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Commission hears calls to make Legislative Assistant a merit position; town clerk appointment debated
Summary
Public commenters and commissioners discussed moving Danbury’s Legislative Assistant to the merit system and clarifying the Town Clerk’s role, with legal counsel asked to draft specific language. Commissioners agreed in principle to merit status but deferred final wording.
Chair Joseph W. Britton opened the May 20 Charter Revision Commission meeting and the panel spent substantial time considering how the Charter should treat the Legislative Assistant and Town Clerk roles.
Several public commenters urged changes. Peter Buzaid, City Council president, told the Commission the Legislative Assistant’s responsibilities resemble those of the Town Clerk and should be placed in the merit system with clearer reporting to the City Council. Ben Chianese, a City Council member, argued the Town Clerk should be an appointed position required to obtain Town Clerk certification within a reasonable time; he also said the Legislative Assistant should be a merit position that reports to the Council. Laurie Esposito, who identified herself as Town Clerk, asked the Commission to clarify Charter language distinguishing the Town Clerk, a possible 'City Clerk' role and the Legislative Assistant and to consider career staff experience when revising job descriptions. The Commission also heard similar support for merit-based status from resident speakers.
The Commission agreed in principle to convert the Legislative Assistant position to the merit system but did not adopt final language. Legal counsel, Joseph Mortelliti, was asked to draft alternative text to clarify whether the position is merit-based, how certification or training requirements would apply, and to specify the reporting relationship to the City Council. Commissioners emphasized they want precise wording rather than broad labels; Commissioner Isabel C. Almeida asked for clear phrasing about publication and statutory cross-references elsewhere in the Charter.
No formal vote was taken on changing the Town Clerk’s elected or appointed status at this meeting. Commissioners discussed that Board of Education terms are governed by Connecticut law, a point raised by Ben Chianese, and that any change affecting the Town Clerk would need to respect those statutory constraints. The Commission directed legal counsel to present options on both the Legislative Assistant’s merit status and clearer role language for the Town Clerk at a future meeting.
The Commission approved the minutes from its May 13 meeting earlier in the session and then continued reviewing other sections of Chapter 3.
The Commission’s next steps are to review legal counsel’s drafted options and return to the topic for possible vote language at a subsequent meeting.
