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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Common Council Community Meeting - April 9, 2026

Common Council & Commissions — Thursday, April 9, 2026

BodyMiddletown, Connecticut

SessionCommon Council & Commissions

DateThursday, April 9, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 38:08

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

0:00

All rise, please if you're able to do so do so.

0:03

Thank you.

0:04

Councilwoman Hart, please lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance.

0:07

Thank you.

0:08

Pledge of allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.

0:12

To the Republic for which it stands.

0:15

One nation under God, indivisible liquidity and justice quarrel.

0:23

So good evening, everyone.

0:25

You all can tell that I'm not Mayor Nelsara.

0:29

We are here for a special community meeting, and it is Thursday, August, April 9th, 2026, and it is 6 p.m.

0:41

And I will ask the clerk to please read the call of the meeting.

0:45

Thank you.

0:46

The Chief of Police of the City of Middletown greetings.

0:49

By authority of the state of Connecticut, you are hereby commanded to summon and notify Vincent J.

0:54

Lafredo, Jeanette Blackwell, Darnell Ford, Grady Faulkner Jr., Kelly Sweeney, Anthony Mangia Fico, Linda Salafia, Anthony S.

1:03

Gennaro Sr., Jonathan Polino, Leslie Spitola, Chine Fulton, Ava M.

1:08

Hart, members of the Common Council, the City of Middletown to attend a special meeting of said common council for the purpose of conducting a community public meeting, giving members of the public the opportunity to raise or express any issues of concern within the jurisdiction of the common council.

1:24

Said meeting shall be a hybrid meeting to be held in the council chamber of the municipal building in said city and remotely via WebEx that join a meeting, event 2341-674-3358 on Thursday, April 9th, 2026 at 6 o'clock PM.

1:40

Hereof fail not, but make due service and return to the clerk of said city, three hours prior to the time of fixed meeting.

1:46

City of Middletown, March 16, 2026, attested by Honorable Eugene Pinocchar Mayor.

1:52

City of Middletown, March 31st, 2026.

1:55

I hereby certify that I have delivered an attested copy of the foregoing order and attached agenda of the common council meeting to each and every council member named above via electronic mail, attested by Chief of Police Eric M.

2:07

Costa.

2:09

Thank you, Madam Clerk.

2:11

I declare the call a legal call and the meeting a legal meeting.

2:14

Madam Clerk, what council members do we have online?

2:20

Currently none.

2:22

None.

2:23

Okay, thank you.

2:24

You're welcome.

2:25

We we are uh going to open up.

2:28

We are going to open up uh the public comment.

2:31

Um I do have to convey some housekeeping uh rules, please.

2:36

Uh you will have 10 minutes each uh to speak, and please state your name and address for the record.

2:43

Thank you.

2:47

Good evening.

2:48

My name is Drew Crandall.

2:49

I live at 14 Webster Road in Ellington, Connecticut.

2:53

I'm here as volunteer president of Connecticut Radio Fellowship, which operates W IHS 104.9 FM here in Middletown.

3:04

Uh we've been on the air since 1969.

3:07

We're uh a faith-based listener-supported nonprofit radio station.

3:11

And first of all, some of you who may listen or have listened in the past, one of our most popular on-air announcers for the past 25 plus years is a wonderful courageous woman named Anissa Porticelli.

3:25

And she has been in hospice at Middle Middlesex Hospital for the past week and a half.

3:31

I visited her several times, and uh she died last night at the hospital.

3:35

So please keep her in your prayers, her husband, her daughter, the whole community.

3:41

She was a dynamite lady.

3:43

She uh was badly injured in a motorcycle crash years ago, a paraplegic, and just uh the courage that woman had and the faith she had were just such an inspiration to everybody.

3:54

So anyway, the reason why I'm here tonight is we are a 501c3 nonprofit, and we've been here since 1969.

4:04

We started on Main Street and then bought our property on South Maine in 1992, and we have been exempt of property taxes all these years.

4:13

Well, uh nonprofits that have property have to file quadrennial reports every four years.

4:19

Well, uh in the four years before this past quadrennial report deadline last November 1st, we have a new general manager and director of operations.

4:30

So that uh they received the notice of the requirement for the quadrennial report, November 1st, 19 uh uh 2025.

4:39

And our director of operations mistakenly forwarded that information to our CPA rather than our treasurer, and it went into the Twilight Zone.

4:50

And so it was an administrative mistake, and uh we didn't meet the deadline.

5:00

So uh we filed our report late and we had a uh an appeal with the assessor's office, and we got a letter dated uh March 23rd that our property tax exemption has been denied.

5:09

And so, you know, we we've we've been here for 57 years, and all the property we have, there are two small parcels on Round Hill that we do pay property tax on.

5:21

But the other two parcels at the transmitter site and the parcel uh in 1933 South Maine are all used for the core purpose of our ministry.

5:31

So we don't understand why uh this was denied.

5:35

So uh if there's anything the council can do to have a conversation or or fix this without having to go to court, um we would sure appreciate it.

5:48

Thanks.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Tax Exemption████████████████████████████████████████████44%

Economic Development████████████████████20%

Public Engagement███████████████████19%

Procedural█████████████13%

Affordable Housing████4%

Summary of Proceedings

Common Council Community Meeting - April 9, 2026

The Common Council held a community meeting on April 9, 2026 at 6:00 PM in the Council Chamber and via WebEx. The sole purpose was to receive public comment on any issues of concern within the council's jurisdiction. No council discussion or votes occurred.

Public Comments & Testimony

Drew Crandall (14 Webster Road, Ellington; volunteer president of Connecticut Radio Fellowship which operates WIHS 104.9 FM in Middletown): Reported that a beloved on-air announcer, Anissa Porticelli, died the previous night. He explained that the station, a 501c3 nonprofit on the air since 1969, had its property tax exemption denied by the assessor's office on March 23, 2026 due to an administrative error in filing a required quadrennial report. He asked the council to help resolve the issue without going to court.
Frank Marcese (583 Pine Street, Middletown; Middletown Youth Soccer): Described the club's history, including the construction of turf fields on Country Club Road in 2019 under a capital lease with PNC Equipment Finance. He stated that the club was initially understood to be tax-exempt but received a tax bill for $53,000 in 2025 without prior notice. He explained that an ordinance is needed to correct the assessment and asked the council to pass it. He noted the club serves 800–900 children per year, charges $140 for rec, and has a monthly mortgage of $12,000–$13,000.
Steve Crouch (128 Skylar Avenue, Middletown): Supported Frank Marcese’s comments, emphasizing hundreds of volunteer hours to acquire the property. He stated that raising fees to pay the tax bill would hurt families.
Joanne Mosmecchi (73 Wildwood Lane, Middletown): A volunteer for 20+ years, she asked the council to sponsor a vote on the ordinance to correct the tax bills.
Rosemary Sarshaw (93 Bartholomew Road, Middletown): Presented a letter from the club’s accounting firm stating that the turf field is owned by Middletown Youth Soccer, not the finance company, and is exempt from personal property tax under 501c3 status. She also spoke as a former player and current coach/director, asking the council to reconsider the tax assessment.
Alexander (478 Main Street, Middletown): A coach for two years, he argued that raising fees to pay taxes would burden families already struggling with the economy, and urged the council to consider the kids.
Unnamed speaker (Nighty Timber Road, Middletown): Former professional soccer player whose children played for the club. He highlighted that the program is among the cheapest and that over 80% of coaches are volunteers. He stated that the turf fields allow training year-round with zero rain cancellations, and that 15–20 kids annually earn college soccer scholarships. He noted the club saves the city about $88,000 per year since taking over field maintenance, and that tournaments bring outside visitors who spend money in local businesses. He warned that a tax bill would be passed on to families.
Bill Wilson (220 Woodbury Circle, Middletown): Criticized Wesleyan University for not contributing financially to the city, contrasting with Yale’s $30 million annual payment to New Haven. He urged the council to hold Wesleyan accountable. He also raised concerns about road conditions, speed camera revenue use, and rising rents (average $1,950 for a two-bedroom). He blamed state mandates for increasing costs.
Brendan Berry (Wesleyan student; organizer of the Wesleyan Good Neighbor Project): Agreed with Bill Wilson and stated that Wesleyan students are working with residents to push the university to pay its fair share. He noted that Wesleyan’s endowment is $1.5 billion and its annual budget ($270 million) exceeds Middletown’s ($240 million). He claimed 40% of fire department calls go to Wesleyan, and that at the lowest mill rate the university would owe $11.5 million per year. He argued that a payment of $1 million per year (0.4% of endowment) is affordable and called for a mass movement similar to New Haven’s to achieve it.

Meeting Transcript

All rise, please if you're able to do so do so. Thank you. Councilwoman Hart, please lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance. Thank you. Pledge of allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. To the Republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible liquidity and justice quarrel. So good evening, everyone. You all can tell that I'm not Mayor Nelsara. We are here for a special community meeting, and it is Thursday, August, April 9th, 2026, and it is 6 p.m. And I will ask the clerk to please read the call of the meeting. Thank you. The Chief of Police of the City of Middletown greetings. By authority of the state of Connecticut, you are hereby commanded to summon and notify Vincent J. Lafredo, Jeanette Blackwell, Darnell Ford, Grady Faulkner Jr., Kelly Sweeney, Anthony Mangia Fico, Linda Salafia, Anthony S. Gennaro Sr., Jonathan Polino, Leslie Spitola, Chine Fulton, Ava M. Hart, members of the Common Council, the City of Middletown to attend a special meeting of said common council for the purpose of conducting a community public meeting, giving members of the public the opportunity to raise or express any issues of concern within the jurisdiction of the common council. Said meeting shall be a hybrid meeting to be held in the council chamber of the municipal building in said city and remotely via WebEx that join a meeting, event 2341-674-3358 on Thursday, April 9th, 2026 at 6 o'clock PM. Hereof fail not, but make due service and return to the clerk of said city, three hours prior to the time of fixed meeting. City of Middletown, March 16, 2026, attested by Honorable Eugene Pinocchar Mayor. City of Middletown, March 31st, 2026. I hereby certify that I have delivered an attested copy of the foregoing order and attached agenda of the common council meeting to each and every council member named above via electronic mail, attested by Chief of Police Eric M. Costa. Thank you, Madam Clerk. I declare the call a legal call and the meeting a legal meeting. Madam Clerk, what council members do we have online? Currently none. None. Okay, thank you. You're welcome. We we are uh going to open up. We are going to open up uh the public comment. Um I do have to convey some housekeeping uh rules, please. Uh you will have 10 minutes each uh to speak, and please state your name and address for the record. Thank you. Good evening. My name is Drew Crandall. I live at 14 Webster Road in Ellington, Connecticut. I'm here as volunteer president of Connecticut Radio Fellowship, which operates W IHS 104.9 FM here in Middletown. Uh we've been on the air since 1969. We're uh a faith-based listener-supported nonprofit radio station. And first of all, some of you who may listen or have listened in the past, one of our most popular on-air announcers for the past 25 plus years is a wonderful courageous woman named Anissa Porticelli. And she has been in hospice at Middle Middlesex Hospital for the past week and a half. I visited her several times, and uh she died last night at the hospital. So please keep her in your prayers, her husband, her daughter, the whole community. She was a dynamite lady. She uh was badly injured in a motorcycle crash years ago, a paraplegic, and just uh the courage that woman had and the faith she had were just such an inspiration to everybody. So anyway, the reason why I'm here tonight is we are a 501c3 nonprofit, and we've been here since 1969. We started on Main Street and then bought our property on South Maine in 1992, and we have been exempt of property taxes all these years. Well, uh nonprofits that have property have to file quadrennial reports every four years.

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