Fighting to Stay
By Robin Vinci at September 19, 2023 | 8:30 pm | Print
No Minority City Representation at MDC
Downtown District Executive Director Gerry Amodio says he will not pull his name from possible appointment to the Mattabassett District Commission (MDC) Board despite the majority party of Common Council’s plan to replace him with a fellow Democrat.
Amodio is the lone New Britain Republican on the New Britain district membership of six.
“I have decided to stay and fight,” said Amodio. “I believe that I have been a conscientious representative who has served his constituency faithfully since 2007. That neither a councilperson, nor other City representative, saw fit to even have the common decency to inform me of the non-re-appointment is a sad commentary to the politics that is New Britain, especially when we are in the middle of a $100 million expansion and that I have been serving as Board Treasurer these past several years.”
Amodio was to be replaced by Former Democratic Mayor Lucian Pawlak. Pawlak told the New Britain City Journal this week that he has withdrawn his name as he believed he was filling a vacancy and not replacing a member.
“I heard there was an opening and I just wanted to be sure New Britain had all its votes,” said Pawlak. “It’s a critical time there. I didn’t want New Britain to be short changed at this time.”
In a speech to the council last week, Amodio spoke of minority representation telling various council persons of color that he too is a minority in this City.
Out of 13 commissioners presently on the MDC, there is not one black, Hispanic or person of color. There is only one woman on it and she is from Cromwell. New Britain used to have a female representative who resigned last year.
Berlin and Cromwell also each have minority party representation as required by their City charters. No such representation is required in New Britain.
The resignation of a member narrowed the number on the board from 7 to 6 last year. One more position is to be eliminated in the near future as New Britain will only have 5 members on the board very soon.
“I am disappointed that he wasn’t reappointed,” said Terry Mertie, a member of the MDC from Cromwell and its First Selectman. “ Our representatives from Cromwell on the Mattabasett Board are Republican and Democrat, which I believe makes for a very healthy representation. I was surprised when I heard that he wasn’t going to be reappointed since after attending a few Board meetings I felt that this was a board that put politics aside and voted what was in the best interest of the district.”
“I have known Gerry from the first day that he was appointed to the Mattabassett Sewer District,” said Doug Sienna, MDC board member from Cromwell. “During that time Gerry has earned my respect both as a member of the board, as treasurer and as a member of the finance committee which I chair. I feel that Gerry is truly an asset to New Britain as well as a Director for Mattabassett Sewer District. He participates in discussions and voices his opinion concerning matters for the betterment of the District First for which serves. Even though our last meeting held on September 16th maybe Gerry’s last one. He still carried himself with dignity and conducted himself as he had done in the Past. In my opinion not reappointing Gerry is an injustice for New Britain as well as to the District.”
According to a New Britain Herald article, Councilman Michael Trueworthy said, “there are too many people – like Lucian - who wanted on and we had to make a decision. It was not a political decision.”
Trueworthy went on to say in the article that “a council decision was made to phase out Amodio’s seat — as opposed to someone else’s seat — “because he (Amodio) didn’t ask to be back on (the commission). The others did.”
Amodio said he told a Democratic member Bill Candelori of the New Britain MDC that he was interested in a spot on the when asked at a recent meeting prior to the Council meeting.
Candelori was unavailable for comment.
Amodio said he was angry that he was not notified by the council that he was not being renamed, but was instead told by the Herald.
“It’s truly sad. Why should we do anything in this community? Why should we not sit back and watch it go by? Why should we dedicate ourselves to go out at night on our own and not get reimbursed?,” said Amodio. “It’s unacceptable to me as a person and as a resident of this City who has given so much.”
Amodio told the board he was disappointed in them.
“This is about not liking dissenting votes or a minority,” said Amodio. “That’s interesting.”
“I find it concerning that people who volunteer their time to serve our community have to find out from a reporter they’re not being reappointed. Mr. Amodio does a lot for our community and deserved better,” said Republican Alderman Jamie Giantonio. “Even more concerning was that this was called a “council decision” when 7 council members including myself that I talked to had no say into the names that were or weren’t on that list.”
Various Democratic Councilmen did not return calls or had no comment.
The item was tabled. Sources told the City Journal the Council did not have enough votes to remove Amodio.
