Minutes. The meeting was called to order at 8:05 pm. The minutes of the April 11, 2005 meeting were reviewed. Ward Mazzucco proposed one change to the minutes, to reflect one Park and Rec vacancy instead of two. A motion was made to accept the amended minutes by Parker Coates, seconded by John Shaban. Passed unanimously.

Treasurer's Report. Gary Miyashiro gave the Treasurer's Report. The balance at May 1, 2005 is $737.23.

Ward Mazzucco briefly discussed a memo by Spencer Brown and Gian Carlo Peressutti outlining a Plan of Action for State Central. The memo will be discussed further at the State Central Convention and at our next RTC meeting.

Vacancy Committee:

Gerry Casiello reported two vacancies on RTC. Gerry Sarnelli has been recommended for one vacancy. Gerry is a West Point graduate and works for IBM. He has attended several of our meetings. We will vote on Gerry Sarnelli at the next RTC meeting.

The Vacancy Committee recommended Jess Gaspar to run for the Redding Board of Education (seat formerly held by Anne Marie McCarthy). Jess attended MIT and Stanford, and taught at the University of Chicago MBA School. He formerly worked for McKinsey and he owns his own trading company. Frank DeSalvo made a motion to nominate Jess Gaspar for the Redding Board of Ed, seconded by Tom Derderian. Passed unanimously.

The Vacancy Committee recommended Tom Morrisson to fill the Park and Rec vacancy. Tom Derderian made a motion, seconded by David Lewson, to recommend Tom Morrisson to the Board of Selectmen for the Park and Rec vacancy. Passed unanimously.

Discussion ensued regarding Bruce Given's poor attendance record as a Zoning Board of Appeals alternate. Bruce has been working across the country and therefore has not been available for meetings. He is now working in Bethel. Gerry Casiello will obtain a commitment from him to be available for future meetings or to resign from the ZBA. Andrea Cotton will also discuss attendance with the Chairman and Recording Secretary for ZBA. Parker Coates made a motion to support Bruce Givens for another term as ZBA alternate, seconded by Bill Morris. Motion passed unanimously.

Barlow Award:

Ward Mazzucco is taking over the Barlow award from Charlie Eichhorn, who resigned from RTC. We will give a Ronald Reagan Memorial Award to a junior that excels in social science. Ward will select an appropriate book as an award.

Events / Public Relations Committees:

Christine Polio reported that a "Meet the Candidates" lobster bake was being considered for either July 9 or July 16, to be held at the Boys and Girls Club, pending the approval of their Board. Swanson's can provide all food and paper products (except for beverages and glasses) for $25.00 per person. We also discussed the possibility of a pig roast. Information on the pig roast was provided by Tom Morrisson. The pig is about ½ the cost of the lobster dinner.

Tom Derderian also discussed a fundraising letter to be sent out as soon as possible. Tom indicated that there are three PR goals: fundraising, meet the candidates, and the generation of general favorable publicity. The fundraising letter will be directed toward the first goal. Chris Kearney will be working on mailing labels.

After considerable discussion, it was decided that we should send out the fundraising letter as soon as possible and table discussion on the lobster dinner/pig roast until our slate is finalized and we know which candidates, if any, will be challenged. (Motion by John Shaban, second by Bill Morris, passed unanimously).

Slate:

Ward provided an update of the slate. We are still looking for several candidates for Constable. Julian Kien indicated that he would be interested. Tom Derderian made a motion that the RTC support Julian, seconded by Andrea Cotton. Passed unanimously.

First Selectman's Report:

Natalie reported on several legislative issues. First, she testified at the Finance Committee opposing the sunset provisions of the real estate conveyance tax. She believes that there is growing support for the tax to be continued. She also testified on proposed legislation that would have required towns to have a full time health department in order to receive funding, or to join a regional health department. Natalie opposed the bill and she believes that this bill has died. There is also a study being proposed for the Probate system in the State. Regarding affordable housing, the Governor has established a Task Force to study this issue. Steve Solar is proposing legislation that would permit developers of brownfields to establish special taxing districts without the need for approval by 15 people within the district, which is currently required. The Board of Selectman passed a resolution supporting a special taxing district for the G&B site. Natalie also reported that Senator Freedman is examining if the enabling legislation for Region 9 can be amended to establish a regional Board of Finance for the district. Finally, Natalie reported that CL&P is beginning construction of the 345 kv line. Construction is expected to take about 18 months. The town is being reimbursed for costs associated with police activities during construction and will also receive soil that is removed by CL&P. Regarding the Wayside Lane cell tower, AT&T is saying that that the tower is still needed, but it is no longer on its top tier of sites, due to the Cingular/AT&T merger.

Meeting adjourned at 9:30 pm.

NEXT MEETING IS MONDAY, JUNE 6, at 8:00 PM.