Committee on Committees - Regular Meeting

Good evening. Can you hear me?

Hello? Anyone? Anyone? Anyone?

I can hear you. I can hear you.

Thank you, Mr. Ike.

All right.

I can hear you. Can you hear us?

I can hear. Yes. Thank you.

Okay. We're doing roll call. So can you just say present? So we know you're here.

Oh, I'm here.

Thank you. We saw you, but I also want to acknowledge that Mayor Harrington is in the room. Would you like to join us on the dais or would you like to participate there? It's up to you, sir. He has declined sitting up here, but we thank you for being here and engaged. I wanted to just address a couple of things since our last meeting. that have come up and just name them at the top of the meeting and hopefully clear some hearts and minds the first one i want to give reassurance that in our conversation last time about the sops there was no discussion about not continuing to honor the partnership and relationship we have with the dtc and the rtc specifically around elected positions so if there's any worry or concern about that know that that'll still be honored At the same time, because I think you can walk and chew gum, we want you to be able to hold that we do want to provide opportunities for residents who have otherwise felt they couldn't be involved because they're not a part of one of those parties to still submit applications and be involved. So I think you can have a both and approach as opposed to an either or. There's also been questions from the chairs of the various committees about the ability to submit questions and or participate in the interviewing process I just want to name that is not currently a part of our SOPs or what we're functionally doing at this time but the great part about open comments or the ability to petition for future things is as the SOPs continue to be revised that might be something that committee chairs can submit for our review so I don't want you to hear that that isn't something that could ever be possible, but it isn't a part of the current process for us to be able to move forward. Our goal through this process is to try to get through as many appointments and reappointments as possible in collaboration with the town council, because we know that so many residents have been waiting to participate. So for tonight, our goal is to go through the folks who are available for the BAA, the Board of Assessment and Appeals, the Economic Development Commission and Development Authority, the Fair Rent Commission, and the Bloomfield Housing Authority. And we're going to be asking each of the candidates to answer a couple of questions for us. AND WE'LL TAKE SOME BRIEF NOTES. WE PROMISE TO NOT KEEP YOU TOO LONG, AND I ASK FOR GRACE AND MERCY AHEAD OF TIME IF I MISPRONOUNCE YOUR NAME. SO WE'RE GOING TO BEGIN WITH THE BOARD OF ASSESSMENT AND APPEALS, THE BAA, FOR OUR PROCESS TONIGHT. EACH TIME WE ARE WITH A COMMISSION OR COMMITTEE We will begin with new applicant interviews, and then we will interview those folks who are seeking reappointment. So we're going to begin our process with Sunia Bailey, who's interested in the BAA. So Sunia.

Hello. Good evening, everyone.

Good evening Suniya, am I pronouncing your name right?

Yes, you are.

Okay, perfect. So Suniya, we have just a couple of quick questions and I'll do the first round and then Councilor Warthouse, I'll ask for this next applicant, if you could ask the questions for posterity sake. So our first question is Suniya, can you talk to us about why you're interested in serving on this, on the BAA and what would you hope to contribute as a serving member?

Well, I'm interested in the BAA because it's already in my realm of expertise. I am a active real estate agent since 2018. And I'm also a property owner of two homes in the town since 2014 and a small business owner. And I feel as though I can add some value to my community. And I actually have some spare time that will allow me to do so.

Thank you. Can you talk about your ability to commit to regular attendance for the full term of service on the committee?

Well, I'm self-employed, as you know, as I just said before, I'm a real estate agent, so I have a lot more flexibility than the average. I'm willing to dedicate up to two to four hours a month if need be, as long as there's a proper notice given to me to show up, I have that time to volunteer for my community.

Thank you. And our last question is, is there anything that you'd like this committee or the town council to know about you as a candidate?

Well, I guess I would like for the committee to put in perspective what I do for a living, first and most importantly, that I work with property taxes, CMA values every day on the buyer and the seller side, more often lately the seller side. And I could bring some value to this board as far as being factual and knowing how to marginalize what true assessments look like and how to have that scope and be fair as I am a property owner of two properties in town.

So, Nia, thank you so much for your interest and for participating in this interview process. We appreciate you.

Thank you for your time. Thank you for the committee's time.

The next person on our list also again for the BAA is Harriet Howard and Harriet is a current member and we'll proceed with the same questions. Councilor Waterhouse.

Sure. How you doing? Wonderful. Why are you interested in serving on the Board of Commissions for the BAA and what would you hope to contribute?

I've been on the BAA for over 10 years and I can say that to be the town of Bloomfield and my personal being a resident of Bloomfield, I've always kept it separate. When I when there's time for the for the acceptance board i'm harry howard for what it says never change i had it all in here versus having howard when i step across this people that know me when i step from in the hall it's business when i leave the hall it's personal and i take business And my wealth of experience, even though it wasn't crime, I got to know Connecticut. And different cultures and different backgrounds. Of course, I wasn't, when I retired in 15, I was a female. They didn't have another female, and they took my sister. I did the job too well, so I was very proud of that. And since I've been in balloons here, it was around that time I'm sorry, can we ask you to actually go up to the podium, I'm sorry, so we can hear you a little bit more clearly.

We have heard you, but we want everybody to hear you.

We do.

It projects.

We do. We do. We want everybody online to be able to hear you. Okay. Thank you.

Okay. Question two. Can you commit to your regular attendance?

I'm retired. So whatever time and days is no problem with me. Great.

Is there anything else you'd like the committee or town council to know about your candidacy?

Well, I would just like to say that I love Bloomfield. I always have when I was an investigator. I'd ride through Bloomfield and say, one day I'm going to be a resident there. 30 years later, I became that resident. I've been happy ever since, whether I was on a committee or not. Through the years since I came on there in 2000, since 2000, whatever the town has asked me to do, I have done it with no, you know, with no why's or what not's. And I hope to, at 81, and hope to be I hope to have a couple more years. I just want to do the best thing and say I'm from Bloomfield. Thank you.

Thank you very much.

School uniforms.

What else can I bring to Bloomfield? In 2000, I had a case in Puerto Rico. And while I was there, I saw how they school system and I was on the board of ed in 2000. And I saw their system. And the system that Bloomfield has today is the system that I brought back to the town, uniforms. And we've had it ever since. And that was in the year 2000. So that was a little something, I think, that I contributed. At the time, Bloomfield had a lot of bullies in the school system. It was terrible. You could tell who was the parents. I know I'm talking over my time, but you could tell who were the parents that had the money and who were the parents that didn't. And so when we went uniforms, it cleared that whole procession out. And we didn't have no gold chains. There was no over and above, and the kids chilled right out. So that's my second thing.

Thank you.

Okay, our next candidate again for the BAA is gonna be Meredith Johnson. Okay, Meredith was not able to join us via Zoom. She was gonna join us tonight. Okay. All right, we're gonna move on to William Ortiz. you would be so kind sir to come to the podium greatly appreciate it similar questions to you my friend the question would be um can you tell us why you're interested in serving on the baa and what you hope to contribute okay uh well i've been on um a little bit longer than harriet has been

And I'm just interested in the town. Before living in Bloomfield, I lived in Hartford. I was always involved in different city activities, elections, the whole bit. And when I came here, I decided that I want to get involved in different aspects of the town. And before we moved into Bloomfield, my wife insisted on doing her banking in Bloomfield, coming to the green in Bloomfield. And eventually that's where we wound up. So we've been here about 40 years now in town.

My next question is, in the years of service that you've already had, can you commit to regular attendance for the full time? I think so.

I've been retired since 2011. Okay.

And then, you know, the final question is just, can you talk about anything else you'd like this committee or the town council to know about your candidacy?

Well, that I've been involved in the committee for those years, and we've tried to be fair to the residents, but also to the town. And we've had people who have come into the committee asking for breaks in their assessment, but had nothing to justify it. We had a person came in once who owned a Mercedes and was telling us, I can't afford it. And my thinking to that is, well, if you can't afford a Mercedes, why are you owning a Mercedes then? So we've been trying to be fair to both. There's no reason why, in a case like that, why the town should bear the burden of that person's ownership. And I'm a Vietnam veteran. I was there in 70 to 71. And I've done housing development. I was a property manager for a number of years. I've taken courses in real estate. And I've also done private development as well as public development of housing.

Great. Thank you so much. Thank you. THOSE ARE ALL OF THE FOLKS WE HAD FOR THIS EVENING FOR THE BAA. WE'RE GOING TO MOVE FORWARD TO THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION AND DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY, AND WE'RE GOING TO BEGIN, EVERYONE ON THIS PARTICULAR SLATE, OUR NEW APPLICANT INTERVIEWS. SO I'M GOING TO TURN IT BACK OVER TO YOU, COUNCIL WARDHOUSE.

WONDERFUL. MALCOLM ARCHIBALD? IS HE HERE? NO, HE'S NOT HERE. Ulrich Bryce. Did I say that right? Perfect. Thank you. Why are you interested in serving on the EDCDA and what would you hope to contribute?

I'm interested in serving just because I feel it's my duty to give back to Bloomfield. I've been here since 2002, December 3rd to be exact. Bloomfield's been great to me, and I'm one of those folks that believe that you treat your town as if you're a tourist yourself. As I come around, I look around the town, you know, sometimes a lot of people frequent West Hartford to go shopping, to go eating, and I think it's my duty as a resident just to kind of look around and see what can I do to improve my own territory. You know, again, just treat the town like you're a tourist, right? Kind of going to the local restaurants, the Republic, sales in the park. And as I look around, I'm just, why are some of these businesses here, right? You go down Day Hill Road, you look and see what Windsor's actually doing, and you start thinking about the future. How can we change it? How can we bring more jobs into Bloomfield? Are we bringing the right companies into Bloomfield? Is it the right fit? Is it going to bring more traffic in? When you start thinking about all those things, I believe it's our duty to kind of do a better job. As far as what I bring to the table to contribute, I bring my time. I bring my knowledge and I bring my personal connections.

Okay. Thank you very much. Can you commit regular attendance full term?

My schedule is pretty flexible. Yes.

Okay. And is there anything else you'd like the committee or town council to know about your candidacy?

Just that I'm active duty military, so I'm in charge of recruiting and retention for the state of Connecticut. So I'm tasked with bringing in 522 young men and women into our organization. So I take my patriotism very serious, giving back to my state, giving back to my country, and giving back to my community. I got a chance to think a little bit deeper about some of the connections and what I want to change. I was also overseas and came back in January. So when you had the 12-day war, you start looking around and said, have I given all I can to my community? And that was kind of like the first research that I did internally, self-awareness, just kind of having some emotional intelligence and saying, what can I do a little bit better? So here I am. Well, thank you. Thank you.

Okay. The next person we had would be Katanya Hewley, but she's going to join us in a future meeting. Okay. right so we're going to move on from economic development commission and development authority to the fair rent commission and again the order we're going in is new applicant interviews and then reappointment of current member interviews as well so sunia we're gonna bring you back on if you're still on to answer some similar questions about the frc can you tell us why you're interested in serving on the frc and what you hope to contribute

Yes, I can. So something similar already with the aligned of what I do for daily work as a real estate agent. When it comes to fair rent, being a landlord since 2008 and various other towns, I bring that personal expertise to the to the table. I also, as you know, as an agent and maybe you don't know, we're required. by the state of Connecticut and Greater Harvard Associated Realtors to take continued educations on code of ethics, as well as fair housing and fair rent within our parameters of our license. And that's a requirement. So not only do I have personal experiences, I have the education to back it up on what should be fair. As you know, I was a tenant before I was a landlord. And so my perspective is definitely can be objective for both sides and fair.

Thank you. And second question, you've heard it before, but can you commit to the regular attendance for the full term of the fair rent commission?

Yes, I can. I'm just looking to find a way that I can be of service to my town where my kids graduated from school. I just, I have the time with proper notice. I don't see why there's no reason for me not to attend even like today.

Thank you. And then give you another round. Is there anything else you would like this committee or the town council to know about you as a candidate?

No, I think I covered it. I just thank the committee for taking the time to even be considered to serve. So thank you. And thank that last gentleman for his service. I am an army brat too. So thank you for his service too. That's all I have to add. Thank you.

Thank you so much for your time. Okay, next would be, is Jessica Park going to be able to join us tonight? Okay, no, Jessica's not going to be able to join us. Sarah is not going to be able to join us. So Alan Budofsky.

Yeah, that's me.

Okay. How are you? Good. Counselor DeVita Brown, do you want to jump in? I will move forward with you, Alan. So our first question again is going to be, why are you interested in serving on the Fair Rent Commission? And what would you hope to contribute as a serving member?

Well, I've served on it for over the last 10 years, I believe. Could be more. I enjoy giving something back to the towns. The Fair Rent Commission, I believe, is important because it helps the private citizens maintain a... An equal hand with the landlord, I would say.

Okay. I'm going to ask you if you could speak up just a little bit louder. And the next question would be, can you commit to regular attendance for the full term?

Yes, I can.

And then lastly, is there anything that you would like this committee or the town council to know about your candidacy?

I am a minority representative.

Can you say that one more time?

I'm a minority representative. Okay. What I mean by that is I'm a Republican.

Okay. I was going to ask for a little bit of clarification, but thank you.

I believe you're supposed to be required to have two Republicans on the committee. Bob likes the other Republican. Thanks.

okay thank you alan okay so our next person joy is not available and now robert ike you're done with me now yes thank you so much thank you

Good evening, everyone. Thank you for this opportunity to continue to serve on the Fair Rent Commission. I come from a family history with my father in Windsor, a community service, Morehouse College, Yale University, Alpha Phi Alpha, Fraternity Incorporated. It's all about giving back to the community, uplift of your community. I served over 25 years on Bloomfield Board of Education. I presently serve as one of the registered voters. I was on the town council for a minute. I've served on a library building committee for both the schools and the town. I presently serve on the library building committee. What's interesting about the Fair Rent Commission I came on at the time, I think it was about six years ago, I was chairman of the Bloomfield Republican Town Committee. And as Alan just indicated, state law requires you to have minority representation. So I was serving on four or five committees just to meet the state law. So I came on. There was a Republican or minority party vacancy on the Fair Rent Commission. I came on in order to meet the quota. It's been quite a journey, quite a learning journey on a fair rent commission. You can have a direct impact on someone's life immediately. Unlike the Board of Education, which was a 25-year journey and the metrics are down the road, every meeting we have a direct impact on uplift of someone's life. I take it very, very serious. I take it serious to the point that I'm on the cruise ship. If I sign up for something, if I get elected or appointed to something and the meeting date falls, if I'm on the cruise ship, I get on the cruise ship, I get on the Wi-Fi and I attend the meeting. And that's how serious I take this. Because with the technology, plus it blows me away, I can be in the middle of the ocean and be in a meeting in the town of Bloomfield. And secondly, I was on the library building committee. I was in Hawaii on a cruise. The meeting started at 6 o'clock. We got into Hawaii at noon. On the beach, I was at the meeting, check the public record. So I am immensely committed to uplift Bloomfield, the state of Connecticut, and just my fellow human beings. I take this very, very serious. And my resume, my part in community service speaks for itself. My record speaks for itself.

Thank you, Mr. Ike. Elizabeth, do you have, you know, you are, have successfully interviewed yourself, but I do want to, I do want to give Counselor Waterhouse an opportunity.

You have checked off all of the questions. We are good. Thank you, Bob.

Thank you guys.

Okay. Mark Sanders. Are you, Saunders, thank you.

Good evening.

Good evening, Mark. Do you want to interview Mark?

Sure, since Bob did himself. Okay. Why are you interested on serving on the Fair Rent Commission and what would you hope to contribute?

Yeah, I've been on it for the last, this is my third year now. You know, I've been a Bloomfield resident for the last 30 years, a homeowner for the last 30 years. But before that, I was a renter and I actually wound up in small claims court a couple of times about security deposits and things like that when I was younger. And I'm glad that the Fair Rent Commission has been established and it's been a very rewarding position to be in, to be able to gauge between or be an intermediary between renters and landlords. Thank you. Yes. So yeah, it's a rewarding position and I look to continue to do that.

Nice. And you can commit to regular attendance?

Yes. And you can see by my record that I have been.

Beautiful. Is there anything else you would like the committee or town council to know?

I think Robert Ike said it all. He did a good job of explaining the importance of the committee and the ability to affect lives directly. It's been, like I said, a very rewarding position to be able to listen in and weigh in and be a part of very important decisions for individuals in the town.

Okay. Thank you very much.

Thanks. Okay. Continuing with the Fair Rent Commission is Monica Townsend.

Hello. Hello.

Hello. Thank you for joining us, Monica. Again, with the first question, tell us why you're interested in serving on the Fair Rent Commission and what you hope to contribute.

Why am I interested? Let me think about this. First of all, I have a great, great interest in this community. I own 15 properties four of which are here in bloomfield i've owned my home we built it over 20 years ago my kids graduated from bloomfield high school they are also attending connecticut colleges which is great university of new haven i actually also own a venue and I own also a restaurant. So I have great, great interest in the community as a whole, because I also employ folks that are in the community, which is great. I think that when I came in a little over a year ago, I think I bridged that gap between landlord and renters, right? I don't think that we had any landlords that were sat on that committee. And I think that I brought a great perspective of being able to understand from both sides. So there were also some ha ha moments for me as well. I think that we are a great team. And I think that I really, really agree what Mr. Ike said, right? So when you, when we are making those decisions, I'm like cringing and I'm like, we are making a decision for the people in our community and it makes the difference, right? My mom lives in Bloomfield and affordable housing is important and being treated fairly is important. So all those things are important to me.

Thank you. Can you commit to the regular attendance for the full term?

Absolutely.

And then is there anything else you would like us as the committee or the town council to know about you as a candidate?

I would say that I'm really, really interested in Really educating the Community and reference to learning more about what their rights are, I think that we can do a greater a better job or improve right going out into the Community, letting them know what their rights are. And, as well as landlords right, I think that that is something I would like to see going forward is this really, really educating folks I know that Lynn does a great job. um for when she is doing the interviews with them and preparing them for it but I think that even before we get there or for them to ever to even come here um they should be educated so they would know so I'm really really looking forward to maybe some outreaching thank you thank you so much for something

Before we move to the BHA we're actually and go back to the BAA because meredith Johnson has joined us so meredith we are going to begin with you Council waterhouse.

Sorry. hi meredith how are you. We can't hear you.

I think you were just still muted. So it might not be your headphones. I just think you need to unmute. There you go.

I have so many different devices and moving from one meeting to the next with different headphones and it's just really, I'm just gonna throw on some different ones.

But we hear you loud and clear.

We can hear you now. Okay, here we go.

Although I know it was a mute issue so you could hear me better. Absolutely. So why are you interested in serving and what would you hope to contribute?

I initially when I began to serve in 20 approximately 2019, I really was kind of volunteer tiered after I ran for a position for town council. And quite honestly and candidly, I did not know a lot about the Board of Assessment and Appeals. Now, in 2025, 26, I think my voice on the Board of Assessment Appeals as independent holding a Republican position is very vital because I am also a member of the I always say oftentimes under the invisible community of the East Side. And in looking at the sitting on the Board of Assessment of Fields, I just independently kind of take my own assessment of how many homeowners on the East Side don't come forward and don't execute their right for the appeal process. In addition to that, being someone who is an independent and very much a support of a practice and a protocol that really looks at processes independently, I bring that voice organically to the table. I ask the questions that I think need to be asked as it relates to looking at our residents and really looking at their rights to appeal their assessment. Thank you. And can you commit to regular attendance? I have, I believe I've only missed two meetings in my entire tenure. That was a work conflict.

Thank you. And is there anything else you'd like the committee or town council to know?

Um, nothing more than I'm a lifelong resident. I left Mount Sinai hospital and came into the house that I live in now. I'm very much committed to the town. I'm very much committed to, um, I very much know what the town of Bloomfield looks like. Um, from the age of knowing, I would say 1975, that's my age of knowing up until now. And I am very much committed and committed to a community, a United community. Thank you very much.

Meredith, are you going to say something? No. Okay. You looked like you paused for a second. We just wanted to make sure not to miss your voice. Thank you so very much. Okay. The last person I have on my list is Lonnie Barnes Jr., who is a current member of the Bloomfield Housing Authority. So Lonnie, welcome. good evening everyone evening so Lonnie the first question would be can you tell us why you're interested in serving on the BHA the Bloomfield housing Authority and what you hope to contribute okay like I said my name is Lonnie bars and I would like to be

reinstated for one reason because I've been with the Bloomfield Housing Authority for several years and I'm from the greater Hartford area. My father was the first black funeral director in the greater Hartford area. I closed it down in 1972 and I've been living in Bloomfield for several years and I've been very active in the Bloomfield area for house politics and what have you and when like brother Bob Ike was mentioning I did all that. being around the community, being in the greater Hartford area and coming into Bloomfield, being able to help people and direct them and be with this fair housing, it gives me an opportunity always overlooking what's going on in the greater Bloomfield area. And I know I could be of service for the community. as well as my church. I'm Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, which is on Bloomfield, Connecticut. And I'm an officer there. I'm on the steward board. So I'm very active in this community. And I can also make sure things go correctly for our community.

Thank you so much. Can you commit to regular attendance for the full term?

Yes, I can. Because I am retired.

Seems to be a running theme of success for meeting attendance. The last question, is there anything else you would like this committee or the town council to know about your candidacy?

That I am a dedicated individual. When I put my mind to it or commit to something, I'm there. Because I have a threefold thing. I have the physical part of it, the mental part of it, as well as the spiritual part of being a part of Bloomfield. Thank you.

Amen. Thank you so much for your time tonight. Okay those are all of the interviews that we had for this evening and some people who thought they might be able to make it tonight were unable to make it and so we've asked folks who were unavailable tonight if they're able to come to our next special meeting which will be July 16th. That's going to impact the next few items on the agenda. And I'm going to move forward to the discussion and possible action regarding the board and commission appointments. I'm going to ask of my two fellow committee members if we could table this, because in order to fully evaluate, to give the opportunity for us to hear all of the people who are interviewing for the open spaces and the vacancies and the reappointments. And so for folks who couldn't come tonight, who will be able to join us next time, I just want to be able to give the full opportunity.

So moved.

All in favor?

Aye.

Trinity, thank you. The next item on the agenda is the discussion and possible action regarding the town board's commission's governance and appointment, the SOPs. I'm going to also ask to table this discussion. I know that India is still working on finalizing the document from the previous feedback that we gave her, and we still need the opportunity to be able to review that edited document to be able to offer an opportunity for it.

Thank you. Second.

All in favor?

Aye.

Next action on the agenda, discussion of possible action of roles and responsibilities. I did receive a beginning workflow from our town clerk's office this evening, but I'd also like to give us opportunity to have all three of us review that and have further discussion in conversation with the SOPs. So can I get a motion to table?

Second.

All in favor? It's doing wonderful work. Okay, the next thing on the agenda is to consider and take action regarding the 2026 committee on committees meeting schedule. And one correction currently in the schedule, it's listed that our meetings would be at 630. And so I just wanted to clarify, can we have those meetings be at six o'clock? Or is there a desire to keep them at 630? Councilor DeRetha Brown? it would be the second Thursday of each month, barring July 16th, which is a special meeting. Then after that, we would go to our regular meeting schedule, second Thursday of each month.

Does that work for you as well?

Six o'clock works.

Second, and all in favor? So we move the meeting time to 6 p.m. I would also like to just make a suggestion for the July 16th meeting that we have that meeting be completely virtual. And my suggestion about that is because of accessibility, some of the folks who desired to be here tonight didn't want to drive at night, couldn't be here. It would be more accessible to them if the meeting was just completely virtual. Any thoughts or opinions about that request or suggestion?

I'm so moved. Okay.

All in favor?

Aye.

Okay. We will have a virtual meeting on July 16th and hopefully get more attendance for the interviewing of the open spots. Next thing on the agenda is public comment. Let's start in person. Please, Erin. Oh, all right.

Perfect. Good evening. Erin Barringer, 28 Kenmore Road. First, I wanted to thank Committee on Committees for having this meeting and starting to interview candidates because as I've shared before we have over 100 or 150 residents ready to serve in different capacities so I'm so excited that you have started this process of getting people reappointed anybody that's been here thank you so much for your service the people in the room and online um thank you And also, I want to thank you, Committee on Committees, for having the opportunity to have a meeting like this and putting on the agenda public comments. I greatly appreciate that. And surprisingly, that's all I have to say tonight.

You sure?

I don't know if we could add to other meetings. I'm thoroughly impressed, but I really want to, I'll add one thing. I truly thank all of our residents that are currently serving in board and commission spots and for the people that are waiting to be appointed to serve.

Thank you. Any other folks or public comment in person? Okay. What about online? Anyone on my I think Meredith raised her hand. Meredith, would you mind just stating your name and address again?

Meredith Johnson, 109 Boothbay Street, Bloomfield, Connecticut. I just wanted to say that it warms my heart to hear elders like Bob Icke and Lonnie Barnes, because we hear from whence we came. And as a young person, in Bloomfield, being mentored, having knowledgeable nuggets of wisdom from both of those gentlemen and being able to see the legacy of volunteerism and commitment that they've exuded. And also being in these positions and seeing other people who have offered mentorship. I can also sit in this seat and other seats to say that the the commitment of volunteerism is fleeting and that as it relates to a cultural competence of those of us, all of you all, myself included, not in elected positions, but the time and energy that we give for these volunteer positions, that climate is fleeting. So it's just a thoughtful commentary that we remember that the generations behind us may not be so open to offer this volunteerism as we do. And I speak in this language in many seats in the fraternal seat that i sit in and the public municipality seat that i sit in with my job so i just hope that we keep cultural competence and nuances available such that we can think about creative ways to get the younger generation involved because this idea of volunteerism unfortunately it's challenging thank you so much for your comments any other comments online okay

Seeing none i'm going to move to you counselor to meet them brown. Yes, or we know yeah.

I was just asking for the number of committee members. For the ones this evening or the total number right, so I see number of vacancies. Is that because all of all of them are up so that's the number we're reappointing yeah age for each number vacancy equals the number of total committee members.

Oh sorry yeah please yes. getting clarity about the list. We have a number of vacancies versus applicants. Lynn.

Hi, good evening. So in the memo that was sent to you, that number of vacancies So if you look, so Board of Assessment Appeals, it's a three-member board. Excuse me. EDC, there's only certain seats open, and those are listed. There's currently three listed, but there's actually four vacancies. Fair Rent Commission, the whole board of seven people needs to be reappointed. And the memo outlines that there's certain vacancies Folks that need to be included included landlord and tenant. And the Bloomfield Housing Authority currently has three vacancies, but only one applicant.

Thank you for the clarification. The Housing Authority has three vacancies.

So just for posterity's sake, why don't I just read into the hearing each one of these. The Board of Assessment Appeals. The Bloomfield Board of Assessment Appeals BAA membership expired in November of 2025, and the full three-member board needs to be appointed for a term ending in November of 2027. The next one we dealt with tonight is Economic Development Commission and Development Authority. There are currently three open seats on the Economic Development Commission and Development Authority, the EDCDA, for the following terms. Term ending January 31st, 2029, January 31st, 2030, January 31st, 2031. As per the Bloomfield Town Code Ordinances Chapter 15, Section 15 through 45, members of the EDCDA shall be nominated by a majority affirmative vote of the town council and appointed by town manager. The next one is the Fair Rent Commission. Fair Rent Commission membership expired in November of 2025, and the full seven commission needs to be appointed for a term ending in November of 2026. As per the Bloomfield Town Code Ordinances Chapter 12, Section 12, through 90, at least one member of the commission must be a landlord and one member must be a tenant. The last one tonight was the Bloomfield Housing Authority. The Bloomfield Housing Authority has three current vacancies, one for a Democrat member, one for a Republican member, and one to a tenant member. I will just know before I asked for a motion to adjourn for your continued grace each of these meetings, we will try to schedule at least 20 people to be interviewed, if not more. If you saw there were standard questions and why are we using standard questions? We want to ensure fairness across every board, every commission. We want people to articulate why they're interested. We want them to articulate if they have a commitment and give them the freedom to be able to share anything else they would like this commission, or this committee and or the town council to be aware, just so that everyone knows what our process is. I did state earlier that some of the current chairs asked if they might have a future of being able to submit questions or participate in themselves. i think as we continue to look through the sops again there is freedom and openness to other suggestions about how this process might continue to develop and i would encourage us to assume that the paint isn't dry but we do hope it is moving towards drying so that we can move forward and help people get appointed as we heard from resident tonight there are over 100 people who are desirous to serve. And our goal as this committee is to make sure that that can happen with expediency. So patience and grace, but we are trying to move through it as quickly and expeditiously as possible. Can I have a motion to adjourn?

So moved.

All in favor?

Aye.

Thank you very much. Have a good evening.