Politics of Arrogance

Recently I've been amazed by the sheer arrogance and sense of self righteousness shown by some members of the Waterbury Board of Alderman. By refusing to meet with the mayor of Prospect, the Board of Aldermen is presenting the region with an attitude of superiority that they truly do not deserve. While I can understand some of the reasons that the Aldermen present for this attitude, I find it completely inexcusable.

This particular situation arose several months ago when a developer decided to build a sizable complex on the Prospect side of Scott Rd. This complex is intended for the "active adult" crowd of 55+, and was planned to have a connection to Waterbury's sewer system. It is this connection that has caused the problems.

Several years ago the City of Waterbury struck a deal with a different developer to let a medical office building connect to the city sewer system, in exchange for a promise of revenue from an intended elderly care facility that was to be built on the premises. Those particular plans fell through however, when the developer went bankrupt and the housing units were never built. As a result the Town of Prospect would up with a connection to the Waterbury sewers that cost them much less then it should have.

This situation, though, had nothing to do with the administration of the Town of Prospect. Mayor Chatfield has managed Prospect admirably for well over 25 years. At no point has he ever been accused of trying to lead the City of Waterbury, or the town that he serves astray.

Now, however, the City is approaching a similar situation with a much larger measure of trepidation. Instead of using expected tax revenue to pay for the sewer connection the city is demanding an up-front fee of $2750 per unit. While this is within the city's rights the developer has made a counter offer of $2100 per unit to cover the cost of the connection. It is at this point that the arrogance of some members has reared its ugly head.

Last week Mayor Chatfield tried to set up a meeting with the Democratic Caucus of the Board of Aldermen, only to be flatly turned away. While one can admire the Aldermen for wanting to stick to their guns and make sure the city gets what it deserves, it seems amazingly rude to brush off the sitting mayor of a neighboring town in such a manner. And tonight the Aldermen were expected to vote to approve the $2750 per-unit connection fee, with no input from the town of Prospect as to when, and how that difference is to be paid off.

When you look at the finances of this situation it is pretty simple. The projected property taxes for Prospect will easily cover the remainder of the connection charge, but it isn't about the money. When a respected member of the surrounding community approaches you hoping to discuss options, and you turn him away with such a small measure of courtesy, it does not help your standing in the region. Considering how hard Waterbury is working to change its image, it's disappointing to see so blatantly where the city gets its bad reputation from.