Regular Town elections shall be held on the first Tuesday after
the first Monday in November in each odd-numbered year. All officials
duly elected at such regular Town elections, upon qualification, shall
take office on the Tuesday following their election and they shall
hold offices until their successors have been chosen and qualified.
All elected Town officials and all members of boards and commissions
shall have the powers and duties prescribed by law except as otherwise
provided in this Charter.
At each regular Town election there shall be elected in accordance
with the provisions of the Connecticut General Statutes for a term
of two years the following: a Mayor, eight Councilors, two Constables,
and as hereinafter defined, a Board of Education and a Board of Fire
Commissioners.
A.
Board of Education. The Board of Education shall continue to have such powers and duties as are or may be imposed or vested by the Connecticut General Statutes upon boards of education in the several towns, which statutes shall prevail over any provisions of this Charter in event of conflict, and it shall have the power to appoint and remove its nonprofessional employees in accordance with Article IX of this Charter. There shall be nine members of the Board of Education. Members in office on the effective date of this revision shall continue in office until their terms expire. At each regular biennial Town election, nine members of the Board of Education shall be elected for a term of two years and until their successors are chosen and qualified, in accordance with provisions of Section 9-204 of the Connecticut General Statutes.
B.
Board of Fire Commissioners. There shall be a Board
of Fire Commissioners consisting of three members who shall have the
powers and duties vested in it by this Charter and such as have been
or may hereafter be conferred on it by the Connecticut General Statutes
or by ordinance. The Board is specifically authorized to delegate
authority to the Fire Chief(s). Members shall serve for four-year
staggered terms and until their successors are chosen and qualified.
1.
The Board of Fire Commissioners shall supervise, maintain and care
for all Fire Department buildings and fire equipment of said Department;
shall appoint fire chief(s) and such other officers and personnel
as it deems necessary; shall recommend the purchase of additional
apparatus and equipment when needed; shall purchase additional apparatus
and equipment when duly authorized; and shall annually prepare and
submit to the Manager a budget for the maintenance and care of the
equipment and buildings of said Fire Department. The Board of Fire
Commissioners' role shall include acting as final board of appeal
for personnel matters from within the Fire Department. This function
shall not be delegated.
2.
The members of said Commission shall make inspections of the Department
at least twice a year and shall make an annual report to the Town
of the Department's operations during the preceding year, and
shall include in such report a statement of the operative status condition
of the Fire Department as determined by such inspections.
3.
The members of said Commission, when possible, should attend all
fires that occur in Town, to observe the condition of the apparatus
and the efficiency of said Department. They shall have no authority,
other than that specifically provided herein, to direct the operation
of the Department at any time. The Fire Department may take apparatus
out of Town with approval of at least one Commissioner. The Board
may delegate this authority to the Fire Chief.
A.
At each regular Town election no political party shall nominate and
no elector shall vote for more than the Mayor, five members of Council,
and the number of members of the Board of Education and of the Board
of Fire Commissioners as shall be determined by the provisions of
this Charter and the Connecticut General Statutes. Each political
party shall nominate 1/2 of the total number of Constables as are
to be elected and no elector shall vote for more than one Constable,
and, unless there are independent candidates for these offices, one
vote shall be sufficient to elect them.
B.
Election of all officials mentioned in this section, except the Mayor,
shall be determined in accordance with minority representation provisions
of the Connecticut General Statutes.
Vacancies in elective offices, except in the Board of Education,
from whatever cause arising, shall be filled by the Council for the
period until the end of the vacated term. Vacancies in the Board of
Education shall be filled by the Board of Education for the period
until the end of the vacated term. In filling any vacancy the Council,
and the Board of Education, shall select a person of the same political
party as that of the former incumbent. If said former incumbent was
elected as an independent candidate, the vacancy shall be filled by
an elector not enrolled in any political party except as provided
otherwise by the Connecticut General Statutes. Any member of the Board
of Fire Commissioners elected to fill a vacancy at a regular Town
election shall serve for the remaining term of the former incumbent
and until the successor has been chosen and qualified.
In addition to the procedure for the nomination of candidates
provided for in this Charter and the Connecticut General Statutes,
any elector of the Town may have his or her name appear on the ballot
in a line designated "Independent" provided the elector follows the
requirements for such candidates as set forth in the Connecticut General
Statutes.
Each candidate for elective office shall be a resident and an
elector of the Town, and if any elected official at any time shall
cease to be a resident of the Town said elected official shall be
deemed to have vacated the office.
