Some council members balk at holding quick vote without public discussion
By: Jake Uitti
ROCKY HILL Following Mayor Brian Nolan’s surprise resignation a week ago, the Borough Council moved quickly to appoint George Morren to the post Monday night.
But the question of who will succeed Mr. Morren on the council and when remains unanswered.
At Monday’s meeting, Mr. Nolan, who serves as the Rocky Hill Republican Committee chairman, submitted the names of three nominees for the mayor’s position he had vacated three days earlier: Mr. Morren, Borough Councilwoman Peggy Harris, and Planning Board Chairman Charles Pihokken.
Then, after the council appointed Mr. Morren, Mr. Nolan submitted the Republican Committee’s three nominees to replace Mr. Morren on the council: Eileen Uhrik, who finished third in the race for two Borough Council seats in last month’s election; Thomas Roshetar, a former councilman; and Mr. Pihokken.
Ms. Uhrik also serves on the Rocky Hill Republican Committee. She was appointed to that post recently by Mr. Nolan, replacing Judy Covington, who moved out of the borough in October.
Before a vote could be taken to fill the council vacancy, however, Councilman Ed Zimmerman suggested it might be more appropriate for the new council, which will be sworn in Jan. 2, to make the appointment. And Councilman Jared Witt proposed that the matter be opened up to public comment particularly since the two candidates who defeated Ms. Uhrik in November and will be sworn into office on Jan. 2, Brad Merritt and Brian Griner, were in the audience.
But Councilwoman Harris and Councilman Richard Batchelder pressed to move ahead with the vote without opening the floor to the public. "We shouldn’t avoid the situation," Mr. Batchelder said.
A subsequent vote to open the meeting to public comment ended in a 2-2 deadlock. Mr. Morren abstained, and the motion died for lack of a majority. Councilwoman Connie Hallman was not present at the meeting.
Ms. Harris then moved to appoint Ms. Uhrik to fill the council vacancy. The motion was supported by Mr. Batchelder and Mayor Morren, and opposed by Mr. Zimmerman and Mr. Witt. Needing a majority vote of the six-member council to be approved, the motion failed. Mr. Witt said he thought it was unfortunate the council had to vote against Ms. Uhrik but, he noted, the council should not be "forced" into making a vote.
Mr. Nolan defended the process leading up to Monday’s vote. He said he sent a letter to all Rocky Hill residents when he submitted his resignation a week ago, so the move to fill both the mayoral and council vacancies should not have come as a surprise to anyone.
"The community was well aware of what was going on," he said Thursday. "They received my letter … and if they had an issue they could have contacted me or any other board member."
Mr. Nolan added that he spoke with council members individually shortly after submitting his resignation, and all had indicated they supported Mr. Morren for mayor and Ms. Uhrik for council. Ms. Uhrik, he said, was the most viable candidate to fill the spot.
Mr. Zimmerman said he believes Mayor Morren is up to the task of mayor, but that the council should have opened the meeting up to public comment. Mr. Witt echoed these sentiments, saying, "George, to me, was the obvious successor. But if there is ever any debate on whether there should be public comment, then there should be public comment."
Ms. Harris also believes Mayor Morren will fare well in his new position. "George is a good man," she said. "I have worked with him for 19 years. He is a very calming-type person."
Explaining why she voted against opening the meeting up to public comment, Ms. Harris said, "I based my opinion on past history. … I have quite a bit of experience," she said. "I feel it is a council decision. … By postponing it 30 days, I can’t understand what they would gain. It is still three names, still a council vote. It would have been nice to have it done, to start the year with a full council."
Ms. Hallman indicated that if she had been in attendance Monday, she, too, would have supported appointing Mr. Morren mayor. His appointment, she said, was "the only thing that would save us from going to a special election."
But Ms. Hallman indicated she would have voted with Mr. Zimmerman and Mr. Witt not to fill the council vacancy on Monday night. Mr. Nolan, she said, "expected us to act in two days, which was disappointing."
Mr. Zimmerman emphasized that his vote was no reflection on Ms. Uhrik’s ability. Rather, he said, it was an issue of process and respect for the two incoming council members.
Mayor Morren, asked why he abstained on the vote to open the floor to public comment Monday, said, "It was as good a way to make it die as any a good neutral way. … I think it is much better if there is a consensus before you take action. It is much better to have a council that doesn’t have members who feel they have won or lost.
"I wanted to let the issue die down at least one notch; then we can get to it later," he continued. "Eileen (Uhrik) was a candidate in November. The margin of votes was very thin. People in the long run support her. I can’t think of anybody who would have more legitimacy."
The council has one remaining meeting in December. The members can choose to vote to fill the council vacancy then, or they can wait until the Jan. 2 meeting, when Mr. Merritt and Mr. Griner will be sworn in.
Reflecting on the past few days, Mr. Zimmerman observed, "The thing I appreciated about Monday is that we had a debate, had a disagreement and we had a vote, but it was all civil. No one made it personal. It hasn’t always been this way."

