Ok folks, tired and disgusted like me on talking to a WALL of leadership that has turned a blind eye and ear to the concerns of the public taxpaying funders of their pedestal of power?
I have decided enough is enough. I am now focusing my attention on petitioning for a Charter Revision to create a legally powerful Norwalk Citizens’ Council of Accountability not as an advocacy group, as we have many of those. Their voices of public outcry even in volume of numbers have proven un-fruitful. There is a difference between organized groups for advocacy and Charter mandated binding authority that will “force” a seemingly tyrannical system into needed submission.
Organizations like Norwalk Taxpayers for Accountability and neighborhood established groups have tried to lobby in numbers, but their voices are quelled because they don’t have a legal authority of organizational structure written into the Charter.
When elected leaders have forgotten their obligation to hear and act responsively to the overwhelming and well voiced concerns of the public they were elected to serve, and instead reject, neglect, and ignore them at each and every level; there is the need for “legally binding enforcement of oversight to ensure accountability”. This is no longer an option; this is a necessary check on governance that has gone rampantly out of control and has become an ENEMY of the public interest in this town we try to peacefully live in called Norwalk, CT.
The only reason for this type of un-acceptable governance that can and must be held to accountability; is corruption at a catastrophic level to achieve such devastating incompetence that has produced an intolerable level of double digit property tax increase, decreased city services and complete neglect of the majority of the public’s right of service that has become “taxation without representation”. This country fought the revolutionary war and established itself due to such unchecked and un-accountable governance that no longer served “we the people”. I for one am not willing to let an unchecked authority lord over my right to be free and governed by representation that takes an interest in taxpayer’s rights, not ignore them as they sit on a pedestal of power that ignores taxpaying voices intentionally to serve their own bought and paid for interests.
State law governs adoption by petition of 10% of voters registered and a majority vote at the ballot box to establish a legal citizens’ council focused on enforcement of accountability via through a local petition under the Connecticut General Statutes (CGS) Chapter 99, where residents can compel the creation of an appointed Charter Commission to draft the council’s framework. This would establish a group of community members appointed by each major party and independents to be representative of the “public” and force by law such things as audits, investigations for ethics violations (that could actually remove corrupt officials) and review and publish voting records of elected and appointed officials to give taxpayers the information they need to know before they VOTE again for council members and mayors that don’t vote in support of their interests.
My vision is that such a council will scrutinize and seek to ensure that elected officials make decisions that support the interests of their constituents, or be ready to be ousted at the ballot box when EXPOSED by the council. This council will seek to ENDORSE representatives who stand with the public when there are legitimate issues of opposition or support represented en masse.
The council will seek to petition for further Charter revision and ordinances to create “moratoriums on new apartments” ordinances that limit property tax increases etc….. this can be a gold-mine of check on the last decade of incompetence that has brought us to where we are and change the trajectory of the future to make decisions more “taxpayer” focused.
I think it is the only way to end “taxation without representation” and the clear favoritism of certain owners/developers over the taxpayers and voters in Norwalk. Norwalk has been taken over and is now ruthlessly ruled by one political party and by the influence of developers.
I firmly believe that this is not just a political party issue either, rather a moral and ethical one that members of both parties Republican and Democrat as well as Unaffiliated Independents would support. The only way through this brick wall is to force more accountability and full transparency. No more lies and un-lawful pushing through of projects and needless spending that the public clearly is not in favor of and tired of funding with exorbitant tax increases year after year that do not benefit their interests.
We need to force the establishment of a Norwalk Citizens’ Council of Accountability as a matter of law, and give the authority of Audit, Investigation of Ethics violations and Public scrutiny of voting records and oversight of elected officials who continue to invalidate the will of “we the people”.
As taxpayers, we need to assert our right to representation. It seems talk and public meetings of outcry do nothing; advocacy doesn’t line our elected official’s pockets like developers and other infiltrators of our democracy here in Norwalk, CT.
We need the power of law by our right of redress and petition for force their hand and oblige them to return to their oath of office requirements to serve the public that elected them.
If we can’t achieve that at the ballot box, we have to find an alternate path of process to effect the much needed change that is required to declare our Constitutional rights to expect fair and representative governance.
Rebuking the negligence of the elected officials at every level in Norwalk CT and forcing them to HEAR and ACT as the community requires is the only logical step forward.
My relentless vision forward is to make heard the forgotten and exploited taxpaying citizens of Norwalk that fund this place WITH NO REPRESENTATIVE VOICE; and are sick and tired and nor forced to revolt in profound numbers to force the elected officials to get their collective BUTTS back in line with the interests of this taxpaying public at large
If we want to challenge the big money and developers that have invaded this town and disrespected our interests, the time is now and the road to do so has been established.
Please look forward to my continued voice on this mission of petitioning for our right to be heard as taxpayers of Norwalk, CT. If you are with me, reach out and join the mission to establish a Norwalk Citizen’s Council of Accountability.
Liz Conti Norwalk Republican Town Committee Member
Editor’s note: This piece is an opinion article. The views expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the perspectives of the publication or its staff.
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