Two council members elected in November will now have an opportunity to cast their vote
By: Jake Uitti
ROCKY HILL The remaining seat for the Borough Council a vacancy created when then-councilman George Morren resigned his position to take over as mayor after Mayor Brian Nolan resigned Dec. 2 was neither discussed nor filled at Monday night’s meeting.
"There was a feeling on the part of some members (of the council) that we should wait until we had seated the two new members who had been elected in November, and then we can proceed to vote on filling the vacant spot," Mayor Morren said Tuesday.
"You need four votes to seat somebody, and if three people decide they want to wait until Jan. 2, then you wait until Jan. 2," the mayor added. "They said that they would vote then, so I said, ‘What the heck, why go through with more agony?’"
Mayor Morren said Councilwoman Connie Hallman who was not present for the Dec. 5 meeting, and whose term ends at the end of this year along with Councilmen Ed Zimmerman and Jared Witt were the three members who thought it best to wait until Jan. 2 to fill the vacancy. He said they expressed their opinions on the matter to him before Monday’s meeting.
The most likely person to fill the vacancy is Republican Eileen Uhrik, who was nominated by the Rocky Hill Republican Committee comprised of Mr. Nolan and Ms. Uhrik to fill the vacancy at the Dec. 5 council meeting. The other candidates nominated were Thomas Roshetar, a former councilman, and Charles Pihokken, the Rocky Hill Planning Board chairman.
Ms. Uhrik lost the race a council seat in the November election by 10 votes.
The council did not appoint Ms. Uhrik to fill the vacancy on Dec. 5, because Mr. Zimmerman and Mr. Witt voted against the motion, leaving the vote at a 2-2 deadlock.
Mr. Zimmerman emphasized during the Dec. 5 meeting, and has since re-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.
"As far as I have heard," Mr. Zimmerman said Tuesday, "everybody still supports Eileen."
Since council members did not vote to appoint anyone to the open seat Dec. 5, it was thought that they might do so as soon as Monday. But Mayor Morren did not include the issue on the meeting’s agenda, as it was understood that there would be three votes against filling the vacancy before the Jan. 2 meeting.
The vote, instead, will be part of the council’s Jan. 2 reorganization meeting.
"We can start fresh with the new year," Mayor Morren said. "It’s like a New Year’s resolution."
The discussion over who will fill the spot is expected to be the first item in the reorganization agenda, after the two newly elected councilmen, Brian Griner and Brad Merritt, are sworn in.
Councilwoman Peggy Harris, who also will be leaving the council at the end of this year, said Tuesday she wanted to discuss filling the vacancy at Monday’s meeting.
"I had asked that it could be brought up at this meeting. (Rocky Hill Attorney Robert Cruz) said we could," Ms. Harris said. "It was a vacancy, and it should have been filled. To me, you need a full council," Ms. Harris said.
Mr. Witt affirmed Tuesday that he thought it best to leave the decision to next year’s council. "People generally agreed it’s a decision better left to the council with the new members," he said. "I didn’t think it should be on (Monday night’s) agenda."
During Monday’s meeting, Mayor Morren said there will be opportunity for public comment at future meetings before the council makes any major decision.

