‘The Swamp’ comes to Stamford

To the editor,

In a shocking display of seeming arrogance of political power, the Steering Committee of our City’s Board of Representatives has ignored its own Rules of Order by blocking a properly nominated candidate for an open seat on the Board of Finance.

Under the rules, a candidate for an open seat who is nominated by a member of the Board of Reps “shall be referred to the Appointments Committee.” When the nomination in question was discussed at the Dec. 9 Steering Committee meeting, a number of members of the Board of Reps argued passionately, convincingly and with principle for the Committee to follow the Rules of Order by moving the nomination forward.

These members included Representatives Megan Cottrell, Virgil de la Cruz, Anzelmo Graziosi, Rodney Pratt, Nina Sherwood, Jeffrey Stella, Annie Summerville and John Zelinsky. I attended the entire proceedings and did not hear a single cogent argument presented to justify or attempt to directly justify violating the Rules of Order. Of course, no such argument was made since there is no legal justification.

In the end, 10 members voted to block the nomination while six members voted to move it forward as required. The mayor was present for the discussion and sat in silence the entire time. Kieran Ryan, a longserving and widely respected member of the Board of Finance and Board of Reps, was so revolted by what transpired that he changed his political party to “unaffiliated” the next day.

I am not arguing here for or against any political party or any individual candidate. Rather, this is about the legitimacy of our political processes and the rule of law. If our elected representatives can so easily steamroll their own Rules of Order, what does this say about their respect for the rule of law? The citizens of Stamford should take note of this disgraceful affair.