BET Slashes $20k From Registrar’s Budget

In BET belt tightening action last night:

After the Board of Estimate and Taxation chopped half of her department’s part-time budget Monday night, Republican Registrar of Voters Karen Doyle Lyons said she will have to cut one of the two part-timers in her office.

“I’d like to know if any other departments have cut positions,” Doyle Lyons said as she wheeled a trolley filled with documents through the second floor of city hall after the board cut $8,000 from the registrars’ $16,000 part-time budget.

Doyle Lyons brought the trolley into the meeting to support her argument that the registrars’ office has a large workload.

She cited the heavy voter turnout in the November presidential election, complying with state election laws and problems that arose after former Democratic Registrar of Voters Betty Bondi resigned in October.

Doyle-Lyons said Bondi “vacated” the office after the Democratic primary in August.

Bondi said at the time that she resigned because of her “toxic” relationship with Doyle-Lyons.

The board voted to move $31,952 from the city’s contingency fund to cover wages and salaries for registrars – $20,000 less than the registrars’ office requested.

About $19,000 will go to cover Bondi’s severance pay.

Doyle Lyons agreed with some of the cuts the board proposed, such as $10,000 in election supplies and $2,000 in postage, but drew the line at cutting the part-timer.

“That means that we are not going to be able to provide the services to voters as required by law,”

Doyle-Lyons said after she left the meeting.

Bondi’s replacement, Stuart Wells, could not help Doyle Lyons make her case because he is a member of the Board of Estimate and Taxation and had to recuse himself.

He tried to interject at one point, but board Chairman Fred Wilms leaned back in his chair and quietly reminded Wells he couldn’t speak.

Doyle Lyons didn’t sway the board.

Um, why is Stuart Wells still on the BET? I suppose there’s the misguided notion that Norwalk Dems (the true/loyal/whatever version) still keep harboring that they can pick Mayoral appointees. I bet they haven’t even bothered to talk to the Mayor about what candidates are on the table. According to insiders who know, the name that keeps being put forward by the Norwalk Dems  (the true/loyal/whatever version) is Mark Bradley. Bradley last ran for office in the 2007 municipal elections as a council candidate from District E. They Mayor is rumored to be seeking a different direction.

source: Advocate, Norwalk registrars’ budget cut by board, By Frank MacEachern, 01/06/200

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  • anon again

    Can someone tell me why Stu Wells is still sitting on the BET when he is an elected official that the budget directly affects his position? More and more as I read this stuff I wonder what people are thinking. He should have resigned or been removed as soon as he was sworn in.

  • Diane C: wtf

    Can someone also explain “severance pay” for Ms. Bondi. Could this possibly be for unused sick and vacation days? If so, perhaps the city needs to revisit its HR policies on vacation carryover and accumulated sick days.
    I assumed Mr. Wells had resigned his BET seat, but apparently not. He should. Whether or not he recuses himself from direct voter registrar discussion and votes, his overall influence on the budget is too much of a conflict.

  • Democrat

    Well I guess the Dems will continue to be excluded from participation in the budget process for the Reg of Voters’ office. Wells got his salary and his benefits, what does he care about representing the Democrats or the voters? and I understand that Mr. Bradley is never in town anyway so why are they putting up his name…another no-show.

  • Old Timer

    Severance pay, for quitting ? Wasn’t the charge made, many times, that she was never there ? How does she qualify for severance pay ? What contract can she possibly be covered by ? Long time City employees who showed up and worked every day seldom qualify for that much. How long was she employed ? Deny the severance pay claim and let her prove to the state labor board she earned that much.

  • Time to go Stewie

    Wells should make a decision. Either be on the BET (no pay) or keep his paying job ( ROV). It is an ethical conflict to be a BET member and be a employed department head who has to interact with almost all other departments in City Hall. What happens if he has a conflict with another department or department head? Does he deny their budget requests?

  • anon again

    One more time the Dems , or some anyway feel they are above all. This should be an ethics violation and Mr. Wells should be made to resign his position effective immediately. As far as Bondi’s severence, she is entitled to her vacation and sick pay that is remaining and whatever contract allowances there are. Other than that I don’t believe that there is a retirement or any other severence due.

  • Vixen

    You all have nothing to complain about with Stewart Wells; after all, you Dems voted him in.

    As for Betty’s severance pay, a City employee gets severance according to their contract when they RESIGN. She didn’t “walk out”; she RESIGNED – after 10 years of grievances against Karen Lyons that go from the mayor’s office to the union and right up to the Secretary of State’s office – all well documented and witnessed. Ms. Bondi RESIGNED when after 10 years of crap from Karen Lyons without any redress, she got sick of dealing with it and decided NOT to primary against the Knopp-backed Wells. Conveniently, none of the Democrats bothered to BACK Betty in her grievances over the years – probably another good reason why she decided to step back instead of fight. I’m sure she would have liked to get her pension, but even the pension wasn’t worth 10 minutes more of having to deal with Karen Lyons.

    You have any beef with Betty Bondi, I suggest you better take it up with the mayor, the union or the Secretary of State and not here on an unmoderated public forum.

  • Anonymous

    Way to go # 7 – and if Doyle-Lyons isn’t happy (what happened to her other married name – good Republican that she is, she’s been married as often as i go to the john during the day!) why doesn’t SHE just get out. The Republicans all hate her – does she have something on one/some/all of them?

  • Old Timer

    City employees get benefits based on one of several contracts with various unions. What contract can she possibly believe she is covered by ? She was elected, and had power to hire and fire. Probably she was not in any of the unions, nor covered by any contract. She may very well not be entitled to anything. The City personell/legal people should examine her claim very carefully.

  • lyons track record

    Just look back at Lyons track record on overspending and dramatizing of the budget. Remember her deputy M.G.? Lyons had her deputy working around 40 hours a week or more. This is well over the part time allowance of 20 hours per week. This happened for so long that she blew the budget and was called to the table about it. The powers that be told her that if she did it again, she would have to pay for it out of her own pocket. As long as she is in office, she will continue to run the budget out of control.