Letter to the Editor: Andriote Says Council Appointed Jaskiewicz Improperly

The Montville Town Council may have violated their own procedure for appointing people to Boards and Commissions.  Normal procedure is to fill out an application, summit it to the Town Clerk. The town Clerk gives it to the Town Council so they can interview prospective applicants at their next meeting. The names of the applicants are on the agenda so as to allow people to comment about the applicants during remarks from the public. Most applicants are not voted on till the next meeting after their interview; however the council has been known to waive that rule.

They follow this procedure when appointing anyone to a Board or Commission, why didn't they follow it now?

Normal practice is, when a person submits a resignation, that person’s name goes on the agenda to be voted on accepting the resignation. The Chairman stated they knew in advance of Mr. Murphy’s decision to resign from the council, yet they chose not to put his name on the agenda, nor did they add it to the agenda at the beginning of the meeting where there is a place on the agenda for adding agenda items.Mr. Jaskiewicz name was also not added to the agenda in the beginning; his name was not on the agenda to be interviewed nor was his name on the agenda to be voted on for Town Council. I'm sure they also knew he was going to be voted on in advance.

Also, no one was able to make remarks about him being eligible to be voted upon for a Town Council Seat.

To sum it all up, I am claiming that in my opinion, the council violated their Rules and Procedures on appointments and Resignations.  I feel, Mr. Jaskiewicz is not officially a member of the Town Council. By violating the Rules and Procedures, it null and voids the appointment of Mr. Jaskiewicz to the Town Council.

I would suggest the Council look into this and either confirm or deny my complaint.  

I am thinking of maybe filing an Ethics complaint with the Town Clerk against all Councilors who voted in favor of Joe Jaskiewicz for the Vacating Seat of Gary Murphy.

Jim Andriote Sr.