The views stated here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the editors of this newspaper. We welcome supporting or opposing views on any published item. Received October 25, 2021.
Ms. Iino omitted several important facts from her letter entitled “We need to work together constructively and respectfully.”
The town clerk’s request for a legal opinion by the town attorney was prompted by another opinion given in late August which the town attorney issued at the request of the Charter Revision Commission (CRC). The CRC was formed by the Board of Selectmen (BOS) to update our town charter. It was formed in violation of state statute which says that no more than 25% of the CRC may be town officials. At its inception the nine-member board included 5 town officials FAR EXCEEDING THE LIMIT OF 2; putting the membership in violation of state statute with more than twice the allowed number of town officials.
Ms. Iino who was then First Selectman, was an ex-officio member of the CRC and participated in most if not all of its meetings. She was the person who initiated its formation, recommended members, and should have known the law when doing so (that’s her job), especially after being in office for 12 years. The statute on the town official issue is clear. Mrs. Blewett presented this information to the CRC in July in the hopes of the problem being corrected. The first legal opinion was entirely unnecessary, yet according to Ms. Iino the CRC Chairman asked for the first opinion which was paid for using taxpayer dollars. According to Ms. Iino, this first opinion prompted the town clerk to ask for the second opinion. Ms. Iino knows all of this because she read the timeline into the public record on the last Board of Selectmen meeting so why she omitted it in her letter to the editor is anyone’s guess.
Mrs. Blewett has served in both of her roles for the past two years; nothing was mentioned when she ran two years ago while on Board of Education; nothing was said when she was sworn in as Selectman; nothing has been said over the last two years while she served.
As to bullying, Ms. Iino knows better than that. She is the chief executive in our town and of course legal filings would be directed to her. Nothing in Mrs. Blewett’s attorney’s filings was outside of the range of normal legal language. They did not demand anything, in fact they used the word “please.” Ms. Iino’s choice of the word “bullying” is interesting, as use of this word tends to elicit a very emotional response in people. Mrs. Blewett is pursuing this issue with the full support of the Killingworth Republican Town committee who also fully supports her in her run for both positions.
Because Ms. Iino took the Board of Selectmen into Executive Session to discuss this at the last BOS meeting, the public will not know what was said; Mrs. Blewett asked to have her attorney present and her request was denied. In fact another executive session to discuss this is on the agenda for the BOS meeting again on Oct. 25th. One thing can be sure, Ms. Iino is not the one being bullied; Mrs. Blewett is.
Laura L. Lefko
Vice Chairman, Killingworth Republican Town Committee
Chairman, Campaign Committee
