2007 Annual Report - Town of Wilton

Town CounselThe Town Attorney’s office, located in WiltonTown Hall, remained an integral part of thedaily activity in Town Hall. The Town Attorney,Ken Bernhard, who is also a partner withthe law firm of Cohen and Wolf, P.C., servedhis sixteenth year as the Town Counsel. Mr.Bernhard’s partner, Pat Sullivan, served hertwelfth year as Assistant Town Attorney.Mr. Bernhard and Ms. Sullivan meet with townpersonnel in Town Hall on Tuesday afternoonsand come to Town Hall when requested.Mr. Bernhard meets regularly with the FirstSelectman on Thursday afternoons. The TownAttorney and his Assistant are also availableby phone and by email. In this way, the Town’sdepartments, boards and commissions haveregular and easy access to counsel whenrequiring legal advice. Mr. Bernhard and Ms.Sullivan attend evening meetings, includingthe Annual Town Meeting, when legal advice issought or required.In 2007, the issues facing the Town Attorney’soffice were varied and challenging. They rangedfrom relatively simple questions concerningcharter or statutory language interpretationto complex negotiations and documentpreparation. This past year a number ofenforcement actions were brought to ensurethat property owners were in compliance withWilton’s land use regulations.While the Wilton Town Charter provides that theTown Attorney should give advice to Wilton’sboards, commissions and departments,residents were often seen in the TownAttorney’s office seeking guidance on how todeal with municipal laws and regulations. Aslong as there was no conflict of interest, Mr.Bernhard’s office endeavors to help citizenswith the complexities of municipal government.Mr. Bernhard’s regular companions, a retiredguide dog named Ubie and a rescued GermanShepherd named Joey, wereregularly in attendance atTown Hall.G. Kenneth Bernhard,Town AttorneyRegistrar ofVotersThis year the entire State ofConnecticut upgraded its votingsystems, transitioning fromlever-style voting machines tooptical scanning technology—with paper ballots—and ahandicapped accessibletelephone/fax system for voterswith disabilities. Wilton’s Registrars of Voters,as the local representatives of the Secretary ofthe State, dedicated significant efforts to voteroutreach activities and re-training of electionsworkers to make this transition proceed assmoothly as possible.Photo: J. SavareseThe Registrars broadcast public serviceannouncements about Connecticut’s newvoting systems on Wilton’s community accessTV channel (Channel 79), made presentationsto community organizations, and served asinstructors in the League of Women Votersof Connecticut’s statewide voter outreachprogram—Stop, Look, and Listen: New VotingMachines Are Coming Your Way! In the springof 2007, the Registrars and League of WomenVoters volunteers registered twenty-five newvoters at two voter registration sessions atWilton High School. In June, fifty-three pollworkers from Wilton were honored by theSecretary of the State in a public awardsceremony recognizing the “unsung heroes ofour democracy.”Wilton’s Registrars of Voters, elected for aterm of two years, administer all federal andstate elections, primaries, municipal elections,town meetings, and referenda. The Registrarsare responsible for hiring and training theelection officials who serve at every electionand town meeting. They safeguard one of themost basic rights of citizenship—the right toAdministration8