New Britain Council Democrats Criticize Stewart Veto of Public Reports on Land Deals

Mayor Stewart, in Veto Message, Calls Use of Word “Transparency” Political, While Belittling Council Democrats

Council Democrats are strongly criticizing the veto by New Britain Mayor Erin Stewart (R) of city legislation to provide for public reports to the City Council on final land deals, calling the mayor’s act, “a striking blow against the principles of open government and accountability.”

Last week, Stewart vetoed legislation approved by the Council on April 10th. The legislation would have provided that

The Department Head involved shall report to the Common Council once an agreement for the lease of City property has been signed by all parties and shall attach a copy of the agreement to the report.

“The Mayor’s decision to veto this transparency ordinance is alarming,” said Council President Pro-Tempore, Ald. Francisco Santiago (D-5). “It sends a clear message that she does not prioritize the free flow of information that is vital for a functioning democracy.

Council Majority Leader, Ald. John McNamara (D-4) questioned, “What is Mayor Stewart trying to hide by rejecting this ordinance?”

Calling the legislation, “aimed at bolstering transparency within the city government,” Council Democrats said that,

The ordinance, which sought to establish clearer mechanisms for public access to information, was a crucial step towards fostering trust and transparency in local government.

“Transparency is not a luxury; it’s a fundamental principle of democracy,” McNamara added. “The taxpayers of New Britain deserve to know exactly what their government is doing.”

In her veto message, Stewart called the ordinance proposal “redundant”, saying that the final deals are consistent with authorizing resolutions approved by the Council.

Stewart also made the case that the public reports on the Council agenda were not needed because Council members have behind the scenes access to all public records.

The Council proposal would put the final land deals on the Council agendas, which are published on the internet, where they are freely available to the public. The city charges for public access to public documents that are not published on Council agendas.

Stewart spent a substantial amount of her veto message accusing Council Democrats of using the word, “transparency”, “as a way to attempt to score cheap political points.”

But Stewart’s official message belittled Council Democrats. As part of her case that Council members should rely on behind-the-scenes access to the land deals, rather than those deals being on the Council agenda for the public to see, as well, Stewart said, “It’s possible that certain members of the Common Council do not know how to access this information,” or, “do not possess the skills to do so,” also accusing them of, “a lack of understanding about how to do their jobs.”

“We are disappointed that Mayor Stewart is standing in the way of progress towards a more open and accountable government,” Ald. Santiago said.

Despite the veto, the Council Democrats said they, “remain steadfast in their commitment to transparency and open government for the benefit of all residents,” promising make the issue a major item of discussion at the upcoming special Council meeting this Wednesday, April 24th at 6:45pm.