This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
05/02/2018 08:30 AMWhen it comes to discussing hidden agendas and the cast of players involved with controversial town decisions, former North Branford town manager Frank B. Connolly could write a book. In fact, he has.
On Thursday, May 17 at 7 p.m., Frank will be at the Edward Smith Library in Northford to talk about his new novel, Hidden Agendas: Inside Town Hall.
Set in the fictional town of Covingford, Connecticut, Hidden Agendas tells a thumping good tale of a small town embroiled in battle, as shopping center developers try to obtain approval to build on questionable land. The developers first contact local politicians, then things really heat up when area residents catch wind of the plan and mount an opposition.
“It opens up with a rip-roaring town meeting which small New England towns are known for,” says Frank, who in addition to his North Branford service from 1991 to 2001 also served as town manager for Newington and Coventry. “In New England, particularly, people do participate, and democracy is alive and well. It’s not a spectator sport.”
His novel’s plot and characters—from local political leader Dom “The Bomb” Columbo to local news reporter Janet Johnson—will seem familiar because they represent the types of players found wherever small town government exists, says Frank.
“It’s based on issues, circumstances and experiences that stood out, over all my years. People can associate with personalities and characters in the book because that’s how they’re developed, and that’s how they’re written,” says Frank. “I’ve had people say, ‘I know who that character is,” but none of the characters are based on any one person. It’s a blending of commonalities and a blending of personalities.”
Frank has drawn from 40 years in local government to craft the story of Hidden Agendas.
“My whole career has been in Connecticut local government, so all of those experiences, personalities, events, and situations all get blended together in this novel. There are the elected characters, and some of the roles they play in local government. There are some very powerful non-elected characters, including those who serve on various town committees. It gives some insight to the reader, as far as some of the shenanigans that take place,” says Frank.
A Connecticut native, Frank lived in Northford while serving as North Branford’s town manager for almost 11 years. All told, he has more than 25 years’ experience as town manager among three Connecticut towns. Additionally, Frank was a school business manager for several public school districts.
Around this state, he’s known in his field as the author of Local Government in Connecticut (1992; revised 2001, currently in its third edition). The textbook, geared to public officials and students, explains Connecticut’s basic forms of local government and delves into details such as charter revision, municipal employees and unionization, education, homeland security and local government, and pensions. Frank also teaches public administration at University of New Haven.
Frank has many memories of North Branford and is looking forward to returning to town on May 17.
“When I was there, we acquired the current Town Hall, which was formerly down the street on Route 80,” says Frank of the former town hall-turned-Community House at 1599 Foxon Road. “When I was town manager, I was in that brick building.”
Frank was interested to learn the town cleared 1599 Foxon Road in 2017, and recently designated the site as open space town property. He has seen some of the other changes that have taken place since he’s left, such as the Smith Library expansion/renovation (completed in 2009, followed by North Branford’s Atwater Library expansion).
“I saw the Smith back a few years ago, and I was very impressed,” says Frank. “When I was town manager, one of the issues was do we build the two libraries, or build one on the land where public works is located?”
Many years before Frank was hired as North Branford’s town manager, he worked for the town in a different capacity.
“My very first job was [due to] the state’s old Community Development Action Plan [CDAP]. I was hired by North Branford as their first [CDAP] coordinator. My office was in the basement of the old Center School. Thirty years later, I was back as town manager,” he says.
During his time as North Branford’s town Manager, Frank says the town had its hot-button issues.
“I had a police officer at one meeting because I wanted to be able to keep control of meeting, and it was a hot topic,” says Frank. “The Army Corps of Engineers was proposing to build a dam on the Farm River in the vicinity of town that’s south of the police department because they were having serious flooding problems. That drew heated positions on both sides.”
During his career in local government, Frank often had ringside seat.
“I’ve seen a lot of controversial meetings, not only in North Branford but in other towns, because local government affects where we live; it’s not removed, like state government. It’s the Board of Education, the budget, public works, police, recreation...all of these items directly affect citizens, and everyone has an opinion, everyone has a view.”
As for those “shenanigans” that can take place in local government, make no mistake, they’re very real, says Frank.
“When you think about it, if you have eight people running for a Board of Education, of which seven are going to get elected, who put up those eight people?” he asks.
“The other observation I’ve noticed, in a couple of different towns, is the people that serve on boards and commissions have been serving on them forever. They may change boards, they may change commissions, they may change spouses, but they have strong affinity to the town, and they’re part of the inner group that really cares about the town and being involved with the town,” he adds.
“It becomes a part of their life. In my author’s notes, I talk about some of the observations with regard to people that work in local government, and the inner circle, and then as you get out to the outer perimeter of the circle, it becomes very intense.”
Frank B. Connolly will discuss his new novel Hidden Agendas: Inside Town Hall on Thursday, May 17, at 7 p.m. at Northford’s Edward Smith Library, 3 Old Post Road. Register in advance for this free event either by stopping by the library or calling 203-484-0469. Books by Frank B. Connolly are available on Amazon.com; Hidden Agendas is also available on Kindle.