The New Britain Common Council met on February 26, 2025, at 7:33 PM after public participation from 7:01 PM. The meeting included public comments, adoption of a consent agenda, and action on nine agenda items including resolutions recognizing Dominican Republic Independence Day, approving a tax assessment modification for a major commercial project, and referring amendments to city codes.
Welcome to the February 26th, 2025 meeting of the Common Council. We start with public participation to give any member of the public a chance to uh say what they want to say to the Common Council. Uh just ask when I call your name that you uh state your name and address for the record, and you'll have three minutes to speak. Um you can be shorter than that, but we'd like to try and keep it three minutes within reason. So I'll begin, and it's now seven oh one. The first speaker I have is Juan Brito. Juan Brito did I one? Did I say that right? Close enough. Good night. My name is Juan Brito. I leave him in CCC Bureau of Three, New Britain. The um support the uh Iri Sanchez, the motion from Dominicum Republics. Thank you. Thank you. Frank Chase, twenty-four Roxbury. When Mayor Stewart took office in twenty thirteen, she chose to ignore Mayor O'Brien's seven million dollar cardinal engineering plan for the Allen Street project. The twenty twenty-five Cardinal Engineering Plan for the Allen Street project will now total nearly fifteen million dollars. Thirteen floods from April twenty eighteen through December twenty twenty-four. In August of twenty twenty three, Weston Simpson Engineers declared the Allen Street project must be a high priority because the infrastructure is at crisis levels. Good leadership requires moral courage and ethical fortitude. Mayor Stewart has failed all of all of the flooding and sanitary backup victims in Ward Four. In October 2023, days before the local election, Stewart and Dorsey planned a four million dollar transfer, earmarked for the Allen Street project, hoping to influence the voters in Ward 4. Months later, we learned that the four million dollar transfer, which was approved and confirmed by Stewart never happened. This political ruse is disqualifying behavior for any elected official. The record in the timeline clearly shows how Stewart ignored the Allen Street problem while funding higher profile projects such as the Beehive Bridge, Public Works Operations Center, Stanley Events Pavilion, Downtown Luxury Housing, Asgood Park, and many others. Why does this mayor insist on ignoring the Allen Street problem? Whether one home is flooding due to a compromised infrastructure, infrastructure systems or 50 properties or 100 properties. Each case. Over the years, Stewart failed to prioritize and fund the Allen Street project. We continue to receive lip service from Stuart and her associates. They add the customary shrug, signaling a not knowing, not caring attitude. Meanwhile, our quality of life continues to suffer, our safety continues to be in harm's way, and our properties and structures are at risk. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chase. Next speaker I have on the list is Juan Tejeda. Good evening, everyone. I'm from Weatherfield, 315 Grizzle Row. I'm representing Ledber, Latin Empowered Dreamers. And we'll be we'll be we're here supporting Iris Sanchez Resolution. We would like to raise the Dominican flag in the city of New Britain. We've been doing that for 30 years in the state of Connecticut. The main one is in Hartford, Connecticut. We also have it in Waterbury, Denver, and Bridgeport. I've been involved in that event for about 15 years. We did it the last time on Sunday, the 23rd, and we gather about 300 people in the Hartford City Hall. Our community is growing up. We are about 60,000 in the state of Connecticut so far. Five, six years ago, we didn't have a place to get our passport.