Cahill To Fill Open Position On Board Of Police Commissioners

Leonard Cahill, former member of the Board of Finance and Board of Selectmen (BOS), was approved March 9 by the current selectmen in a vote of three to two to fill a vacant position on the Board of Police Commissioners.

The position was open due to the recent retirement of chairman David Lee.

Lee, a Republican, was elected to the commission in 2003 and served as its chairman for five years.

In accordance with the Clinton Town Charter, the BOS will fill, by appointment, a vacancy in an elective board within 30 days from the time the seat becomes vacant. One restriction is the new person shall be of the same political party as the person who vacated the seat.

The term of the new person is for the unexpired portion of the term or until the next regular town election. Lee’s term would have expired this November.

A motion to nominate Cahill was made by Dolly Mezzetti (D) and seconded by Thomas Vicino (D) and passed by a vote of three (Mezzetti, Vicino, and Fritz (D)) to two Carol Walter (R) and Raymond Apel (R).

Other names were put forth for the position including Vincent Cimino and Arthur Isaacson, both Republicans.

In the last municipal election in 2009, Cimino ran for the Board of Police Commissioners and won, but could not be seated due to the super-majority rule, meaning if he were seated, there would be four Republicans and one Democrat on the five-member board. Cimino had the lowest votes out of the Republican slate so he was eliminated and a Democrat, Peggy Adler, took his place.

As of a change in 1985 to the town charter, the Board of Police Commissioners is comprised of five elected members: three serve four-year terms and two members serve two-year terms. 

Current members include:  Peggy Adler (D), term ends Nov. 2013; Edward O’Connor, Jr. (D), term ends Nov. 2011; Kimberly Ann Neri Simoncini (R), term ends Nov. 2013; Louis Russo (R), term ends Nov. 2013; and Cahill (R), term ends Nov. 2011.

At an upcoming meeting, the members of the Board of Police Commissioners will choose their new chairperson.