Mayoral Candidates Clash Over BOE at Debate

Mayor Sebastian N. Giuliano arrived at the barns at Wesleyan Hills 20 minutes early for the Biennial Mayoral Debate, mingling with attendees, exchanging hugs and handshakes. The cozy, wooden barn, lit up like a holiday tree with strings of tiny bulbs criss-crossing the ceiling, was packed full with Middletown residents.

Dan Drew arrived at 6:59 p.m., wasting no time, promptly shook Giuliano's hand and took his place at the head table. Christine Bourne introduced herself to a few residents she had yet to meet personally. 

The candidates spoke amicably with each other, seemingly relaxed but very focused, while the remaining arrivals took their seats. 

The questions for the night, 11 in total, were provided to the candidates as well as the public before this final debate and covered a range of topics, from tax relief and senior services to illegal dumping and the future of the City of Middletown. It was when the topic of the education system was addressed that the candidates began firing their rebuttles at one another.

The question: "We are very proud of our neighborhood Wesley Elementary School. What is your commitment to maintaining the class size?"

Drew answered first, addressing the cost of the ever-brewing between the city and the BOE and the accusations of alleged criminal activities against the BOE. 

"Those are very serious charges to level. Of those accusations, nothing has panned out. In no way am I defending all of the actions of the Board of Education, but this problem has two faces, not one," Drew said.

Drew went on to say that the focus should shift to that of the success of the students rather than on compliance with judges' orders. 

Bourne took her turn to reply, "If Mr. Drew does not believe in compliance with judges' orders, I find that very disturbing. It was not just budget transfers, it's 2.5 million dollars in spending money, inappropriate vendors, not spending money on what it was intended for. At the Board of Education you spend whatever you what, wherever you want, whenever you want. To say that Mr. Drew is going to solve this problem when he failed to work with his own team to solve these problems, I just dont believe that."

The crowd erupted in outbursts of approval and applause when Bourne said that Middletown taxpayers' money should be spent on children, not on "mileage reimbursements for one person." 

"You always get a litany from the BOE when they don't get what they want," said Giuliano during his turn, citing threats from the board to cut special-education programs, lay off teachers or even close down schools in response to what they deemed an insufficient budget.

Giuliano continued, "Supplies are being paid for by teachers out of their own pockets while the administration is getting raises. Those are the kinds of things that need to be changed. You have the opportunity to put in five new people. People are saying we need more transparency, we need new members."

All three candidates followed up on the topic with their one and only opportunity for rebuttle. 

Drew went on to say of his fellow candidates, "The claims these two made simply were not true. The board has made mistakes, they don't spend wisely, but there's a difference between that and being a criminal. The accusations made by the two people sitting up here with me have not panned out. The mayor and the school board need to start getting along. That's what's causing this city a whole lot of trouble."

"You would not sit down and listen to the employees," Bourne fired back at Drew. "You would not listen to the teachers, the children. You took the word of a superintendent that did not have the confidence of the (Common) Council and you gave him every penny he asked for."

"The Board of Education was insisting bills be paid out of accounts that had no money in them," said Giuliano in defense of the lawsuits. "You couldn't talk to them. We had to go to court. Nobody could be that unreasonable on their own."

The issue of taxes was ever-present during the debate, understandably so in the current economic climate. 

The candidates clashed yet again when the question was raised, "Revenue projections are down from Aetna and the state of Connecticut. How will you deliver city services without property taxes going “through the roof?"

"Everything is on the table," Giuliano offered, suggesting utilizing technology for more efficient operation as well as serious consideration of which positions were necessary to keep filled and which were not. He went on to refer to the current state of the fund balance, saying, "the fund balance has been raided by the  Council, basically to balance budgets that the council has put forth that really weren't in balance."

Drew responded, "It's always interesting to me when this question comes up. The mayor is fond of saying the Council raided the fund balance. The mayor took a substantial amount of money from the fund balance and insurance fund to pay for lawyers so we could sue ourselves. We were able to arive at a three-tenths of a mill tax cut while providing quality city services. It's great to have a big fund balance on paper, but you're being over-taxed every year."

Bourne stepped out in defense of Giuliano stating, "The mayor does not spend the money, it goes to the Council. The Council decides where the money comes from, how it is spent."

Bourne went on to suggest more responsibility in the BOE as means of keeping taxes from becoming unreasonable. 

"1.2 million dollars was given back to the Board of Education. What they did with it was give themselves raises in the administration office and nothing to the children," Bourne said. "They promised not to lay off teachers. They did not lay off teachers, but they did not replace those teachers who retired, resulting in high class numbers. There needs to be responsibility within the BOE."

The issue of senior services is being approached from very different angles, with Drew wanting tax relief for senior citizen volunteering and Giuliano hotly opposing this idea. He pointed out that every citizen needs a more affordable Middletown. 

He added, "Not everyone who qualifies would be able to participate in that. It also seems demeaning, like telling your grandma you'll feed her if she washes the windows."

Bourne was focused on the completion of the senior center. She noted her impression of the senior center in Groton, saying, "I want to live there. I want to pack my family up and move there," she jested, adding, "I want that for our seniors — all of it, not half of it."

The candidates wrapped up the night answering the million-dollar question: Why do they want to be mayor and what makes them the best choice?

"I've been doing the job for six years," said Giuliano, "in this office, if either of you is fortunate enough to be honored by the citizens of this city, you have to understand your job there is to do the right thing. The right thing doesn't have a party. There are times when the right thing is not popula,r but it needs to be done. Ultimately, it's going to be up to them out there to decide if I've done the right thing or the wrong thing ... and I trust them."

"I think my record stands for itself. I have been involved in everything I can fit in my schedule," said Bourne, who then directed her attention at Drew. "Two years ago, I supported you, but in those two years I've been disappointed. You have not gotten involved in the community. I thank the mayor for those lawsuits. You can laugh," she said in response to a chuckle from Drew, "but it's not funny to the teachers, it's not funny to the employees, it's not funny to the taxpayers. You cannot turn a blind eye to the citizens because it benefits you politically. I take great offense to your comments."

Drew implored the crowd to vote for change and strive for cooperation. He concluded, "I think we need to work together. I am the only candidate in this race not currently suing the city of Middletown. When we're dealing with this kind of conflict, what kind of approach do you want from a leader? This kind of approach now is not working. All of us here would agree Middletown is a wonderful place with tremendous potential, but we need to change the way we do business, the way we deal with each other."