Residents urge transparency as Newington council moves to executive session for town manager interviews

Residents urged the Newington Town Council on July 15 to prioritize communication and transparency in the town manager hiring process, then the council moved into executive session to interview three candidates.

Don McCarthy, a resident of 206 Churchill Drive, told the council he had emailed members and that “the most important thing for me is the town manager's ability to communicate with me and with the rest of the public,” praising prior accessibility by an acting manager. Rose Lyons of 46 Elton Drive urged broader public involvement and questioned the search process that led to multiple short-term appointments, saying, “Be open and transparent in what's going on here in Newington.”

After public comment, the deputy mayor read a resolution invoking CGS section 1-206a to move the council into executive session “to discuss a personnel issue, town manager candidate interviews for candidate 1, 2, and 3,” and the council voted by voice vote. The chair then declared, “Motion carries unanimously.” The transcript records the entry into and return from executive session but does not include the interviews themselves.

Council remarks before the executive session echoed the public concerns about turnover in the town manager role and a desire to find a candidate who will remain in the position. Commenters also noted timing and notice concerns: the agenda posting time and lack of attachments were raised during public comment as diminishing opportunities for earlier public input.

No formal hiring motion or public vote on a finalist was recorded in the public transcript. The council reconvened, reopened public participation, heard no further comments and then adjourned. The executive session discussion and any subsequent personnel actions, if they occurred, are not reflected in the public transcript.