Town Council votes big boost to mayor’s pay

As published in the Record Journal, Wednesday May 1, 2013
By Eric Vo
Record-Journal staff evo@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2235Twitter:@ericvoRJ

WALLINGFORD - The Town Council voted unanimously to increase the mayor’s salary by $12,000 at a budget workshop Tuesday night.

In Mayor William W. Dickinson Jr.’s $147.94 million budget proposal for the next fiscal year, he kept his salary at a figure that has been the same since at least 2002 — $73,140. With the $12,000 increase, the mayor’s salary would increase to $85,140.

According to the Town Charter, compensation cannot be changed during the term of the incumbent mayor. Dickinson’s term is ending after this year, so the salary for the next term can now be set.

Town Council Vice Chairman Vincent Cervoni, a Republican, said he believed the position’s salary should be comparable to what area chief executives are making.

As of 2011, Southington Town Manager Garry Brumback was paid $149,000 per year; Meriden City Manager Lawrence J. Kendzior was paid $139,000 annually and Cheshire Town Manager Michael Milone earned $131,350 per year.

Dickinson, a Republican, has repeatedly refused raises because of the state of the economy. When a motion to increase the mayor’s salary was introduced by Cervoni Tuesday night, Dickinson advised the council to be cautious.

“It might be good to wait on this until we know what’s going on with the larger picture,” Dickinson said. “There’s so much going on with the state.”

But Town Council Chairman Robert F. Parisi said he would rather the councilors vote on the motion and remove it in the future if it came down to it.

Since the town’s budget doesn’t take effect on the first day of the year, but rather in the middle of a year, the 201314 budget would only be affected by $6,000, according to Councilor Jason Zandri, a Democrat who will run against Dickinson later this year. The budget for the following fiscal year would include the entire $12,000, he said.

Cervoni said he was trying to be conscious of the taxpayers when determining how much money to increase the mayor’s salary by. He tried to choose a number that “would minimize the impact on the taxpayer,” he said. But Zandri said $12,000 is “a rounding error.”

“It wouldn’t affect taxpayers’ money at all ... it’s too low of a number to change the mill rate or affect the taxpayer,” he said.

Although the Town Council voted to increase the mayor’s salary, the $12,000 increase isn’t exactly carved in stone, according to James Bowes, the town’s comptroller.

“Just because it is in the budget, doesn’t mean it’ll happen,” he told the council.

Zandri said there are a number of ways the salary increase could change. The Town Council still has to vote to approve the budget and Zandri said Dickinson can veto it if he sees something he doesn’t like. While there is a possibility the salary increase may not come to pass, Zandri was pleased to see the other councilors supporting the raise.

“It’s a start,” Zandri said. “The time to do this is now.”

PUBLIC HEARING on the 2013-2014 BUDGET

TOWN OF WALLINGFORD, CONNECTICUT

Special Town Council Meeting

WEDNESDAY

APRIL 10, 2013 - 6:30 P.M.

Town Council Chambers

PUBLIC HEARING

on the

FY 2013 – 2014 BUDGET

AGENDA

1. Pledge of Allegiance

2. Roll Call

3. PUBLIC HEARING

Ambulance/EMS Transport Fund
Animal Control

Board of Assessment Appeals
Board of Education
Board of Ethics
Board of Selectmen
Building Department

Cafeteria
Capital Appropriations Reserve
Capital and Non-Recurring
Capital and Non-Recurring Fund
Civil Preparedness
Conservation Commission
Contingency Account

Debt Services

Economic Development Commission
Employee Insurance and Other Benefits
Engineering Department

Finance Department
Fire Department
Fire Marshal

Government TV

Health Department

Inland Wetlands
Insurance-Property & Casualty

Law Department
Library

Mayor

Parks and Recreation
Pension Fund
Personnel, Pensions, & Risk Management
Planning & Zoning
Police Department
Probate Court
Program Planning
Public Utilities Commission
Public Works Department

Registrars of Voters

Six-Year Capital
Social Services Contributions

Town Council
Town Clerk

Utilities –Electric, Water & Sewer Divisions

Veterans Service Center

Youth & Social Services Bureau

Zoning Board of Appeals

SNOW - Much done, much still to be done; Blizzard cleanup efforts to continue through weekend

As published in the Record Journal on Friday February 15, 2013

By Andrew Ragali
Record-Journal staff
aragali@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2224
Twitter:@AndyRagz

While the bulk of the blizzard cleanup effort has been completed in Meriden, Wallingford, Southington and Cheshire, crews are still working to ensure that roads are safe and businesses can operate normally, officials said Thursday.

Bob Bass, Meriden’s director of public works, said he expects work downtown to be done by this morning. Bass said large snow blowers, dump trucks and pay loaders will have worked through the night “if everything goes right,” bringing snow piled in parking lots and along the side of the street to the Hub. The effort, he said, will bring a sense of normalcy back to the downtown area, which has been difficult to navigate since the storm.

“We’ve certainly passed the worst and we’re on the upswing,” said Meriden Mayor Michael S. Rohde.

Rohde said crews will continue widening roads, clearing sightlines and cleaning around fire hydrants and water drains elsewhere in the city.

“Everybody’s focused on that,” he said, adding that people in many neighborhoods are working together to clear fire hydrants on their own. Rohde said he appreciates the effort, and hopes it will continue. “We’re trying to get the word out to people.”

Rohde is happy that with the hardest part of the clean-up effort over, he’s getting appreciative, not angry, emails, as he was earlier in the week.

“A lot of people have been very patient and understanding,” Rohde said. Some haven’t been as patient, throwing snowballs and making obscene gestures to plow truck drivers, he said. “I understand people are frustrated.”

With temperatures helping the snow removal process, Rohde said he thinks the city will be settled into its normal routine by next week.

In Southington, Town Manager Garry Brumback is “counting on Mother Nature to kick in.”

He said the cleanup effort will be complete by the end of the weekend, with “a few residual things” possibly left over next week. Today and Saturday, Brumback said, crews will concentrate on clearing bus stop areas and a few snow drifts that are affecting driver sightlines.

Brumback said cleanup downtown began early Thursday morning, calling the work “snow removal, not just snow pushing.”

Brumback said pay loaders are dropping snow into dump trucks, which bring the snow to the bulky waste transfer station, a dump site approved by the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

“(Today) we will finish up downtown and inspect all of the remaining bus stops and bus routes in order to make sure there are no issues with school next week,” Brumback said. There is no school in Southington Monday or Tuesday.

The Fire Department has brought in volunteers to clear hydrants, Brumback said. Jason Harnish and Patrick Walesky, from Company 1, assisted several elderly residents with removal of snow from their sidewalks.

“We expect to be able to resume normal operations following the Presidents Day holiday,” Brumback said.

Wallingford Mayor William W. Dickinson Jr. and Director of Public Works Henry McCully could not be reached for comment Thursday. During Wednesday’s Town Council meeting, Dickinson said work crews would be busy.

“I would believe we’d be putting in 10 hour days in order to complete the task that still needs to be completed,” he said.

Jason Zandri, a town councilor, said Wednesday night that the Fire Department is asking residents to “help out the department” by uncovering buried hydrants.

Roads have been successfully widened in Cheshire, said Town Manager Michael Milone. Crews are concentrating on public parking lots that “had to be put aside” immediately after the blizzard because roads were the first priority.

Milone said parking lots will be the emphasis of the cleanup effort “for the next couple of days.”

Clearing water drains and fire hydrants is another priority. Milone also said residents have until Sunday to clear their sidewalks.

By Monday, he’s confident the town will have completed the cleaning up.

The end of the cleanup effort will likely be a welcome sight for public works employees. In Meriden, Bass said employees slept at the public works garage several nights, and are just now getting the chance to go home and “get reinvigorated.”

With the rest, “they’re pretty fresh now,” Bass said, and ready to tackle cleanup downtown today.

Councilor Zandri undecided on mayoral campaign

As published in the Record Journal Tuesday October 9, 2012

By Laurie Rich Salerno
Record-Journal staff
lsalerno@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2235
Twitter:@LaurieSalernoRJ

WALLINGFORD - Another well-known Democrat may be entering the 2013 race for mayor.

Town Councilor Jason Zandri is mulling whether he’ll join fellow Democratic Councilor Nick Economopoulos in the race to unseat longtime incumbent William W. Dickinson Jr.

After a Democratic Town Committee meeting Wednesday night, Zandri, 43, said he was considering a run but had not yet made a final decision, citing family, work and town committee considerations.

The committee does not officially endorse candidates until the summer before an election, according to town Democratic Chairman Vincent Avallone. Economopoulos announced his intent after the November 2011 town election and reaffirmed it recently to the Record-Journal.

Vincent Testa, who has run twice for mayor and lost, also said recently that he hadn’t decided if he will run again.

Economopoulos said Wednesday night that if his Democratic colleague runs, he would likely throw him his support. If not, he will probably stay in the race.

“I just want a true, transparent, fair government, that’s it. And I’ll support anybody who will run it that way,” Economopoulos said.

Avallone confirmed that he and Zandri had had a discussion about a potential run about a month ago, and the two talked about what it would take, including personal and other sacrifices.

“He’s certainly qualified, energetic and well-known … if he wants to do it,” Avallone said, but added that Zandri had not made a decision and that the committee doesn’t endorse any candidate until the summer. “He has not announced — he has not made a decision.”

Zandri was elected to the Town Council in November 2011, after an initial failed bid in 2007 as an independent. He followed in the footsteps of his father Geno, a 10-year town councilor. The elder Zandri made his own unsuccessful run for mayor in 1999.

The younger Zandri would provide a marked contrast to the incumbent mayor.

While Dickinson has not been a proponent of technology in Town Hall — allowing only a few town departments Internet access — Zandri works as a computer systems engineer at Bloomberg in New York City. A blogger, he is also active on Twitter and Facebook.

He is well known in town, having organized several high profile events through his family’s restaurant, Zandri’s Stillwood Inn, including a recent presidential debate party two weeks ago that got him an interview on CNN. Jason Zandri and fellow Town Councilor Craig Fishbein, a Republican, have also created a fund to pay for the town’s Fourth of July fireworks, since they have been cut from the town’s budget.

Dickinson said Wednesday night that, in the midst of the 2012 election season, the 2013 race for mayor is not yet on his radar.

“I try not to concentrate on that until I absolutely have to,” Dickinson said.

Zandri said whoever runs against Dickinson will likely have to start campaigning soon.

“When anybody’s going to run against an entrenched incumbent you have to start earlier,” Zandri said.

Zandri

Testa

Economopoulos

Of position and pay - the position and salary of the Mayor of Wallingford

Stephen Knight has written and posted his bi-weekly “FROM WALLINGFORD” column over at the Record Journal; this week’s submission from him was titled “Power and pay”

I have written a letter to the Editor response which I hope will be printed Tuesday or Wednesday.

As it was only 300 words and there was more to say I have also blogged some additional facts and commentary over on the Wallingford Patch website in a post titled “Of position and pay - the position and salary of the Mayor of Wallingford”

What does the Mayor of Wallingford earn?

A number of search hits have come into my two blogs (this one and Wallingford Politico) regarding the salary of Mayor William Dickinson of Wallingford as people are looking for this information.

http://www.woodingcaplan.com/images/2008-2009%20Budget/2008-2009_Salalry_detail.pdf from the Wooding-Caplan Citizens Group site provides a quick review of the Mayor's salary detail

The Mayor's salary was $73,140.00 in 2009 and unless I am mistaken he's refused a raise since so I would believe it is still the same. I can get a more up to date posting once I have the new personnel details out in the upcoming budget.

What you can see is that the Mayor's administrative aide makes nearly what he does at $67,219.00 (again - as of the 2009 salary data).

The town's adopted budget for 2011 - 2012 is available at http://www.town.wallingford.ct.us/images/customer-files//AdoptedBudgetFY12.PDF but I do not see the salary detail there.

I will see if I can get a hold of it to post.

The Mayor's follow up with the engineering department regarding Wooding-Caplan

Hi everyone - quick update regarding the Mayor's follow up with the engineering department regarding the Wooding-Caplan property.

As the Mayor promised, he did get in touch with the Engineering Department regarding getting some initial estimates and rough drawings with respect to possible short term work / improvements as originally requested by Councilor Fishbein.

The letter we received today as follow up from that request indicated that there should be something to review by March 20th.

I'll be sure to follow up with anything that is public information on this as I receive it. 

2011 Election Results from Wallingford

Click on the image to enlarge.

Winners are highlighted in yellow.

Totals at this point are unconfirmed.

Vinnie Testa Candidate for Mayor of Wallingford

VOTE TODAY – TUESDAY NOVEMBER 8, 2011

About Vinnie Testa

Vinnie Testa for Mayor - http://videoalive.com/vinnietesta/
https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Vinnie-Testa-for-Mayor/118934548181765
vtesta@comcast.net

Born in Wallingford; / Wallingford Public Schools;
B.S. Fairfield University;
1 son in college, 1 teaching in Washington, D.C.
Current Minority Leader, Wallingford Town Council
Wallingford Town Council – 8 years, 1 term as Vice-Chairman
Wallingford Board of Education – 8 years
Wallingford Wetlands Commission – 2 years
CCD Teacher and Lector Most Holy Trinity Church
Wallingford Symphony Orchestra Board of Directors
Child Guidance Clinic Board of Directors
Yalesville Little League Executive Board
Baseball, basketball, soccer coach, founding coach of Wallingford Lacrosse
Cub Scout Leader
Wallingford Dream Foundation (Founding member)
Wallingford Education Foundation
Golf Tournament Committee
Business Network International Development Ambassador


Modernizing Government

With 20 years experience in local government, Vinnie knows how we can save money by:

• Reducing costs and creating efficiencies through the smart use of technology
• Sharing services between Town and the Board of Education
• Eliminating wasteful spending to ease the burden on taxpayers

 

Leading Economic Development and Creating Jobs

Based on 25 years of success in corporate business development, Vinnie has a specific plan for bringing new businesses to Wallingford by:

• Establishing our industrial parks as a clean energy research and development hub
• Recruiting new corporate taxpayers that are essential to rebuilding our diminishing grand list

 

Ensuring Public Safety

• Restoring critical paramedic services
• Strengthening our police force by retaining those we train

 

Providing a Great Education for Our Kids

Vinnie served on the Board of Education, helped develop the long-term strategic plan for our schools, and he teaches in the Wallingford school system. He understands the challenges we face in preparing our children for success in the 21st Century.

 

“I am proud of my service and commitment to our community. It would be an honor to serve you further as your mayor. It’s time we moved forward, together, to make this town we love an even better place to live and raise our families.

Sincerely,
Vinnie Testa

ELECTION DAY Locations to vote in Wallingford

District 1: Pond Hill School gym, 297 Pond Hill Road.
District 2: Stevens School gym, 18 Kondracki Lane.
District 3: Moses Y. Beach School gym, 340 N. Main St.
District 4: Dag Middle School gym, 106 Pond Hill Road.
District 5: Cook Hill School gym, 57 Hall Road.
District 6: Parker Farms School cafeteria, 30 Parker Farms Road.
District 7: Yalesville School cafeteria, 415 Church St. (Route 68).
District 8: Senior Center, 38 Washington St.
District 9: Rock Hill School cafeteria, 911 Durham Road.

If you need additional information:

Registrar of Voters

45 South Main Street, Room #211
(203) 294-2125

Registrars:
Samuel Carmody
Chester Miller

http://www.town.wallingford.ct.us/Content/Registrar_of_Voters.asp

Tomorrow, Tuesday November 8, 2011 is Election Day

It’s not often that you get your chance to have your say, really have the opportunity to voice your mind and thoughts.

You do get an optimum chance on Election Day more so than any other time of the year.

There is no body of government that can affect you as much and that you have as much effect on as your municipal government.

Your municipal leaders regulate your ordinances, set the local budget for the town and the schools, as well as maintain and manage the tax base of the town.

If you voted in the federal election in 2008 you were one voice in 169 million registered. (About 133 million showed up to cast a vote).

86 million democrat - 55 million republican - 28 million others registered.

Of those voters there were 132,645,504 total voters out of an eligible voting age population of 212,702,354, which gives you a 62.4% participation rate.

For the elections held at the state level here in Connecticut as of 2010 the total number of registered voters is a hair over 2 million.

The largest group of registered voters in Connecticut is unaffiliated, accounting for 831,962 voters. There are 743,580 registered Democrats and 413,854 registered Republicans.

So when 73 percent of the state voters turnout, your voice is one in 1.46 million.

You as the voter in Wallingford during a municipal election are one of about 25,000 registered. During our last municipal election only 35.6 percent of the registered voters turned out.

Your voice there is one of about 8,900.

Where do you think your voice is the loudest?

Where do you think your voice is best heard among all the noise?

Wallingford is your town – get informed, get involved and VOTE on Tuesday November 8th

Wallingford Ballot for the November 8th municipal election

For the office of Mayor you may choose only one of the two candidates.
For the seats on Town Council you can vote for any nine of the twelve running. You may vote for people that are one above the other – it is for ANY nine regardless of position on the ballot.
For the seats on the Board of Education you can vote for any nine of the twelve running. You may vote for people that are one above the other – it is for ANY nine regardless of position on the ballot.


The Secretary of the State website contains additional information which will provide you with important election details.

Record Journal Voter Guide for Wallingford: Democratic Candidate for Mayor Vincent Testa

As published in the Record Journal Sunday October 30, 2011

Vincent F. Testa (D)
Age: 51 Address: 15 East St.
Occupation: Mortgage broker.
Education: B.S., biology, Fairfield University.

Platform: Specific plan to target and recruit new businesses, including creation of clean energy research and development hub in industrial parks; improve technology and business operations in town government; restore paramedics and improve retention of police officers; share services between town and schools and improve public building maintenance to cut spending and ease tax burden; support schools' strategic plan.

Misc.: Town Council incumbent (fourth term) and minority leader; former Board of Education member; former substitute teacher at Dag Hammarskjold Middle School; pursuing teacher certification; board member Wallingford Symphony Orchestra, Child Guidance Clinic and Yalesville Little League; Wallingford Education Foundation golf tournament committee member; Business Network International development ambassador.

Website: www.vinnietestaformayor.com
Facebook:www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/pages/Vinnie-Testa-for-Mayor/118934548181765
Email: vtesta@comcast.net