The Marty Heiser Show

Video to Danbury City Clerk's speech is coming soon!

THE REBUTTAL

l. Her statement that she is the only city clerk in 40 years to do the job is just wrong. They all did the job as outlined in the charter. That she disparages people such as Betty Crudgington and George Massoud who have passed on and are not here to defend themselves is totally disrespectful and shows her lack of character. The problem here is that she does not understand the limited role of the City Clerk as outlined in the Charter. The civil service job of the assistant clerk is what she was talking about. They did not do that work because it was not their job. She owes the families of those good people an apology.

2. The most gross statement she made is asking the commission to find a way around publishing the city ordinances in the local media. State law requires publishing of all ordinances. For an elected official to say there is always a way around anything is reason to call for her to resign. Democracy is costly - it is the price we pay. The people have a right to know what their government officials are doing. We need to have more disclosure not less.

3. She said she has minute takers to do common council committee meetings and regular meetings. She then edits the minutes. This is against the law. Only the person taking the minutes can alter them before they are submitted to the council. They can then make additions, corrections or deletions. She has no authority to do this.

4. She said there should never be only one person working in that office. There should only be one person. There is enough work for only one person if that person is competent. Her contention that it is more efficient now having five people doing the job previously handled by one person makes no sense. One competent person should be doing this job.

5. She made a statement that she wants to stream line the minutes because there is too much information in them. NO - THE MINUTES ARE A LEGISLATIVE HISTORY OF OUR CITY! Again, she is trying to keep information from the public. This is wrong. The minutes should be streamlined into a report and both are to be kept on file. She never submits a report only the minutes which is wrong.

6. The statement she read to the commission was just smoke and mirrors. She made what she says she does should much more complicated than it really is. The accomplishment that she is most proud of is ridiculous. Binding of the monthly agenda is ludicrous. It is totally inefficient and costly to the taxpayers. To bind 30 expensive books every month is ridiculous. If Mark Boughton really wants to stay to say taxpayer money this is a no brainer. Stop purchasing those expensive binders.

7. She calls Mary Foley the assistant clerk. This would be in violation of the Charter. Only the Common Council as a whole, not Joe Cavo alone, can hire assistant clerks. The council has not appointed an assistant clerk since the job was made vacant over two years ago.

8. She stated that only she has posted the common council meetings on the website. This is a lie. From the minute the IT department had the site up and running, probably sometime in 2002, all city meetings were posted on the site.

9. Saying that she has the council member mail delivered to their homes so that they don't have to come to City Hall is outrageous. They should come to City Hall. It is their job to be informed of what is going on in the City. They don't come anymore because the office is never open because she comes in whenever she feels like it, and most of the time she is in City Hall she is in the Registrar of Voters office. She should be in her office from 8:30 A.M to 4:30 P.M. when City Hall is opened so that the public has access. Night hours are in addition to those hours, not in replace of. The Town Clerk is in City Hall full time and the City Clerk should be as well.