Planning and Zoning Commission Still Without A Chair

Again Wednesday night, for the third month in a row, the Planning and Zoning Commission voted on electing a new chair for the commission.

Again, with Democratic candidates Deborah Kleckowski and Barbara Plum nominated, the commission voted, with written ballots. Kleckowski got four votes, Plum three. Neither was elected since five votes are needed.

Commission members continued the parlimentary bickering about whether the Commission actually had a chair. Kleckowski suggested that Plum, who had been the chair, should not be listed on municipal stationery as the chair.

Commissioner Ron Borrelli spoke angrily about the commission's inability to elect a chair.

"If you're gonna vote for some who appointed herself chair, and appointed herself to three other commissions, and hasn't been here for four months to attend meetings," Borrelli said. "Then you're voting, along party lines, for someone who shouldn't be chairman, or a commissioner. Let's elect someone else. Let's move on."

Democrat Barbara Plum, who has served as chair of P&Z for several years, leaves Middletown, and the state, for an annual winter vacation each year.

In other parliamentary matters, the commission passed a mercy rule - a revision to their bylaws, which states that all Planning and Zoning meetings must end by 11 pm, with some exceptions allowing meetings to absolutely end by midnight.