Mary Ellen Godin
New Haven Register, Conn.
(TNS)
Jul. 10—MERIDEN — A one-year extension for Fire Chief Ken Morgan’s contract stalled this week amid contradicting concerns over the number of vacancies within the city and Morgan’s desire to leave as evidenced by him applying for other jobs.
The four-member panel voted 2-2 on the request which caused the measure to fail in committee. However, two committee members and Mayor Kevin Scarpati are seeking guidance from the city’s Corporation Counsel on whether the matter can be raised at Monday’s City Council agenda. Democrat Majority Leader Sonya Jelks and Democrat Larue Graham voted for the extension. Republicans Michael Carabetta and Ray Ouellet opposed.
This is Morgan’s second request for an extension after receiving one last year. State law requires municipal police and fire employees to seek extensions should they plan to continue working after age 65. Morgan’s contract ends on July 23, according to city officials.
Supporters said Morgan wants to see certain projects through and worried about the existing vacancies. Opponents said it was time for a deputy or another person to take on the chief role and that Morgan was looking to leave the job.
Morgan and several supporters argued to grant the request because the city has too many vacancies and filling another department head position would add another burden. Among the vacancies is the post of human resource director which had been filled by Assistant Director Katherine Zygmunt for several months. Zygmunt announced Monday she would be assuming the top role. The city’s Director of Public Utilities Richard Meskill also recently announced his retirement.
The city is still without a city manager after former City Manager Tim Coon resigned in January. Morgan had applied for and was interviewed by the full council for the job, but no final decision has been reached. He has served as acting city manager on several occasions since he arrived in 2013, and ran unsuccessfully for city councilor in 2021.
“This is warranted,” Jelks said mentioning the vacancies. “And so we would put ourselves, I believe, in not a great position. Not only with staff not being able to have training and turnover of important projects and things that are happening with fire. I think we do need to allow for some time for the transition to take place.”
Several members of the public spoke out against the extension, and one expressed support for Morgan.
“With the number of department head vacancies that the city is currently facing, including the vacancy in the office of city manager, I would think the last thing that the council would want to do at this time is to create another department head vacancy, especially in the case of someone who, by all accounts, has done an outstanding job,” said state Rep. Michael Quinn, D-Meriden.
There are also several unfinished projects within the fire department and a new communications system, Morgan argued. And he wants to shepherd the department’s two deputies through the budget season next winter and retire April 1.
But Carabetta and Ouellet argued the city should not be granting multiple extensions to city employees. Ouellet pointed to Morgan’s desire to leave the position by applying for jobs outside the department, and suggested that at least one deputy fire chief could have assumed the top spot if Morgan had retired at 65.
“We can’t keep doing this,” Ouellet said. “Every person that’s going to come here and ask for an extension or request, this is what we’ll be going through all the time. And who’s to say ‘it’s fair for one, it’s not fair for the other?’ So let’s just take the 65 right off the table and say, hey, employees, work when you want.”
Carabetta told committee members he didn’t appreciate Mayor Kevin Scarpati’s comments outlining how the committee could get the matter before the council. He and Ouellet agreed the matter should “die in committee.”
“I don’t know why we have committees if we’re going to be overruled,” Carabetta said after the meeting.
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