Markeshia Ricks Photo
Sean Matteson with Newhallville Alder Delphine Clyburn after she and: Still no sale.
Mayor Toni Harp is once again asking the Board of Alders to consider allowing Sean Matteson to stay on as her permanent chief administrative officer (CAO).
Alders previously voted down Matteson for a permanent slot in that position, which oversees line departments like police, fire and public works.
Matteson, who has held the position on an acting basis, subsequently tendered his resignation. But Harp said she was weighing trying again if she believed this time the alders would say yes.
She then sent the alders a letter dated April 5 formally renewing her request to confirm Matteson. The letter was communicated to the board at its meeting Monday night.
“I am most confident of Mr. Matteson’s credentials and commitment to the City of New Haven and that he will be an asset to my administration,” Harp wrote in her letter to alders.
When alders voted Matteson’s appointment down six months ago, some cited the political nature of his role as chief of staff for former Mayor John DeStefano in their reasoning.
Hill Alder Evelyn Rodriguez serves as the chair of the Aldermanic Affairs Committee ‚which previously reviewed and recommended favorably Matteson’s appointment before the full board voted it down. She said Monday night that she thinks since the last full board vote, the acting CAO has made a positive impression.
“He’s been active and focused on the work versus the other things that people were concerned about,” Rodriguez said. “I think that is going to make a difference. We have a fair board and I think [alders] will see that he is doing good work.”
Board of Alders President Tyisha Walker-Myers assigned the nomination to the Aldermanic Affairs Committee Monday night and said it will go back through the process for public hearing and discussion. She gave no hints as to how alders might decide.
The CAO position pays $125,000 a year. Matteson, who currently lives in Hamden, would have to move into the city limits within six months of his appointment should he be approved.