Town Council Advances Agenda, But New Procedures Trigger Debate

First Congregational Church in Southington was the recent site of an interfaith service, with members of the Christian, Jewish and Sikh communities in attendance, per Council Chair Chaplinsky. PETER PROHASKA PHOTOS

Questions of procedure and legality divided the Southington Town Council during much of its December 8 meeting, as Democrat minority leader Christopher Palmieri and Republican Chairman Paul Chaplinsky, Jr. sparred over a set of proposed changes to Council rules, as well as whether there would be sufficient minority party representation on some Town boards.

Palmieri and his fellow Democrats, Council members Kristen Guida and David Zoni, primarily objected to a provision that would allow the entire Council to nominate and approve a minority leader. A motion for Palmieri to serve in that role this term had passed without controversy at the last meeting. But the Democrats were worried that, in principle, a majority party could install its own minority-party leader over the objections of the minority.

Palmieri cited a rule from the State Assembly that suggests minority leaders should be nominated on the basis of seniority or popular vote counts, with the minority party firmly in charge of naming its own leadership.

“The minority should be picking who leads them,” commented Zoni. “It’s quite simple actually.”

Chaplinsky and Council member Tony Morrison pointed out that the minority party had failed to nominate a leader as recently as 2017, a situation that led to confusion and prompted the new provision for filling the role if needed.

Other proposed changes include a new policy that limits communications between council members and the Town Attorney, in a bid to lower legal costs, as well as restricting the use of official Town letterhead for communications from the whole Council, rather than parties.

Self-Insurance Committee Controversy

A proposal to eliminate the Self-Insurance Committee became social media fodder during the week and led to some vigorous discussion during the meeting. On Monday, the Southington Democratic Town Committee posted a video on Facebook that included screen shots from Board of Finance Chair John Leary stating he was not “part of the decision” to do away with the entity.

“I don’t know if it was intentional to mislead us, but you said you had spoken to John Leary,” Palmieri said to Chaplinsky.

Chaplinsky replied that Leary had indeed been consulted on the change, along with other key stakeholders. Chaplinsky also reported having multiple conversations with Joseph Labieniec, the most recent Chair of that committee, at Leary’s suggestion. Chaplinsky quoted Labieniec as saying “I 110% agree with you that Self-Insurance would be more efficient, and more streamlined, if we conducted the business of the Self-Insurance Committee at the Board of Finance where the decisions are made.”

A motion to adopt the rules passed 6-3, along party lines.

Constable Zoni?

Differing opinions as to the legality of an appointment also roiled the meeting when Town Manager Alex Ricciardone put forth Zoni for one of the seven Town Constable positions – an old and largely symbolic office that many Connecticut towns are required by their charters to fill.

Chaplinsky objected to Zoni’s appointment, reading from the Town Charter that “No person serving on an elected board shall serve on any other board, elected or appointed, unless it is a subcommittee of the board he serves on or a subcommittee of the Town Council where the members of another board's presence is required by the Town Council on that subcommittee.”

Palmieri disputed that interpretation, saying that the Town Attorney had opined that being elected to one board and being appointed to another was permissible.

Ricciardone temporarily withdrew Zoni’s name, pending a formal opinion from the Town Attorney.

Areas of Consensus

Despite the disagreements, the Council did unanimously endorse a bid for new solar panels for Southington High School’s roof submitted by All-Electric Construction and Communications of West Haven. The project is not cheap, at just over $1.3 million, but Palmieri said there were several likely benefits to buying the panels outright, rather than leasing them. These included a projected savings in electrical costs, a full warranty for the roof, and associated “green” benefits.

A new contract between the Town and the Firefighters’ union, IAFF Local 2033, was also unanimously approved by the Council.

Town Manager Ricciardone and Union representative Ed Crandall both characterized the negotiations in a positive way overall, with both sides giving up a little in exchange for a new deal, and neither being entirely happy with the results.

“It’s a solid agreement that’s fair to everybody,” Ricciardone said.

The Council also welcomed Brian Antigiovanni to the role of Deputy Emergency Services Director. Antigiovanni is a longtime Southington resident who serves as a Captain in the West Hartford Fire Department and holds a Master’s degree in Homeland Security.

Canal Trail Update

Ricciardone mentioned in his Town Manager’s report an ongoing initiative to install new mile markers along the Farmington Canal Heritage trail. That volunteer work is being carried out by the Greenway Alliance, an organization whose overarching goal is a bike path stretching from Maine to the Florida Keys.

A small stretch of the trail in Southington, about .7 mile, requires bikers to divert onto roads. One of those spots is on Aircraft Road. The previous owners, a railway, were willing to sell a small segment to allow for connection but were recently acquired by another entity, Chaplinsky said. The new owners are holding onto the overgrown rail for now, with possible future use envisioned, he added, while the state Department of Transportation is looking for alternate routes.

Council Member Michael DelSanto pointed out that Plainville’s continuing use of a section of the rail line would also pose an issue, regardless of progress elsewhere.

Legal issues have arisen along some sections of the trail, with the state engaged in eminent domain proceedings against property owners, according to Ricciardone.

Chaplinsky was confident that progress could be made.

“The DOT has said that we still have the funding, it’s just a matter of figuring out the right path,” he stated.

The next Town Council meeting is scheduled to take place January 12, 2026.

The crossing at Aircraft Road in Southington is part of about .7 miles where the Farmington Canal trail is unfinished in town. As discussed at the meeting, the railway's new owners aren't willing to part with the small strip. The Town Manager reported that new mile markers are being installed along the trail by the Greenway Alliance.