Danbury City Council Special Meeting – July 23, 2026

The Danbury City Council held a special meeting on July 23, 2026, at 6:30 p.m. The primary purpose was to consider transmitting recommended charter revision changes from the Committee of the Whole to the Charter Revision Commission, followed by a joint conference between the two bodies. The meeting was marked by extensive debate over the rushed timeline, lack of public notice, and procedural concerns, ultimately resulting in a motion to transmit the recommendations passing on a roll-call vote of 14–3.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Michelle Coello (47 East Lake Road, resident and Chair of the Danbury Republican Town Committee): Thanked the council for a line-by-line review over two nights of long meetings, but noted that council remarks came out less than 24 hours earlier. She reported that 33 members of the public had spoken against the charter changes, many questions remained unanswered, and asked the council to slow the process down to allow public and stakeholder input.
• Lewis Marks (31 Topfield Road West): Expressed strong opposition to rushing the charter revision, stating his "sense of morality has been offended." He argued that the administration’s supermajority should not allow them to push everyone around, criticized violations of public notice requirements (Section 3-8), called Section 3-14 (investigation by council committee) "pure nonsense," and proposed a civilian review board. He accused the administration of advancing political ambition, lacking accountability, and of politicizing the process from the start.

Discussion Items

• Motion to Accept Committee Minutes and Transmit Recommendations: Councilman Salvatore moved to accept the Committee of the Whole and public hearing minutes and to transmit the approved changes and amendments to the Charter Revision Commission, then convene a joint meeting for final presentation to the council. The motion was seconded by Councilwoman Lepine.
• Procedural and Timeline Concerns – Council members raised several issues:
  • Councilman Rotello asked Corporation Counsel Joe to outline next steps. Counsel explained that the council sends recommendations to the commission, then there is a "conferring" meeting, the commission prepares a final report, which returns to the council for final review before ballot questions are prepared. The process could be completed by the August council meeting.
  • Councilwoman Shay questioned whether the commission could make substantive changes without another public hearing. Counsel clarified that the statute does not require an additional public hearing, but the council could allow public comment on the returned report.
  • Councilman Chianese asked about the nature of the joint conference—who chairs it, whose meeting it is, and whether proper notice had been given. Discussion revealed that notice for the proposed Monday meeting had been posted at the town clerk’s office pending the council’s action, and that the legislative assistant had issued notice on possible dates before the council voted. Several council members objected to this practice, calling it rushed and disrespectful to the public.
  • Councilwoman Faye strongly objected to moving forward, criticizing the lack of notice (less than 24 hours for a 25-page document), the fact that the meeting was scheduled without consulting the full council after the previous Tuesday meeting ended at 12:30 a.m., and the insufficient time for the public to review and comment.
  • Councilman Quello echoed frustration, noting that 19 council members were present Tuesday night and had not been consulted about tonight’s meeting. He argued that the public had only 24 hours to review 25 pages of changes, the rushed timeline was irresponsible, and that the charter revision deserved as much care as the new high school bond. He opposed rushing the process and insisted the public deserved more time.
• Resolution of Joint Conference Chairing: After debate, Councilman Salvatore noted that in 2009, the mayor appointed only the majority and minority leaders to meet with the Charter Revision Commission, not the entire council. Council President Bazaid ultimately stated he would preside over the council portion of the joint conference. Counsel confirmed that it was permissible for the council president to run the proceeding.

Key Outcomes

• Motion to accept minutes and transmit recommendations to the Charter Revision Commission carried on a roll-call vote: 14 in favor, 3 opposed (Councilwoman Coello, Councilwoman Faye, Councilwoman Wallace Smith, and Councilwoman Robinson voted “no”). The motion passed with the majority in support.
• The joint conference between the council and the Charter Revision Commission is scheduled to take place on Monday, July 26, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. in the Black Box Theater.
• The council adjourned following the vote.