whether the mayor will try again at a future meeting or not.

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Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Krawiecki to be nominated

Mayor Art Ward said Monday night that he's going to ask the City Council on Tuesday to appoint Ed Krawiecki, Jr as an assistant city attorney.
Krawiecki, a Republican, was the city attorney during the administration of former Mayor Bill Stortz, also a Republican.
But Ward kept Krawiecki on in the job until Democratic lawyer Dale Clift stepping into the post in May after some prodding by the Democrat-controlled council.
Ward said he decided to ask the council to put Krawiecki into the part-time assistant city attorney's role because there's nobody better for the position.
"We're in difficult times. We're in trying times. That calls for bipartisanship," the mayor said.
Only two city councilors - Republicans Mike Rimcoski and Ken Cockayne - are sure to back the appointment. But Ward said he's hoping the four Democrats will put the community ahead of partisan considerations and vote for Krawiecki as well.
He said that Krawiecki has two and half years of experience in the city's legal issues and a wealth of information about the background of many projects that are ongoing.
Ward said that Krawiecki has also had "positive communication" with state economic development officials and was in on the ground floor of school site negotiations.
That background, the mayor said, can only help the community.
"The need is pressing today to work in a more bipartisan manner," Ward said.
Ward said that Krawiecki was "very contributory and helpful to me" during his first few months in office.
What's more, the mayor said, after he asked for resumes from attorneys interested in the job, not a single Democratic lawyer expressed interest.
Ward said there were some Republicans who sought the job, some of them excellent, but nobody had the experience that Krawiecki possesses. Krawiecki is also a former state House minority leader.
Ward said that neither Krawiecki nor Clift has any qualms about working together.
"This is an opportunity for us to stay on an even keel," the mayor said.
He said that if any councilors oppose the appointment, he hopes they will speak up about their reasons. People deserve to know where everyone stands and why, Ward said.
But, Ward said, he remains hopeful that in the end there will be a unanimous vote to tap Krawiecki for the job.

Update at 9:30 p.m. Monday - In an email this evening, I asked all of the city councilors to discuss their reasons for supporting or opposing Krawiecki. So far, I've only heard back from Cockayne.
Cockayne said he's sure that the four Democrats - Frank Nicastro, Cliff Block, Kevin McCauley and Craig Minor -- will vote against Krawiecki.
He said that if Krawiecki isn't approved, "it will be a loss to the city."
Cockayne said that Krawiecki is the best possible choice for the position because of his sharp legal knowledge, his loyalty to Ward, his personal relations with state development officials and more.
"In the long run, it would hurt Bristol not to pick him," Cockayne said.
He also said that with two Republicans on the council, there ought to be a GOP lawyer at City Hall, too.

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Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com