The borough plans to hire an outside consulting firm to form a strategic plan to improve Naugatuck's government.

NAUGATUCK — The borough is moving ahead on one of Mayor Robert Mezzo’s major goals for his second term in office — finding efficiencies to improve the way the municipal government functions.

To that end, the Strategic Planning Action for Naugatuck Committee (SPAN) will soon be putting out a request for qualifications (RFQ) looking for consulting firms to conduct a strategic planning study and help Naugatuck come up with a long-term plan for delivering services and lowering costs.

The Joint Boards of Finance and Mayor and Burgesses previously allocated $35,000 to the project in the 2011-12 budget.

Mezzo said he expects to send out a RFQ shortly after the new year, with applicant interviews by the end of January. He said he hopes the study will start in middle to late winter and the length of the study will depend on the company conducting it. The Board of Mayor and Burgesses will have to approve the contract for whatever company the committee selects.

For Mezzo, an unbiased study of the town’s strengths and weaknesses is crucial to Naugatuck’s future viability.

“I don’t think we’ve ever had a critical analysis from outside that not only gives us best practices but starts to plan some roadmaps as to how to get to more efficient government,” Mezzo told the Citizen’s News in an interview in May.

Mezzo said strategic planning is a common practice for any business with a multi-million dollar budget, but not common in local government.

“Despite managing multi-million dollar budgets, providing services to thousands of constituents and employing hundreds of workers, local governments often operate by using historical and institutional practices while reacting to outside market forces as they arise,” Mezzo wrote in a recent post on his personal blog.

Mezzo said there’s a perception by elected officials that they may be admitting weakness to seek assistance, Mezzo said. He said some people opposed they study because they think it should be the mayor’s job to know all the answers.

“To think that one person could or should know the best way to do everything is a bit naive,” Mezzo said.

If there’s a way to improve the way the government operates that will positively impact taxpayers, Mezzo said he would like to explore it. He said the benefits of the study far outweigh the costs.

“To think that we do not have room for improvement … is a little bit short-sighted in my opinion,” Mezzo said.

Mezzo said the strategic planning process may produce some recommendations that will make some people uncomfortable, but the alternative is to do nothing.

Mezzo said many of the same issues recur every year and Naugatuck cannot continue doing the same things year after year and expect different results.

“What’s very frustrating is each and every budget year looking at increased needs and a grand list that’s not expanding at a rate equal to inflation,” Mezzo said.

Mezzo said nothing will be off the table as the consulting firm formulates the strategic plan.

Some areas the study might look into are collaboration with the Board of Education, an analysis of social service delivery systems, the borough’s use of technology, how the government communicates with residents, and whether it can make services easier to access.

The study could also look at whether town staffing levels are appropriate and if compensation and benefits are comparable to similar communities, according to Mezzo.

The study might also look into whether a regional approach to aspects of government is feasible to save money. It could also look at the borough’s infrastructure to plan for the future so the borough doesn’t simply react to capital needs, which could cost more in long run, Mezzo said.

“The real constraints are simply what the company would be willing to do with the price that we’re in a position to pay,” Mezzo said.

The borough is already looking into a lot of those issues and has made changes to make the government more fiscally responsible, according to Mezzo.

“We’ve really changed a lot of the ways we do business as a government in the last 10 to 15 years,” Mezzo said.

For example, the borough has fully-funded it pension obligations while converting to defined contribution plans similar to 401(k)s for new hires, created the Naugatuck Economic Development Corporation, maintained a stable fund balance which has resulted in upgrades to the borough’s bond rating, created a human resource department, , and shared common business functions with the school board.

Mezzo said each consulting company has a different methodology. Some conduct interviews. Others rely more on steering committees or focus groups. Whatever company the borough hires will gather information, and analyze what works and what doesn’t work. He said they would take input from department heads, employees, union leaders, and citizens, to gather ideas. The Board of Education has also indicated that it would like to be involved.

“We envision this process involving as many stakeholders in the community as possible,” Mezzo said.

He said the process should be similar to a 2001 study by Mount Auburn Associates that looked at economic development. The result of the 2001 study was the Naugatuck Economic Development Corporation. That firm had 30 people in a steering committee, and did interviews with business leaders and conducted focus groups, Mezzo said.

“The great thing about Mount Auburn is that it brought people from the public and private sector … and created a document that both sides felt willing to trust,” Mezzo said.

Mayor Robert Chatfield, center, enjoys the company of friends and family as he waits for election results Tuesday night. Chatfield was elected to this 18th term in office.

PROSPECT — Incumbent Republican Mayor Robert Chatfield swept into his 18^th term in office Tuesday night, defeating challenger Anthony Dorso.

Forty-four percent of voters turned out to held usher Chatfield back into to office. Chatfield defeated Dorso by an unofficial count of 2,025 to 886.

“I’m very happy with Mayor Chatfield and that’s who I voted for,” said Prospect resident Pamela Wright as she headed out of the polls.

Chatfield started his 35^th year in office on Monday. He is the longest-serving chief elected official in Connecticut.

Following his win, Chatfield addressed a small crowd of supporters, including many family members.

“I want to thank all the people who campaigned for me and with me,” Chatfield said. “I’m not going to change. I’m going to be the same Bob Chatfield I’ve always been.”

Chatfield said, however, he would have to work a little harder in his next term because media organizations have accused him of slowing down.

There’s no chance of that happening any time soon, Chatfield said.

“I’ll be the energizer bunny,” he said.

Chatfield said his biggest challenge in his next term will be helping Region 16 to get an affordable replacement for Community and Algonquin Schools. He said he would push to make sure the new school, which is going to referendum in early December, has a generator. If last week’s snow storm had come a month later, Chatfield said, it could have been a disaster.

Dorso, an unaffiliated candidate endorsed by the Democratic party, didn’t have much to say after the votes were tallied.

“It is what it is,” he said.

Dorso ran on a campaign of increasing transparency, decreasing town spending and taxes, and working closer with Region 16. He was unsure whether he would run again.

“Right now, I need to focus on my new baby coming in April,” he said.

As usual, Chatfield ushered the entire Republican ticket in behind him. He said Democrats haven’t won an election since he took office in 1977.

“I would like to think I had something to do with that,” Chatfield said.

He said voters value his hard work and continuous availability.

“They appreciate what I do. They know what I stand for,” Chatfield said.

Robert Chatfield

PROSPECT — Mayor Robert Chatfield is running for his 18^th term in office and the long-time incumbent says he’s not yet finished governing Prospect.

“I think there’s more to do in Prospect and this is a very difficult time, financially, for the country and the state and I don’t think it’s time to change captains in the middle of a fiscal crisis. I led the town through difficult times before,” Chatfield said.

Prior to becoming mayor, Chatfield managed school bus operations in Region 16. He also worked at Sikorsky Aircraft, served in the U.S. Airforce for three years, and worked for various other businesses in Prospect. He graduated from Kaynor Technical High School in Waterbury.

Chatfield said his priorities for his next term in office would be to save as much money as legally feasible while adhering to state requirements.

“The people want to move here because they feel the town is being run very efficiently,” Chatfield said.

Chatfield cut the mill rate and lowered the town budget for this fiscal year, he said.

“I am very cheap and I do a lot of the service calls on furnaces and other things myself to save the taxpayers money,” Chatfield said. “I think if I was a big spender, I wouldn’t be being reelected every year.”

However, there are some things the town should spend on, Chatfield said.

He said the town needs to invest more in its roads and improving infrastructure at the police department.

Chatfield said his many years of experience will help him continue to lead the town.

“Longevity has saved this town hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years because you can plan and carry something through,” Chatfield said.

One of the ways Chatfield said he saves money is by applying for grants. He said he’s gotten millions of dollars worth of grants over the years to bring water lines in town.

Just because he has been in office a long time, Chatfield said that doesn’t mean he is not moving the town forward.

He said he is always improving recreation, the library, the police department, and town equipment.

“We’re maintaining what we have and we learn from other towns what they’re doing,” Chatfield said.

Over his tenure in office, Chatfield said he built a new library and senior center and improved the police department.

Recently, the recycling center started taking electronics, Chatfield said.

“There’s new stuff coming along all the time,” Chatfield said.

One new thing Chatfield is working on is bringing more businesses to town.

He said Prospect has three or four empty storefronts and one empty factory building.

“That’s too much, but the economy has to change before new businesses will open,” Chatfield said.

Chatfield said Prospect’s mill rate should be attractive to businesses.

Chatfield said the grand list is set to grow well this year with the installation of the new Yankee Gas pipeline and the Toll Brothers building.

Chatfield felt that good communication is key to a well-run government and said he is in constant communication with other government officials, schools, and residents. He said he is available 24 hours a day.

To keep the lines of communication open, Chatfield said he speaks with school board and Town Council members several times a week and uses CODE RED and the town website to communicate important messages to townspeople.

As the state’s longest-serving chief elected official, Chatfield said leaders in other towns often look to him for advice.

Chatfield said he represents Prospect in state conferences and hearings. Recently, he testified at a public hearing on wind turbine regulations in New Britain. He said Prospect needs wind regulations, but shouldn’t act until the state comes out with its new regulations. He said he would support whatever the Planning and Zoning Commission decided for regulating turbines in Prospect.

“I’ve never done anything to bring disrespect to the town,” Chatfield said.

Chatfield said the mayor’s job entails a lot more than attending meetings and putting together a budget.

“You do a lot more for the town than what’s written in the town Charter,” Chatfield said, mentioning activities for children and seniors.

Chatfield said addressing residents’ differing concerns is a balancing act, but, he said, people trust him. Chatfield said he enjoys working with people even though he can’t please everyone.

“(The taxpayers and residents) have grown up with me and I’ve grown up with them,” Chatfield said.

Surrounded by family and friends, Prospect Mayor Bob Chatfield, right, announced that he will seek an 18th term as mayor Tuesday night.

PROSPECT — Zachary Latozas was the first to endorse Mayor Robert Chatfield’s bid for an 18^th term in office.

The 2-year-old grandson of Prospect’s long-time Mayor clapped his hands and held up a sign proclaiming “Grandpa Bob 2011,” as Chatfield announced his candidacy just before the Republican Town Committee meeting Tuesday night.

“My name will be on the ballot this year,” Chatfield said.

About 15 family and friends and 15 members of the Republican Town Committee cheered at the announcement.

A lot has happened since Chatfield was first elected mayor in 1977, he said.

“I think I put Prospect on the map,” Chatfield said.

He said one of his plusses is longevity, which allows him time to plan and follow projects through. While other towns have problems of continuity as power changes hands every few years, Prospect has had a stable, guiding hand, Chatfield said.

“We have a nice, steady form of government,” he said.

Among his accomplishments in his 34 years of governance, Chatfield named the budget cuts he was able to make this year to reduce taxes, even as other towns struggled to keep their tax raises to a minimum.

“I’m not frugal, I’m cheap,” Chatfield said.

Other achievements Chatfield cited were expanding Hotchkiss Field, building Caplan Park, building a new library and senior center and buying property to preserve open space.

Chatfield said he was proud to support Woodland Regional High School, which has turned out to be a success in the 10 years since it was built, despite controversy of the regional school when it was first proposed.

He said he brought water to Prospect through $8 million in grants and installed hundreds of catch basins around the town. Through proper drainage, Prospect has avoided many flooding problems which plague nearby towns, Chatfield said.

Chatfield said he works for the town 24/7 and is the only mayor in the state who is at town hall at 5 a.m. every day. He said he enjoys his job, which is more of a vocation for him, because it is something different every day.

Chatfield said his extensive knowledge of the town means he can quickly accomplish tasks without having to do as much research as newer leaders in other towns, saving taxpayers money.

“There isn’t much I don’t know about Prospect,” Chatfield said.

Chatfield said he’s asking the people of Prospect to put their trust in him once again.

If re-elected, Chatfield said he would like to see the completion of improvements to Hotchkiss Field and use a grant to put another garage behind the existing town garage. He said he would like to expand the senior center, which is currently bulging at the seams, and continue purchasing open space for the town.

“I’m going to go for every grant we can get,” Chatfield said.

Chatfield said he would campaign door-to-door and planned a picnic at Holliday Hill.

Chatfield asked the Republican Town Committee for its endorsement, which it’s expected to give at its next meeting July 12.

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” Chatfield said.

Save Prospect President Tim Reilly asks the Prospect Town Council to help pay his group's legal bills.

PROSPECT — Paying part of the legal fees for Save Prospect Corp. would be a bad precedent for the town, according to Mayor Bob Chatfield.

Chatfield addressed the issue during Tuesday night’s Town Council meeting. He spoke in response to a Save Prospect’s request for the town to pick up part of the tab accumulated in fighting Wind Prospect.

Save Prospect’s expenses for lawyers and expert witnesses have exceeded $125,000, leaving the group over $50,000 in debt.

Tim Reilly, president of Save Prospect, submitted a letter to the Town Council last month asking for reimbursement for the costs of a fight against two proposed wind turbines he said the group fought on behalf of the whole town.

The group claimed that the town left it on its own to oppose the wind turbines they believed would affect their health, safety, and quality of life.

Chatfield rebuffed claims that he and the town didn’t do enough to stand up for the neighborhood near the proposed turbine location.

He said he lobbied to get the Siting Council’s public hearing in Prospect rather than New Britain, where the governing body is located, and represented to town before the council. The Siting Council has sole jurisdiction over large energy projects, including wind turbines.

The Town Council, Planning and Zoning Commission, and Inlands Wetlands Commission all wrote letters to the Siting Council voicing opposition to the turbines.

Chatfield said he has been criticized from both sides of the issue.

“I can literally say I gave my heart and soul to this project,” Chatfield said.

However, Chatfield said he does not believe the town should be liable for and cannot afford Save Prospect’s legal fees.

The total town legal budget only totals $85,000, he said, and the town recently worked hard to reduce the budget, line by line.

Chatfield said he was fearful that if the town granted monies to Save Prospect, any other group opposed to changes in town could request the town pay their legal fees too.

“I think this is a very dangerous precedent,” Chatfield said.

Despite his feelings regarding the town paying for some legal fees, Chatfield said he personally intends to make a donation and assist Save Prospect with fundraisers to help clear the bill.

During public comment, several members of Save Prospect begged the Town Council to help.

Reilly said the group looked to a future Prospect narrowly averted yesterday as he visited Falmouth, Mass., a town wind turbine opponents have pointed to when demonstrating what can go wrong with turbines.

“There’s a hole in my heart because we won and they didn’t,” Reilly said.

He said his group didn’t want to set precedents, but was just looking for a little help.

“The town set precedent when they allowed this to happen,” Reilly said.

Resident Tim Sweeney said it should have been the town’s responsibility to make sure the turbines never got out of the planning stages because there is no state law specifically concerning the regulation of commercial wind turbines.

The town approved the installation of a meteorological tower on the proposed turbine site two years ago.

“I think (Save Prospect) should be reimbursed every penny,” Sweeney said.

Although there were no one opposed to the town paying Save Prospect’s legal fees present at the meeting, Town Council Chair Tom Galvin read four letters from the public on the issue.

The consensus among those who submitted letters was the town shouldn’t pay for the fight of a small group. They said Save Prospect did not represent them and had hurt the town by taking away what would have been the town’s largest taxpayer. Several letters said Save Prospect was fighting progress in their opposition to the turbines.

“It is not fair for taxpayers of our town to have to pay for a group fighting a project when hundreds of other taxpayers were in favor of the wind project. … Mayor Chatfield has done a great job of keeping our taxes down for the residents who are struggling enough to pay their taxes and other expenses just to live without paying expenses for special interest groups,” wrote Timothy Meehan.

In his letter, Michael Dreher said the town had already employed their own legal council to fight the turbines.

“We have already picked up a fair share of the expenses,” Dreher wrote.

Dreher requested that Councilor Patricia Geary not participate in the debate over whether the town should pay Save Prospect’s bills because of her own involvement in the group.

Geary said after the meeting that although she had made a donation to Save Prospect, she was not a member of the group and felt that she could be impartial as part of the fact-finding committee. She said she may consider abstaining from any votes emanating from the committee’s findings.

Stan Pilat reported that the fact-finding committee created after Save Prospect’s original request for reimbursement was still in the process of gather facts. He said the committee heard a lot of opinions from both sides of the issue and is awaiting the opinion of the town’s attorney. Once the group has looked into the matter, Pilat said it will be up to the Town Council to take action if it so chooses.

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Naugatuck Mayor Robert Mezzo

Mayor Robert Mezzo may have run unopposed, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t thought about his agenda for his second term in office.

“I still think, whether you’re running against somebody or not, you need to tell them why you’re running and what you plan on doing,” Mezzo said.

Mezzo said his decision to run for office was about a labor of love for the community.

“I think there’s a lot here that we can bring out to increase our tax base, make ourselves the first class community that we should be,” Mezzo said.

Looking to the future, Mezzo proposed hiring an outside consulting company to look at how both municipal departments and education function.

He said that Naugatuck can no longer afford to do the same things year after year.

“It was ironic coming in here as the mayor, hearing some of the same issues debated as when I was a burgess six, eight, 10 years previously,” Mezzo said.

He said this strategic planning approach will give Naugatuck the outside perspective it needs to give an unbiased report on where the town can cut costs, combine efforts and improve government efficiency.

“This is one I think we can’t afford not to do. … If we were a business that was close to $104 million and we didn’t do critical analysis and strategic planning, we wouldn’t last in the private sector,” Mezzo said.

He said the town needs to make careful action plans with which it can follow through.

“Getting from that talk to the actual action requires work,” Mezzo said.

He said he has already taken steps to make the town government leaner, including organizational changes in the Department of Public Works, automated trash collection, negotiating a new contract with Public Works employees, and changing the pension plan for new hires in five of the town’s seven bargaining units.

“We won’t see some of those savings for many years, until long after I’m gone, but it’s the right thing to do to set our government up for future stability,” Mezzo said.

Naugatuck also switched to a cheaper health care provider.

“In a heavily unionized environment like Naugatuck is, that’s not always easy to do,” Mezzo said.

Despite the strides he’s made in the past two years, Mezzo said his work isn’t done.

“I don’t think municipalities like Naugatuck can sustain the level of benefits that we have offered the previous generation of municipal employees,” Mezzo said.

Even though he wants to save taxpayers as many dollars as possible, Mezzo said it’s sometimes necessary to invest in certain projects now to save money later.

Such projects include maintaining infrastructure such as roads and buildings and buying new vehicles instead of continuing to repair 20-year-old clunkers.

With Naugatuck’s unemployment rate hovering around 11.5 percent as of March, according to the Connecticut Department of Labor, residents are eager to hear what the town is doing to encourage job growth.

Unfortunately, Mezzo said there’s not too much the town can do. Private industry drives employment based on market analysis and will only create jobs when there’s a demand for it.

The Naugatuck Economic Development Corporation and Economic Development Commission are working to attract more businesses to the town, Mezzo said.

One thing they can do to make Naugatuck more attractive is divide some of the lots in the Naugatuck Industrial Park to make room for more companies, Mezzo said.

Despite the recession, the Naugatuck Industrial Park contributes about $1.8 million in tax revenue to the borough, according to Mezzo.

Naugatuck is also moving forward, albeit slowly, with the Renaissance Place project. The borough was recently awarded a $500,000 state grant to build a parking garage on Parcel C. The garage would be the first step to developing downtown in cooperation with Conroy Development and St. Mary’s Hospital.

Mezzo said that although the borough faces a many challenges, education, which makes up over half the town’s budget, is at the forefront.

Mezzo said the town government and school board need to work together to come up with creative solutions to meet those challenges.

One thing the two could work together on, Mezzo said, is combining some of the business functions of the school board with similar functions at Town Hall to become more efficient.

Examples of areas the Board of Education and town departments could work together on include human resources, purchasing and legal services.

Last year, borough comptroller Wayne McAllister temporarily took over the school board’s business office as the board was facing a budget shortfall. The move was controversial for some members of the school board, who felt it should remain autonomous from town government.

“We are one municipality. The tax dollars don’t come in separately for the Board of Education and the municipal side,” Mezzo said.
Mezzo said McAllister’s work has stabilized the finances and the business office at the Board of Education.

“I think it’s not a permanent solution, but I think going back to having completely separate mindsets is really not only counterproductive, but it really doesn’t reflect the reality,” he said.

Mezzo said he has the utmost respect for school board members who are leaving and he looks forward to working with the new board.
“It’s very different when you sit on the other side of the table,” Mezzo said. “The issues aren’t as black and white as they seem. There are a lot of complexities.”

He said following through with campaign promises for change is harder than it looks.

“As much as people want change before an election, when they actually go to make a change afterword, there’s a lot of fear about it,” Mezzo said.

He said that a good relationship between the municipal and educational sides of the town is not as important as having that relationship yield actual results.

“The real key to improving communication is making that communication translate into positive results,” Mezzo said.

Mezzo called education “Naugatuck’s greatest challenge.”

As the job market changes, Naugatuck’s educational system has to change to reflect that, Mezzo said.

“Our education system has often mirrored our economy,” he said.

In the past, it catered to tasks that were important for industry. Now, education must emphasize the information economy of the present day, Mezzo said.

To ensure that all students graduate with the tools they need to succeed, Mezzo said that some students may need extra help with longer school days or summer classes. He said the school system needs to become more flexible to accommodate each student’s needs.

Mezzo also said the town needs to plan for the long-terms physical needs of the school system. The recently-formed Long Term School Facilities planning committee is looking into what kind of space the schools will need in 10 to 20 years.

In the past, changes to school buildings were reactionary measures to immediate needs, Mezzo said.

“We need to start looking at our district, not in the next two years, but where we want it to be 10, 15, 20 years down the road,” Mezzo said.

The Citizen’s News recently sat down with the mayor to discuss his plans for the next two years. Over the coming weeks, we will be posting portions of his interview online.