The town’s current system of financial checks and balances garnered solid support from residents when nearly two-thirds of those who participated in a January 6 referendum voted against rescinding the ordinance that established the Board of Finance. The 172 – 254 vote in favor of retaining the finance board was far greater than the vote in favor of initiating it in June of 2012, when the ordinance that established the board passed narrowly with a vote of 200-192.

In an interview immediately following the vote, First Selectman Al Cahill said he was “comfortable” with the town’s decision. “By providing the opportunity for citizens to make a choice, I have done my job,” he said. “That’s what Selectmen do. We create a menu and voters order a la carte. I hope the people enjoy their meal.”

The Selectmen scheduled the referendum due to concerns they raised after the finance board voted to hire an attorney to assist in crafting policies and procedures to protect the taxpayers’ dollars and their right to approve town purchases in excess of $20,000. The finance board was reacting to the Selectmen’s violation of State law and past practice when they purchased a bucket truck to remove hazardous branches and trees for $173,690 without the approval of the legislative body. Selectmen initially scheduled a town meeting for taxpayers to approve the purchase, but cancelled the meeting and purchased the truck on their own, using $82,000 from the account for trucks and equipment, $70,000 of the appropriations for road paving, and $21,690 from the First Selectman’s salary.

The controversy remained divisive at a December 23 Special Town Meeting prior to the referendum vote. Among the 80 residents in attendance, opinion was fairly split between those who advocated for their statutory right to vote on purchases exceeding the $20,000 threshold, and those who believed that the Selectmen’s decisions should not be challenged.

Resident Lynn Burdick said it was “shameful” for citizens to question the Selectmen, while others pressed them as to whether or not their action was legal. Cahill pointed to his powers in emergency circumstances under Homeland Security, specifying his right to appoint deputies and impose curfews. “I can keep you locked in your houses,” he used as an example.

Though Burdick commended Cahill for contributing a portion of his own salary toward the truck while plunking her own donation on the table and encouraging others to “put your money where your mouth is,” resident Juan Arriola criticized the First Selectman for spending a salary he had yet to earn. In response, Cahill listed his accomplishments, including duties he performed free of charge, and residents John Rodriguez and Stan Crawford vied for the responsibility of replacing the salary if, as Rodriguez put it, Cahill “drops dead.”

Though most arguments centered on the purchase of the truck, the issue of abolishing the Board of Finance also spurred debate. Selectman Grindle said the two boards enjoyed a good relationship for more than seven years, narrowing the period of friction. Since the finance board first convened on June 28, 2012, it appears as though recently seated members Kathy Donahue, Diane Gagnon, and Lisa Sanchez have posed insurmountable challenges to the Selectmen.

Along with the charge of “micromanaging”, Selectmen pointed to the finance board’s decision to reduce the mill rate from the artificially high amount the Selectmen proposed. Leslie Wertam noted that the finance board did not consider the Town Treasurer’s suggestion that a gradual increase would be easier on taxpayers than a probable spike in a subsequent year, and Aaron Tumel said that lowering the mill rate, and consequently taxes, was reason enough to vote against the Board of Finance.

Others disagreed. “It seems a shame to eliminate the mechanism,” Penny Newbury, one of the original finance board members, opined, and current member Kathy Donahue reasoned, “Having broader representation looking at things in town, instead of just three people, is a good thing.”

In the end, residents agreed with her.

Because the members of the Gazette Board in attendance at the town meeting publicly debated one or more of these issues, we have relied on the coverage reported in ‘The Willimantic Chronicle’ for this article.