New Board of Selectmen holds first meeting

WINSTED — The Winchester Board of Selectmen got off to a relatively amicable start Monday, Nov. 21, for the first meeting of its 2011-13 term, less than two weeks after the Nov. 8 election.In her new position as mayor, Maryann Welcome opened by announcing that the Board of Selectmen would be inviting veterans to lead in the bimonthly Pledge of Allegiance to start each meeting, and that Ted Sweeney of VFW Post 296 would be the inaugural leader of the pledge this term.Sweeney, a U.S. Navy veteran from the Vietnam era, led the room in a rousing and fast-paced Navy-style salute to the flag, which was about twice the tempo of the commonly heard recitation.Welcome said she wishes to adhere to Robert’s Rules of Order during meetings of the board and reminded selectmen on a couple of occasions to direct their questions through the chair. The mayor also noted that a Daughters of the American Revolution wreath-laying ceremony will take place Saturday, Dec. 10, at noon, at the entrance to Forest View Cemetery to salute fallen veterans. The program is part of a nationwide observance.Mayor Welcome said she had received notes of thanks from residents to town officials and volunteers who helped staff the emergency shelter at the Blanche McCarthy Senior Center last month during Winter Storm Alfred. Notes came in from Connie Zaccarra and Leon Gomlinski thanking everyone for their hard work.Fire Chief Robert Shopey congratulated new board members on earning their seats on the board, but reminded them that he is concerned about a number of capital issues within the Winsted Fire Department, including the need for a new roof at the Prospect Street Firehouse, new equipment and replacement of vehicles.“Replacement of gear is coming up to a 10-year mark where it has to be replaced, and it’s starting to affect morale,” Shopey said. “I have firefighters who do not have protective clothing and it’s precluding them from coming to calls.”Board of Education member Richard Dutton announced that a long-awaited audit of the Board of Education’s finances for 2009-10 had been completed, allowing the town to receive it’s overall audit of the 2009-10 fiscal year. Earlier in the day, Town Manager Dale Martin sent out copies of the audit to selectmen and members of the press.Newly elected Board of Education member James Roberts also rose to complain that the audit proves that money has not been properly accounted for on the school side of the budget.“I did not run for office to see $636,000 of undocumented spending swept under the rug,” he said, adding that he hoped selectmen would hold people accountable for the discrepancy.Mayor Welcome announced that a joint meeting between the Board of Selectmen and Winchester Board of Education would be held Tuesday, Nov. 29, at 7 p.m. in the P. Francis Hicks Room, with two items on the agenda. The first will be the funding of the state-mandated minimum budget requirement (MBR) for the Winchester school system this year, and the second will be discussion and possible action on lawsuits that the Board of Education has filed against the Board of Selectmen with regard to the MBR. It is widely believed that the new Democratic majority on the Board of Selectmen will vote to provide enough funds to the school system to meet the MBR for the current year. That would require approximately $1.3 million in additional expenditures for the 2011-12 fiscal year. Where the revenue will come from to fund those expenditures remains to be announced.

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