New council member seated as tensions rise
NORWALK — The Democratic Town Committee has selected Dominique Johnson to fill an open seat on the Common Council — but not without some controversy.
The DTC nearly didn’t choose a new Common Council member to replace Colin Hosten Monday night after former Democratic state representative Bruce Morris, serving as proxy for Sherelle Harris, asked to table the motion to allow more time for nominations.
“We can and should do better about notifying Democrats and the public at large of opportunities here,” Morris said, adding that Johnson will be the fourth at-large council member from District D.
“We’ve been raising this issue for a
while,” he said. “There’s an imbalance of representation from the districts. The DTC makes determinations without any regard to what districts want.”
The motion to table the Common Council vote failed to pass with only 13 members voting in favor, but those who wanted to wait were vocal about their feelings about the nomination process and how it was communicated. Many voiced their objections to DTC officers approaching people to run and because they didn’t know the candidates.
“Not everyone feels equally involved in all the processes going on,” said Ronald M. Banks, a DTC member from District B. “The process has to include everybody. There are times when individuals are feeling they’re not included in the process. It’s hard. I believe in the process, but it’s hard to lend that same commitment to it when you don’t feel you’ve been there from the very beginning.”
DTC Chairman Ed Camacho said after the meeting that it is his job to recruit people who are qualified to run. He approached Johnson and James Page, who ran unsuccessfully for the Common Council in November, to pursue the seat.
“That does not prevent or preclude anyone else from approaching me about their interest or approaching other members of the DTC about their interest in running,” Camacho said Tuesday. “There has to be some personal responsibility. People involved in the DTC know what the process is and ought to be engaged in the process enough to have an impact or influence over what the DTC ultimately decides. It would be negligent of me not to reach out to people qualified.”
He added members should have been aware of the opening and nominations process from last month’s meeting when Hosten was selected to replace Bruce Kimmel, who suddenly resigned from the Board of Education in November. Nominations also could’ve been made from the floor.
“It’s interesting,” Camacho said after the meeting. “Folks who were complaining are veterans to the DTC. They know how the process works. If there’s a vacancy, you bring it to the attention of leadership or you have conversations among each other and gather support...at that meeting, was the first time anyone brought that particular matter to my attention. This is not about fairness or process. It’s about, in my view, being oppositional.”
In the end, Johnson won the seat as the only nominee. Page submitted a letter of interest for the position, but withdrew consideration about an hour before the meeting Monday without explanation, according to Camacho. Page did not respond to requests for comment.
A member of the LGBTQ+ community and now one of four women on the Common Council, Johnson said the conversations about diversity, communication and representation will motivate her as she finishes Hosten’s term, which ends in 2021.
“Tonight’s turn of events was not what I was expecting,” Johnson said. “What I’m looking forward to the most is working with this team we currently have in place. I’m coming on as a replacement after the election and I’m coming on to an at-large role. That at-large role is something I take very seriously. I love this city. I care deeply about it and I want this to be a beginning...for conversation for everyone in all districts, especially for that conversation we had tonight about being inclusive and making space for more voices.”
Johnson said she also wants to focus on issues like equitable education, climate change and sustainable development along with improving diversity within her party.
“As a woman who is LGBTQ, it means a lot to have this particular opportunity to be visible and be a citizen of this great city, Johnson said. “It’s overwhelming how this process went down. I want to be sure to bring respect and kindness and listen with open ears. I know some people want to feel more welcomed into the party and I think that’s something we all want. I see myself as part of that group of people who want a welcome, inclusive Norwalk in 2020 and into the future as well.”
Johnson’s appointment comes after last week’s DTC elections where 55 members were selected among five voting districts. Camacho said he was disappointed from the lack of representation in the elections, particularly from District B.
“You need to have as many voices on the table as possible,” he said. “We have as diverse a council as we ever had since I’ve been chair of the DTC. I don’t see that as really being an issue. I think that as, in District B in particular, demographics change, people need to embrace each other a bit more fully.”