Good evening and Happy New Year. I can hardly believe that in less than 2 months since the end of my 8 years of elected service to the town that I feel compelled to address you on a specific issue. The idea of mandates aside and the idea that council knows what’s best aside, please indulge me in my ideas.

Those of you with whom I served should remember how dearly I held to the concept of complete minutes. How often I asked for the minutes to fully reflect the words of council and those who participate. I still hold dearly to that concept. I believe that, accurate, complete minutes, provide an archival record for generations to come.

The minutes of the past were incredibly useful to me as an information conduit and a relater of how, why and who made what decisions. Complete minutes speak to the thought process of councilors, to the degree of seriousness with which they take their position, and to why they believe the decisions they make best serve all the residents of Wethersfield. From minutes we learn who stood where on issues as varied as town wide drainage, sanitary sewer overflows, cell towers, dog parks, the cove, placement and need for a new police station, renovation and building projects fields and lights. We learn the rationale for decisions; we get a clearer understanding of what drives those we have elected.

We learn a little about what is and isn’t important to them. We begin to get a feel for their integrity and perseverance. We learn what they stand for and if they stand for us. We don’t need to question their intent when we have their own words recorded. In the best sense it makes everyone responsible for what they say. There is no blurring of intent. Complete minutes tell a complete story. They keep the non- elected informed and interested.

In these times when opportunity for the public to be engaged, has been restricted by council to a mere 5 minutes, without opportunity to redress decisions made on the same evening, won’t you please consider providing us with a complete record of council activity.

Let us know too, what the public thought. My experience tells me that members of the public have good ideas. They know what works. Many of them have historical knowledge of the town’s ongoing issues. Add their input to your own homework and let us know if they helped you form your final vote. Listen to them and let us have the privilege of knowing what they said.

Let us have a record of the give and take of councilors, let us hear the arguments, the negotiations and the decisions.

Government best serves all of us when it is open. There should be nothing to hide. There should be a sense of pride and responsibility for sound decision-making.

If you feel compelled to abbreviate the recording of minutes, I would ask that, in a true cost saving measure, you abbreviate the staff in the clerk's office to reflect the change you will be enacting.

I strongly encourage you to make a decision that is right for Wethersfield.

We don’t need to be like anywhere else. We have pride in our town. In this town where history is so important, please do not have it recorded for posterity as to those present and yeah or nay. Wethersfield is so much more than that.

Make the right decision tonight. Vote for complete minutes.

Dr.Ken Sokolowski
- FOOT HEALTH SERVICES -
Wethersfield, CT, 06109 U.S.A.
Phone: (860) 529-6845