Enough Smoke & Mirrors

My husband & I moved to Brookfield after growing up in the greater Danbury area for a few reasons. One of the main reasons was for the school system. We had watched what was being done by Art Colley and Tony Bivona in terms of technology advancements and system enhancements and were thrilled at the prospect of our children attending public schools that were relating to students on their level. As educators, my Husband & I place high value in people who value education. And despite Brookfield's majority conservative undertones, we were confident that no matter what politician rose to the top, the residents of Brookfield would maintain that sense of pride for their state-ranked education system. 

Then the election happened in November … followed immediately by the humiliating revelations surrounding Tinsley's blatant criminal and personal activities … topped off with the unfathomably insensitive actions of a since-resigned Board of Education member. As a new resident, I was enraged at the elected officials and at the Brookfield populous who voted them in. In fact, I’m still enraged.

But conveniently, for a certain First Selectman, it’s budget season. This means, there’s now a bright, shiny object to distract the community with.

 Having grown up in a political family, I understand the seesaw activity of budget auditing and balancing. In most towns, budgets don’t pass the first, second or even third time they’re presented to the residents. For the past several years, Brookfield managed to pass their budget with flying colors the first time around. That was another reason we decided to move there. We were – ARE – confident in the town’s financial responsibility.

Unfortunately, as a result of a new auditing firm and previously undocumented accounting errors, there were some issues with the most recent budget audit. No, it’s never good to hear that there’s been overspending. And no, it’s not great to hear that there’s room for improvement in discretionary spending (corporate credit card). But, in no way have any of the findings indicated to me that criminal malice has occurred. The auditors themselves said they have no concerns about the legitimacy of the spending reported. 

These are called the growing pains of changing vendors. Had the vendor relationship not changed, the audit would have likely come out 100% clean – as it had for 5 years prior. The new firm identified something that the previous firm did not. How are the Brookfield administrators responsible for that? Why are there people on the chopping block for following precedent? Lawyers do it every day. For professionals in the corporate sector, these “A-Ha” moments are common and extremely vital to growth. As a result of new findings, everyone now knows the proper policies and protocol. If come next year, this issue arises again, only then is it appropriate to discuss Bivona and Colley’s performance -- because that would imply they intentionally disregarded the auditor’s instruction. But that’s not the case here. So, what I don’t understand is why this new administration isn’t using this as an opportunity to showcase their collaborative and solution-oriented approach. Perhaps because it’s just too great of timing for Tinsley and his cohorts not to deflect away all the negative attention they’ve been getting? I’d put money on that.  

There will be many who will use this (empirically benign and rectifiable) situation as fodder for “This is why we need new blood in Town Hall! We can’t keep running the system like a Mom and Pop shop! Doing business as usual just doesn’t cut it!” And I'd agree that progress and change are good for business. But does that mean you eradicate the financial team that helped balance the town’s budget for years straight smack dab in the middle of budget season? No. Does that mean you spend countless hours and resources trying to point fingers and assign blame? No. It means you behave as the town of Westport is behaving. Just this week, they announced a budget overspend of nearly $2Million. How are they handling it? By standing united and coming out to the press with positive, collaborative, progressive statements about identifying the issue and working towards a resolution. How is Brookfield handling this issue? By planting several stories per week in the News Times riddled with reputation-ruining implications and ‘we don’t play well with others’ undertones. Let me tell you, every morning when I open the paper, I’m really proud to be a Brookfield resident and it’s safe to assume I’m not alone in feeling that contempt for counter-productivity.

It’s hard to read only Tinsley & Co’s opinions in the press because I’ve sat in those public meetings and I’m familiar with the process of budget audits and I can clearly see that this is just ugly political posturing. And the irony of said individuals making public claims that there’s been “a breach of trust” and that “punishment must be pursued” are laughable. From what I understand, Colley & Bivona pled no contest to the audit issues happening. Shouldn’t they receive forgiveness just like Tinsley did? If Brookfield residents can turn away from actual footage of a man stealing money from an employer’s cash register, but not understand how common accounting errors (sanctioned by professional auditors, mind you) can happen while maintaining multiple town budgets, then I clearly made a mistake becoming one myself.

Wise up, Brookfield! Tinsley has turned Brookfield into a laughing stock and his McCarthy-esque quest for blood only adds to the mean-spirited nature and illegitimacy of his administration. Real leaders don’t lead through scapegoating, dirty politics and witch hunts, but through collaboration, teamwork, and personal accountability.  It’s time to stop looking at the bright, shiny object he’s waving in front of your faces. This town isn't a playground for Tinsley and his bullies to stomp all over. Let's take back our town by demanding he focus on solutions, not distractions.