Letters to the Editor 4-4-14

Manuele leaves Winsted in a better situation

Dear Mr. Izikson:

 I am greatly disappointed in The Winsted Journal editorial, “Manuele resignation leaves Winsted in a bad situation.” I believe that it would have been more appropriate to say, “Manuele leaves Winsted in a better situation.”

She did not leave “at the beginning of the 2014-2015 budget process.” The budget that I submitted to the Board of Selectmen on March 15 (in accordance with the Town Charter) was crafted with invaluable assistance from Robin. In addition to her effort, the rest of the senior town staff also assisted. Due to Robin’s efforts throughout the year, and as indicated in my budget letter (which was published in the March 28 Winsted Journal), the proposed budget is based upon the most solid foundation in decades since revenues and expenditures have not been manipulated for criminal purposes.

To further question Robin’s dedication to the community is insulting. Her professionalism, expertise and efforts to untangle the deceptive accounting practices that infiltrated and infected the entire accounting system have put the town’s financial standing in a much better position. She had the unquestioned confidence of the many state officials who have intensely examined the town finances over the past 18 months.

She left because she believed she had a better opportunity. She is under no obligation to justify or expound upon her reason for leaving. She satisfied her contractual obligations by providing the requisite notice.

It is perhaps this unwarranted and excessive scrutiny that played a role in her departure. Her credentials are impeccable, and yet on at least a weekly basis, she was accosted by residents demanding her attention or accusing her of lying. She was subjected to scorn and ridicule by many residents that, to this day in spite of his self-recognized guilt, support Mr. Centrella. She had to overcome the efforts of some residents that were intent on seeing her efforts and the town itself fail, perhaps for no better reason than ego and self-righteousness. Specifically, in at least two instances, bank officials reported that resident interference had adversely affected town financial stabilization efforts.

She had to contend with the infantile behavior of residents and reporters looking for a “smoking gun” that led to her departure. All local factions participated in this behavior: Democrats, Republicans, Independents and unaffiliated. Everyone was looking for yet another opportunity to blame someone else.

Government by social media simply doesn’t work. Facebook and other blogs are populated by self-appointed experts. It’s a wonder that Winsted has as many problems as it does because I would wager that we have more experts per capita than any other community on the planet. We have finance experts, road experts, bridge experts, economic development experts, infrastructure experts, and even fluoride experts. Amazingly, few, if any, of these “experts” have any professional credentials. They read it on the internet or they heard it from a friend of a friend who read it on the internet. It is truly baffling to hear what is being reported as the “doings” and interactions at Town Hall, because so many of those things are blatantly false or misleading. Again, look around your community and see what these experts have brought to the community for the past decades.

So a real expert, Robin Manuele, decides to take on the challenge of this community. During her initial interviews, I was blunt: the town hasn’t completed an audit in years, the former finance director was fired, the town’s fund balance was negligible, and the credit rating was threatened. She took that challenge (and, at her request, for even less money than I originally offered). She wasn’t prepared for, nor should she have expected, the berating and belittling from Winsted government experts. Sadly, this has become accepted as normal behavior in Winsted. So what kind of qualified and experienced person will now apply for not only Robin’s position, but any of the other vacant positions, knowing that they will be figuratively flogged?

Robin’s efforts and results cannot be grasped. When Mr. Christopher King presented the most recent audit and described the audit as the most difficult audit that he had ever completed given the magnitude of untangling and corrective efforts needed, only one person said “thank you” to Robin. I expect that everyone else was probably itching to dig through the document to find some tidbit to discredit her or the town. 

Her impact for such a short tenure will be immeasurable and invaluable for years to come. She has restored confidence to many of the town staff, offering professional guidance and wisdom. She will be greatly missed, but for much better reasons than this community is apparently willing to recognize.

I always told Robin that your work should be about your family. Home should be a safe haven to escape the challenges and stresses of work — it should be a happy place. While we are all replaceable as town employees, we are not replaceable as a parent to our children. Robin was like many of us at Town Hall, though: when you are dedicated to serving the community, you mull things over, you contemplate, you envision, every evening and every weekend. Unfortunately, Robin was overwhelmed by the toxicity of Winsted government, and the silent acceptance of others with that behavior. This is your community: do you want more “Robins” or more “experts”?

Mr. Izikson, since I believe that you owe a better message to Robin, let me offer my thoughts. Robin, you were the most professional finance director that I have worked with in my nearly 20-year municipal leadership career. You had the unquestionable respect and support of every town employee. Your efforts, at such a crucial financial crossroads, will yield unimaginable benefits for the town and especially your successor. You have played a key role in shaping what will be a much better Winsted. While I know many in the community felt the same, I’m sorry that more residents didn’t express those sentiments.

Dale Martin

Winchester
Town Manager

Winsted

Great celebration of regional arts at The Boathouse

A great time was had by all at Founders Insurance Group’s celebration of northwest Connecticut and the arts Thursday night at The Boathouse Restaurant in Lakeville. The Northwest Connecticut Arts Council was honored at this gathering, and also was presented with a donation from Founders Group and its partner Chubb Insurance, in the name of a drawn winner for the evening – Cindy Vannoy and CV Productions. It means a great deal to the Arts Council to have this public vote of confidence and show of support by a business leader in our region. The idea for this event was entirely that of Founders Insurance and we thank them and also applaud them for caring about arts and culture so deeply.

The entire Founders Insurance team has always been supportive of the Northwest Connecticut Arts Council in more ways than just fulfilling our standard business insurance requirements. They have provided wise counsel and advice over the years and have made available some truly valuable management resources to our organization. Their generosity goes way beyond insurance. It has helped us make sound decisions as our relatively young (10 years) organization has developed.

It was wonderful to meet up with so many friends in the Northwest Corner’s arts world and those in the business community who care about arts and culture here. Special thanks go to Bill Willis, Cindy Donaldson and Linda Robertson and their colleagues at Founders Group who made such a wonderful evening for everyone. Celebrating with friends, associates and supporters is always rejuvenating.

Amy Wynn

Executive Director

Northwest Connecticut Arts Council

Torrington