He gave them what they wanted

North Stonington finance board chairman heeds vote to step down

North Stonington — Dan Spring, former chairman of the Board of Finance, resigned from the position during a special meeting last Wednesday.

The move came three weeks after board members passed a resolution 4-2 asking him to do so.

In the resolution, moved by member Emil Pavlovics, the members cite a loss of “confidence and trust in (Spring’s) ability to lead and willingness to truly represent them.”

In a prepared statement, Spring applauded the board for its accomplishments over the past five years.

“However, in recent times, majority votes on the Board of Finance have tenaciously disregarded guidance from the Town’s auditing services and legal opinion of the Town’s bond counseling,” Spring continued, “making decisions that have the potential of negatively impacting the fiscal profile of the Town of North Stonington.”

He was referring largely to board members’ repeated decisions to put Small Town Economic Assistance Program funds in the town capital nonrecurring account, as has been done for years.

The funds, he and Town Treasurer Robin Roohr have said, belong in the town’s capital project fund, according to auditor Sandra Welwood and bond counsel Doug Gillette.

But, at a June 29 special town meeting — where residents were voting to clarify the Board of Finance’s original destination for $ 245,400 in STEAP funds, which wasn't clarified during an October town meeting — Roohr made an amendment to move the funds to the capital project fund instead.

The amendment and the amended motion both passed 8-7.

At last Wednesday’s special Board of Finance meeting, three of the board’s six members were absent. Because that meant no quorum was present and thus no vote

could be taken, former Vice Chairman Tim Main II automatically became chairman.

It’s unclear at what time Spring called for the special meeting, but a town press release said each finance board member was contacted and polled for ability to attend prior to it.

Spring had an unusual path to the chairmanship. Just a month after losing an election to the board in November 2013, he was appointed to fill a vacancy created when recently re- elected Brent Woodward resigned. Spring was voted chairman just 14 days after that, at the board's Dec. 18, 2013, meeting.

Spring is not expected to run in the upcoming election.