One more update: The revolution has been cancelled. Update: It’s back on. Late summer coup fails in South Windsor. Republican council members learn a mayor must be removed before being replaced.

It ends with a whimper. The five aggrieved South Windsor Republicans chronicled below have announced their retreat by cancelling Thursday’s meeting to remove and replace Mayor Audrey Delnicki. The way forward is not clear. Whatever it is, it will be marked by tensions.

Update published September 18, 2024.

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UPDATE ON BELOW: The five Republicans on the South Windsor Town Council seeking to remove Mayor Audrey Delnicki have revised their agenda and are going forward. The meeting is set for Wednesday, September 19th [sic].

The revised agenda sets forth the causes prompting to make their move to remove Delnicki as mayor, not as a member of the Council. They accuse Delnicki of lack of leadership, withholding information, and lack of transparency. The agenda lists a “vote of no confidence from at least 5 of her fellow counselors.“

The removal of Delnicki, if successful, will be followed by the election of Siracusa as mayor. He is deputy mayor. Carolyn Carey will be elected to take his place.

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Public participation,according to the proposed agenda, is limited to 30 minutes, which seems inadequate for the gravity of the business on the agenda.

A call for a Special Meeting of the South Windsor Town Council on Wednesday at the unusual hour of 5 p.m. to elect a new Mayor and Deputy Mayor appears to have failed.

The meeting’s sole purpose, according to its agenda, was “appointing Matt Siracusa as Mayor and Carolyn Carey as Deputy Mayor. South Windsor has a mayor, Republican Audrey Delnicki. She was elected mayor by the members of the Town Council at its organization meeting the Monday after last November’s municipal election. South Windsor was a rare bright spot for Hartford area Republicans.

All six Republican council candidates were elected on a promise to reduce spending and cut taxes in the aftermath of a hefty revaluation tax increase. Local Democrats, seeking an unprecedented fourth two-year term, claimed only three of the council’s nine seats.

The Republicans in their first budget neither cut spending nor reduced taxes. Taxes increased. They discovered there are not enough motor vehicle released to slice a mill off the tax rate.

There has been some discord among the six Republicans, only two of whom previously served on the council. Five of the six have not been getting along with Delnicki, who has tried to impose some order on newcomers. They have resisted and planned to elect two of their own on Wednesday. The problem is there is not a vacancy in the position of mayor. The town’s charter and council rules make no direct provision for removing a mayor. You cannot have two mayors, a Tuesday memo from Town Attorney Richard D. Carella points out. The removal of any official appointed by the Council “must be accompanied by a statement of cause.”

Carella recommends withdrawing the call of Wednesday’s meeting. Sensible advice.

It has not taken long for the revolution to turn on its own. Delnicki stands in the way of the likely next target of the five Republicans, Town Manager Michael Maniscalco. Removing a town manager is a tricky and often expensive business, even if a council has engaged in the task of laying a predicate. That has not been done in South Windsor.

The five unhappy Republicans are unlikely to cease their quest for change. They will have to hurry. Suburban voters are often offended by public displays of intra-party tumult. If the conspirators survive next summer’s nominating caucus, they will face hard going in the November municipals.

Audrey Delnicki is married to State Representative Tom Delnicki. He is seeking his fifth term in the House this year and faces Democrat Steven King, a member of the council.

Published September 17, 2024.