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City manager announces new grants administrator; public commenter urges IT outsourcing and better restroom/security access
Summary
City Manager Brian Daniels announced Anthony DeFelice joined Meriden’s finance department as grants administrator and reminded residents of a DEA Medication Take Back Day. Public commenter Dan Zabrowski urged outsourcing IT, cited an alleged hack and ARPA funds, criticized hiring practices, and urged restroom access and security fixes at city facilities.
City Manager Brian Daniels reported that Anthony DeFelice joined the finance department on April 13, 2026, as Meriden’s new grants administrator; Daniels said DeFelice brings accounting experience and will handle grant compliance and reporting. Daniels also reminded residents about DEA National Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, April 25, 10 a.m.–2 p.m. at Meriden Green on Mill Street.
During the public‑comment period, Dan Zabrowski, who identified himself for the record and gave a local address, raised several concerns. "Bottom line is we should outsource this," Zabrowski said referring to city IT services and added he believed "$275,000 was given to ARPA money" related to IT. He reported, secondhand, that workers had been hacked and urged the city to install fail‑safe protections and consider contracting outside IT services.
Zabrowski also criticized hiring practices for a facilities manager role and urged the council to keep public restrooms open to improve handicapped access, saying the current arrangement forces some users to take elevators to lower‑level restrooms he called "the most deplorable place in the city of Meriden." He reported a break‑in at city towers where a snack machine was vandalized and money taken, and urged the council to respond to constituent concerns about cleanliness and safety.
The council recorded no written public comments for the meeting and closed the public‑comment period after Zabrowski’s remarks. City staff did not provide an immediate response to the security and hiring claims during the meeting; those items were not part of the posted agenda.
