Politics & Government

UPDATED Board Sets Plan for Vacation Communication

The Board of Selectmen make further edits to "Acting First Selectman Notification and Protocol" at its April 19 meeting.

If First Selectman Dave Campbell decides to leave town during the remainder of his time in office, it shouldn't come as a surprise—at least to his board.

The upset caused by Campbell's leaving midst the March Nor'easter prompted the Board of Selectmen to set and revise "Acting First Selectman Notification and Protocol," a six paragraph document that outlines the chain of command in the event of a missing link.

The Board of Selectmen made further edits to the guidelines Monday evening, where Town Administrative Officer Karl Kilduff's involvement in emergency meetings was the point of brief discussion.

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Selectmen questioned the wording of the protocol, which requires the Town Administrator to "be present at all emergency meetings." Selectman Jerry Nielsen suggested adding "if available" to the requirement, which would allow board members to convene should an emergency situation prevent Kilduff from attending. Selectmen ultimately decided to keep the wording as is.

"This is protocol. This is not the force of law, but these should be our guidelines," said Selectman David Bayne. "We should have him there at every emergency meeting to take minutes. That's required by law."

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New directions call for 72-hour advance email notification of the First Selectman's leaving town. The "reply-all request" email serves to inform all members of the Board of Selectmen, including the designated Acting First Selectman and the Town Administrator, of the beginning and end of the planned trip. Board members planning to leave town for longer than two days are also committed to give notice.

This past March saw Campbell pass the torch to Bayne just hours before leaving town for Utah. Selectman Jayme Stevenson worked closely with Bayne; the two were the only selectmen in Darien during the disaster.

At Bayne's request, the First Selectman will communicate any and all directives to the Acting First Selectman who has authority to pass those instructions down the line. And when it comes time to make "critical decisions," the Acting First Selectman shall consult his or her fellow board members.

The same is required of the Acting First Selectman. Whenever possible, he or she is to update the First Selectman on all key issues.

Opening the lines of communication beyond the context of a formal Board of Selectmen meeting is harder than it sounds, said Stevenson. Where Bayne and Stevenson remained in close contact throughout the aftermath of the storm, they could not meet with a third selectman, as any three-member "meeting" designates a quorum.

It was a "stumbling block in communication," that Stevenson wished could have been waived.

Kilduff said that "emergency meetings" could be called but need to be recorded as such.

"If there's going to be a quorum present, you need to contact me so I can do the after-the-fact reporting," he said.

Campbell has yet to establish his "Code Red Notificanion Group for the Board of Selectmen." He said it's in the works.

The Board of Selectmen will vote on the document at its next meeting, according to Kilduff.


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