The New Britain Common Council held its regular meeting on Wednesday, May 28, 2025, beginning with public participation at 8:09 PM and formal proceedings at 8:48 PM in Council Chambers at City Hall. The meeting adjourned at 9:08 PM. Key actions included the unanimous appointment of Dr. Amy Pozorski to the Board of Education, adoption of proclamations for Mental Health Awareness Month and Pride Month, approval of several contracts, and referral of the Downtown District budget to committee.
The following items were approved unanimously (15-0) without separate discussion:
Members to uh seats. Members to the seats, please. Members to the seats. It is now eight oh nine PM, and this is public participation. I have a list that I'll call from. We'll check if anybody's calling in remotely. Or if anybody in the room wants to speak who hasn't signed up, we'll be given that opportunity. Just going to state your name and address, and then the floor is yours. And our first speaker tonight is Mary Rogers. Good evening again. I'm Mary Rogers, living at 298 Cherry Street in New Britain. Um I wanted to support the resolution for recognition of May as Mental Health Awareness Month. I agree with the importance of raising awareness about mental health issues, reducing stigma, and promoting access to mental health services for all the residents. I'll add in that the New Britain Library, which is really more than books, as we've heard tonight, will be hosting a free stronger together community mental health fair on May 31st from 10 to 2 at the main library in the community room. I also support the resolution of recognition of June as Pride Month. I agree that LGBTQ rights are human rights and are protected by the Constitution, and that everyone should be treated fairly and equally, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. At a time when other states and the federal government are trying to take away rights and seemingly erase the existence of LGBT LGBTQ people, it is important to recognize those in the LGBTQ community. I'm glad the city will be right raising the pride flag on June 2nd in Central Park. Thank you for your time. Thank you, Mary. Our next speaker is Ann Spire. Okay. Good evening. And Spire 13 Audubon Street. I'm here tonight to say that I am very pleased to hear that Amy Pizorski is being put forth as a person to serve on the Board of Education because we have had to say goodbye to Joey Listro. I've worked with Amy on the library board and on the community relations committee of the library board, which meant organizing large major fundraisers, whether there were events or whether they were putting out fundraising letters, etc. What I found with Amy is that she is energetic, wonderfully positive about everything, capable. When she said she was going to do something, she did it. It happened. In voluntary positions, and that's not always quite what you find. It's been a pleasure working with her because she is so capable. And what is her main specialty? Amy has worked at CCSU for many years as a professor there. Not only is she quite knowledgeable in her own specialty, but her relationship with her students understand, shows me how much she understands about needing to be committed, needing to be there for people, needing to be the person that people can turn to when they need help. Same pattern of capability, energy, and willingness to step up when something needs to be done and absolutely coming through with it. So I recommend to you highly, Amy Pizarski. Thank you. Thank you, Ann. Our next speaker is Amy Pazorski. Thank you, Ann. Amy Pazorsky, 70 Sunny Slope Drive, New Britain, Ward 4. Thank you, members of the City Council for considering the resolution to add me to the Board of Education as Joey Listro's replacement. I think I mourned for all of us when I heard that he had moved. I want to thank you for taking my phone calls during a holiday weekend and for asking to see my resume. One of the things that came out repeatedly in our conversations is that you are looking for a member with a strong ability to see many sides of an issue and to work well with others. I realized that while I spent a lot of time showing you the products of my work this weekend, I did not do well to explain how I work and why I do what I do. I grew up in the 1980s with a single mother who sent me to a Catholic school. She thought even though the Catholic nuns believed I had a stain on my soul because her marriage was not annulled, I would get a good education. You may ask why I write so much about trauma and vulnerable children. The fact is that I was once a vulnerable child who is now an unexpectedly resilient adult.