https://www.trumbulltimes.com/news/town-government/article/Letter-Board-of-Finance-alternate-appointment-13929980.php
Letter: Board of Finance alternate appointment was non-partisan
Published 11:40 am EST, Thursday, January 7, 2016
As the Majority Leader of the Trumbull Town Council, I feel compelled to respond to Mr. Musto's letter to the editor addressing the appointment of Ted Chase as an alternate member to the Board of Finance.
As the Town's Treasurer, I expect more of Mr. Musto than cheap attempts to score political points by telling half-truths. While Mr. Musto would like people to think that Mr. Chase was appointed in some sort of back-room deal filled with smoke and mirrors, that could not be further from the truth.
Mr. Musto's statement that no one knew who the nominee would be prior to the council meeting is absolutely untrue.
At the Rules and Regulations Sub-Committee meeting, held nearly a week prior to the Council meeting, Mr. Chase was presented as a nominee and vetted by both the Democrats and Republicans who serve on that committee. Furthermore, had Mr. Musto taken the time to attend that meeting, he would have seen that nearly the entire delegation of council Democrats were present for that meeting as well as Mrs. Tesoro.
To now feign shock and ignorance at the appointment of Mr. Chase is an insult to the process, as well as the intelligence of Trumbull's residents.
I am even more perplexed at how Mr. Musto can consider the council's appointment of Mr. Chase as a partisan act.
Mr. Chase is an unaffiliated voter, neither Republican nor Democrat, and unaffiliated voters make up the majority of the voting public here in Trumbull.
Mr. Musto believes that party affiliation is the most important criteria for appointment and I could not disagree more. Had Mr. Musto attended the committee meeting, or spoken to any number of his fellow Democrats who did, he would have learned that Mr. Chase is an incredibly qualified candidate for the position.
I want to be clear that my comments in no way suggest that Mrs. Tesoro is not a qualified candidate. She and I served together for two years on the Town Council and I enjoyed her knowledge of the issues as well as her love for this town.
But the fact remains, while Mr. Musto pretends that he wants the best candidate for the job, what he really wants is a partisan appointment based upon party affiliation.
When he says that the appointment of Mrs. Tesoro "would have shown that the party in complete control recognizes that others may have good ideas and talents," I wonder why Mr. Musto will not extend that same courtesy to Mr. Chase to bring forward ideas and talents.
While Mr. Musto and I do agree that politics in this town needs a more civil tone, advocating for appointments based upon party affiliation, while claiming private meetings and back-room deals every time someone disagrees with you, is not civility. It is childish.
I am incredibly disappointed that our Town Treasurer would resort to letters to the editor that intend to mislead the public. I have no issue with anyone having a different opinion than mine, because that is the hallmark of good government, however, I do have an issue when people distort the facts in an attempt to promote their own agenda.
Rick Costantini
Republican Majority Leader
Trumbull Town Council District 4