City clerk candidates outline strengths and differences

Three candidates for Milford City Clerk — Linda Stock, Richard Roy and Michael Konopka —outlined their strengths and differences at a Plymouth Men’s Club-sponsored debate last week. Alan Jepson, long-time City Clerk who decided to retire this year, sat in the front row.

Stock, the Republican candidate, is a long-time city employee who was named the city’s first female Zoning Enforcement Office in 1998. She comes with experience in city and state regulations and a list of community involvement, including work on the Annual Milford Oyster Festival.

Roy, the Democratic candidate, talked about his 17 years as state representative in the 119th district, his years before that working as a newspaper editor in New Haven, and his volunteer work on events such as the annual Woodmont Day. He said he’s looking forward to the “face to face” service he could provide Milford residents as City Clerk.

Michael Konopka is a local businessman running on the Independent ticket. A political newcomer, he described his strengths in terms of his ability to modernize the city clerk’s office and turn it into an efficient department that would offer users every modern convenience, such as on-line forms and documents.

The candidates talked about a number of issues during the nearly two-hour forum, including what they would do to improve technology in the office while maintaining the city’s historical documents.

Stock said she already is familiar with the services the department offers on-line and would work with the city’s information systems department to see what more could be done.

Roy echoed Stock’s comments, adding that in boosting technology he would “exercise extreme due diligence, especially in these economic times.”

Konopka said technology is the centerpiece of his campaign. He said he’s written software for large and small companies and thinks he can do the same in the City Clerk’s office — with the information system department’s help, but not at their direction.

“The MIS department is here to help us, not to tell us what we can and can’t do,” Konopka said.

He said forms that people come into the city clerk’s office to get should be available on-line, and that residents should be able to conduct the bulk of their city clerk business from their home computer.

Roy took a more cautious approach, saying the city needs to be careful that it doesn’t eliminate fees associated with forms that people go to City Hall to get.

Konopka countered that fees can be paid on-line. “This is 2009, and we need to be in 2009,” Konopka said.

All three emphasized the importance of preserving the city’s historic documents in airtight vaults, Roy suggesting a vacuum system to help preservation, “within the budget and within time.”

Konopka said his aunt works at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown and said he’s talked to her about recent advances in document preservation. “The first step is proper storage,” Konopka said. “The second is digital backup.”

Stock said there should be more than one digital backup of records, one possibly off-site.

Roy said he is concerned that his opponents might place too much importance on digital backups and not the original document. “A lot of homes have reproductions on their walls,” Roy said. “I think we have to work on protecting the real thing.”

Konopka and Stock said they agreed that originals should be protected but that backup is important.

What works well?

Asked what works well in the City Clerk’s office now, Konopka focused on long-time City Clerk Alan Jepson, saying he has provided consistency and continuity. Konopka said policies and procedures will ensure those strengths continue, regardless of who is City Clerk.

Stock said the fact that all the clerks are cross trained is the biggest asset because even if a clerk is out, there is someone who can handle customer needs.

Roy said that like Jepson’s predecessor, Margaret Egan, Jepson blessed the office with “the epitome of gentleness, respectfulness and caring” and bestowed those ideals on the staff.

Roy said he would institute evening hours at least one day a week to make the City Clerk’s office even more conducive to residents’ needs. Roy said rotating staff hours would make the evening shift possible without increasing costs..

Konopka did not dismiss an evening shift but said that if the office relied more on technology, the office could theoretically be available 24 hours a day.

Stock said that while she agreed with evening hours, “there are collective bargaining issues.” She suggested an on-line survey to determine if evening hours would be beneficial.

Konopka added that union issues could likely be addressed by offering staff appealing evening work hours, such as a six-hour late-day shift.

Asked if the City Clerk’s job should be appointed rather than elected, Konopka suggested an appointment would make the job more appealing to highly qualified candidates. He suggested that a business-minded person, rather than someone with the political connections or availability to apply for a two-year job, is better suited to be City Clerk.

Stock said that she would leave that decision up to the voters.

Roy said the city clerk’s job is non-partisan and that Jepson and Egan have set the bar high for that position. He argued that a politician can enter a non-partisan, elected post.

“Alan Jepson used to be mayor,” Roy said, “how much more political can you get? So the transition can be made.”

Konopka clarifies staffing comment

Konopka took a little heat for one of his comments, when he suggested he would look at current staffing levels in the City Clerk’s office and determine if the office can operate with fewer than the six clerks who work there now. “If it means saving tax money, I would be willing to look at that,” he said.

After the debate, however, he said he was referring to attrition rather than layoffs. “Some people took my response the wrong way, interpreting it as if I intended to fire people,” he said. “I was aware of two staff members retiring, and my statements were exclusively about the possibility of not replacing retiring workers.”

Stock argued in favor of current staffing levels, pointing out that the City Clerk, working with three assistance city clerks and three clerks, create an efficient system. “There are times when they probably wish there were more people,” Stock said, adding that at busy hours, lines sometimes build up.

Konopka countered that improving efficiency might reduce staff demands.

Roy said he agreed with Stock that the staffing levels are fine.

Asked what would make them good city clerks, Roy talked about his ability to work well with people. He pointed out that when he worked as a news editor he managed people much older than he was, but was able to earn their respect through his demeanor. He said the same is true in Hartford, where he said he oversees people fairly and respectfully.

“I think I’ll bring a certain amount of comfort to the people who come to that office,” Roy added with a smile. “They are already used to dealing with a man with gray hair and a gray mustache.”

Roy, like Jepson, has gray hair and a gray mustache.

Konopka said the things he does every day — managing staff, working as an engineering consultant, and keeping people on task and motivated, make him the best candidate for the job. He said he believes he can institute techology improvements on his own, without looking to outside resources, thereby bringing improvements quickly and inexpensively. He added, “I think the office of city clerk is one to aspire to, not to retire to.”

Stock pointed to her knowledge of city systems and practices, state laws and her problem-solving experience. She told of a woman who came into her office and needed help going before the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA). Stock said the woman “was terrified,” so she walked her through the process and prepared her, and the woman ultimately won her case before the ZBA.

Stock also emphasized her community involvement, saying that proves she cares about the city.

Milford resident Bob Adams of Milford Government Access Television has posted a video of the debate at youtube.com/watch?v=mzYOfo-7jLs, and Konopko has put the debate on his web-site, milfordcityclerk.com.