JANUARY 2005

This month, 'Town Works' visits with First Selectman David Denvir to discuss the role of the Board of Selectmen. Denvir has lived in Killingworth for over thirty years, has served on the Board of Selectmen for 12 years, and is a practicing attorney. Killingworth's selectmen are Louis Annino, Sr. and Fred Dudek.

Connecticut towns have a choice in what form of government they have. Probably because of the small population and a desire for individual representation, the founding citizens of Killingworth chose to be governed by a Town Meeting, a Board of Selectmen and a Board of Finance. Killingworth has a three-member Board of Selectmen: each with a two-year term in office. Many larger towns, where a Town Meeting might not work as well, have chosen a Mayor and a Town Council. In both cases, the Town Meeting and the Town Council represent the interests of the residents and therefore serve a similar legislative function as the U.S. House of Representatives.

The Town Charter, drafted about 25 years ago gives town officers and agencies specific directions on how to perform their duties. The Town Charter can only be changed by a majority vote of the residents. The Board of Selectmen recently appointed a committee to look into what changes or updates are needed in the Town Charter. This committee will listen to individuals and groups and make recommendations to the Board of Selectmen. The Town in a general election will then vote on the recommendations.

The First Selectman is the Chief Executive and Administrative Officer of the town. The Board of Selectmen as a whole is in charge of keeping town records, authorizing payment for town expenses, and generally keeping the present and future goals of the town under review. The Board of Selectmen has regular meetings twice a month and can call special meetings if the need arises. The meetings are open to the public and residents may also contact the selectmen privately. The First Selectman represents the town's interests with area towns and with the State. Denvir currently serves on several area boards, such as the 9-Town Lower Valley Selectmen's Association, the 17-Town Conn. River Valley Council of Elected Officials and the Council of Small Towns. These boards determine how federal money is spent, and how the towns' common interests can best be served.

Town Meetings, which are scheduled by the Board of Selectmen, are held annually in May to pass the Town Budget and at other times throughout the year for discussions and votes on important town issues. The Town Meeting is the only body that can pass ordinances that become town laws. Towns may pass laws that give its citizens more protection than State or Federal laws but may never give its citizens less protection. In general, a town may have different laws than its neighbors as long as they don't take away rights protected by the laws of Connecticut or the United States.

Denvir said there are no specific qualifications for being on the Board of Selectmen. He said that it generally helps to have lived in town for a while; be known in town, possibly by serving on a commission or board; have the nomination of a political party, and just have common sense. He said his role is to make decisions that are in the best interest of the majority of the people, and to keep the interests of the people on the Town's agenda. Denvir said that from a very young age he had a strong interest in government and politics.

A decision that illustrates how the Board of Selectmen and the Town Meeting work is the recent passing of the underage-drinking ordinance. The ordinance allows the State Police more rights to enter private property if they suspect unsupervised minors are drinking alcohol. Individual residents and community groups first raised the issue to the Board of Selectmen. The Board discussed the idea, investigated the legality of this type of ordinance with the town attorney; solicited input from the town's Resident State Trooper and looked at how towns around Killingworth were handling the issue. The Board discussed it further at its meetings, listened to residents' concerns at the meetings and privately, and then decided to present it for discussion and a vote at a Special Town Meeting. Residents at the Town Meeting debated the pros and cons of the ordinance, and in the end passed it by a margin of two votes. The Town of Haddam recently had a vote on the same issue and decided against it. The residents of each town made a decision that was in the best interest of its residents. Each town can also decide in the future to rethink its position and vote again on the issue at another Town Meeting.

Next month 'Town Works' will visit with David Hale, who serves on the Killingworth Planning and Zoning Commission. If you have any follow up questions for David Denvir or questions you would like asked next month, please email the editor@killingworthtoday.com. Please include your name, grade and teacher.

Links:
Meeting Minutes from the Board of Selectmen
State of Connecticut Website