Turnaround: Aniskovich Is In

The Republicans were smiling last night as their original candidate for the Board of Finance was easily approved at the Board of Selectmen (BOS) meeting. This was a sharp contrast to last month. when her failed nomination sparked a political controversy.

Jennifer Aniskovich, the former head of the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism, won the nomination with yes votes from Third Selectman John Opie, the sole Republican on the board, and Democrat Second Selectman Fran Walsh, who changed his mind and provided the vote to appoint her. First Selectman Anthony ​“Unk” DaRos abstained from voting.

The action brought applause from the standing-room-only crowd at the meeting at the Canoe Brook Senior Center. Many of Aniskovich’s friends filled the room, ready to rise to her defense. But the quick vote of approval, which came in less than five minutes, precluded a long and likely contentious discussion.

At the Sept. 15 BOS meeting, Walsh and DaRos touched off a firestorm when they refused three times to second Opie’s motion to nominate Aniskovich. Walsh then nominated Branford businessman Bob Babcock for the position, but a vote on his nomination was postponed. Babcock, who was not in attendance, withdrew his name from the race after he found out Aniskovich was the Republican Party’s choice.

The dramatic turnabout on Walsh’s part came after he tried to get the Republicans to nominate a candidate other than Aniskovich. In an interview Tuesday Walsh told the Eagle that he reached out to Ray Ingraham, the chair of the Republican Town Committee (RTC), about ten days ago to ask the Republicans to come up with another candidate. Ingraham called him back the next day, Walsh said, to say ​“they were sticking with Jennifer.” 

Aniskovich had won the RTC’s nomination by one vote. The second and the only other contender was Kurt Schwanfelder, a former Republican leader of the Representative Town Meeting (RTM) who sits on several town boards and knows well the insides of town government. He served on the RTM for 22 years. Schwanfelder, who until recently has been a key member of the RTC, has sought this seat for years. But after a falling out with Opie, the party’s titular head, he did not get Opie’s support. Both men ran and lost for the positions of first and second selectmen in 2007. While still a Republican, Schwanfelder is no longer a member of the RTC.

Schwanfelder said in an interview earlier this week that if Aniskovich could not win Democratic approval, he was the next logical choice. Walsh and DaRos agreed and as of Tuesday they were poised to nominate him and appoint him once they rejected Aniskovich. But that did not happen.

Last night Walsh not only offered a second to Opie’s motion, he announced he would vote for her. The change of heart came after he met with Aniskovich and Ingraham. Walsh, a well-known educator, is the former principal of the Walsh Intermediate School.

“I would like this to be a step in a positive direction with the RTC,” he told the crowd.

Aniskovich will fill a two-year vacancy created by the resignation of Lorraine Young, a Republican, who retired after serving on the board for more than 18 years.

Walsh last month said he would not vote for Aniskovich because he feared she would politicize the Board of Finance, which is typically comprised of three Democrats and three Republicans. However, he promised he would interview her before the October meeting. He explained to the crowd that due to a problem with email correspondence, the meeting didn’t occur until the last minute.

When asked by the Eagle why he changed his mind, Walsh said: ​“I had a very good conversation with Ray Ingraham and Jennifer. In the spirit of cooperation, it’s the right thing to do.” He did not speak to his prior concerns.
 
Ingraham told the Eagle at another meeting last night that the three met at Town Hall on Wednesday morning. DaRos was in Hartford. Ingraham said Walsh had prepared 15 questions. Aniskoivich answered them, and when it was over, Ingraham said he thought they had a shot.

He was right. Walsh changed his mind, informing DaRos later in the day they he now planned to vote for her. DaRos would not say how he felt except to say he could not go along with the vote. So he abstained. 

Ingraham told the Eagle that he was pleased that Walsh asked him to sit in on the meeting Wednesday morning and that he allowed him to explain the vetting process that the RTC used to select their candidate. ​“We were looking for a person who would be loyal to the taxpayers,” Ingraham said of Aniskovich. He told the Eagle later in the evening that the nominating committee believed she was ​“truly non-political.” 

Schwanfelder who was out of town only learned of the results this morning. He was philosophical. ​“You can’t count on anything until the process is over,” he said. 

Following the BOS meeting, Aniskovich thanked Walsh and shook his hand.

“I’m glad that common sense and reason won out over politics,” Aniskovich told the Eagle. ​“I’m grateful Fran took the time today to get to know me.” She said friends and supporters contacted the selectmen on her behalf and attended last night’s meeting to lobby for her nomination. Many did so after she sent out an e‑mail asking for their support. Many Walsh and DaRos supporters were also in attendance.

DaRos told the Eagle that Walsh apparently resolved his concerns about Aniskovich’s appointment. He declined to publicly state his reason for abstaining from voting, but said ​“I look forward to working with the Board of Finance and I think everything will be fine.”

Opie was visibly pleased that his candidate prevailed. ​“It’s only fitting she be on that board,” he said after the meeting. ​“She’s extremely well-qualified.”

Aniskovich is a graduate of the University of Virginia and the University of Virginia School of Law, and attended Yale School of Law. She is a member of the Blackstone Memorial Library board and is the wife of former Republican state Sen. William Aniskovich who lost his seat to state Sen. Ed Meyer.

Public Works Building Location Still Unresolved 

In other business last night, the Board of Selectmen postponed voting on a lease for a rental facility for the Public Works Department. The department has to move to another location before construction can begin on the long-awaited and much-debated Fire Department Headquarters.

Opie last night said he learned that another building is available for lease which would cost considerably less. He said the building committee should take a look at the alternate site on School House Rd before any lease is signed.

DaRos said he already asked the building committee to look at it, but they apparently didn’t receive the message. He said the selectmen will hold a special meeting to discuss options after the committee looks into the site.

New Public Meeting Standards Proposed  

Also last night, Walsh asked that new standards be set for conduct at public meetings.

Walsh suggested time limits for public comments: two minutes for agenda items and no more than five minutes for general public comments. He also said residents should raise their hand and be recognized before speaking. ​“We teach that in kindergarten,” he said.

Walsh said that failure to follow the standards would result in a person being declared out of order, and if the person does not stop speaking, the first selectman can ask the speaker to leave the meeting. Further action could be taken if the speaker does not cooperate.

He offered a list 11 suggestions to improve public participation, and said his suggestions would be discussed at another time after people have a chance to read them.

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