Berlin Plan To Restrict Political Events At Senior Center Draws Public Ire

BERLIN, CT — The Berlin Town Council postponed action on a proposed Berlin Senior Center Event Sponsorship Policy after hearing extensive public opposition during its July 21 meeting, with officials saying the draft requires further review, especially plans to restrict political events before elections.

No vote was taken on the proposal, which would have established formal guidelines governing outside organizations, businesses and individuals seeking to sponsor programs and events at the Berlin Senior Center.

Berlin Mayor Mark Kaczynski, a Republican, said he believed the policy should be tabled for additional review but added that "there will be a policy created."

The Berlin Town Council is controlled by Republicans, who have a 5-4 edge over Democrats.

Councilor Kate Atkinson said she would like the council to review the town library's policy because she questioned whether each municipal department needs its own separate policy.

The proposed policy was developed by Berlin Senior Center Director Christine Doyle at the direction of town officials to create a formal and consistent process for approving event sponsorships after reviewing policies used by other senior centers across Connecticut.

It required no additional funding.

What the draft policy proposed

The proposed sponsorship policy would have required outside sponsors to obtain approval from Berlin Senior Center administration and the town manager before holding events.

It stated that sponsored programs must support healthy aging, education, wellness and social connection while remaining nonpartisan and non-discriminatory.

The draft also would have prohibited political parties, candidates and campaign organizations from sponsoring events within 90 days of an election, while allowing elected officials to participate in nonpartisan educational events and permitting political committees to use meeting rooms after hours if equal access were provided to all parties.

With no action taken on July 21, the town council is expected to revisit a revised version of the policy at a future meeting.

Residents challenge proposed restrictions

Most of the public comments issued during the meeting's "audience of citizens" July 21 focused on provisions restricting political activity at the senior center.

Cornel Boudria of Grassroots Berlin said the proposal would prohibit political candidates and organizations from presenting at the senior center within 90 days of an election.

He argued that, in a year with both a primary and general election, the restriction would effectively limit programming for nearly half the year and urged the council to abandon the policy discussion altogether.

David James questioned how the draft's equal-access language for political parties would be applied and whether limiting programs conflicted with the senior center's stated goals of promoting independence and empowerment for older adults.

Roger Moss said the proposal had not been presented to the Berlin Commission on Aging before reaching the council.

He said an unwritten policy dating to 1985 had worked without problems and warned that restricting sponsorships could harm the senior center's mission.

Greg Prentiss argued that limiting political activity in a public building infringed on First Amendment rights and later urged the town to consider more than just the two major political parties if a policy is ultimately adopted.

Danielle Morisse-Corsetti voiced support for funding legal services for Berlin Water Control, which was addressed separately during the evening, and also encouraged council members to reject the proposed senior center policy.

Several residents with longtime ties to the senior center also criticized the proposal.

Ruth Lerro said seniors are capable of deciding which events to attend and argued that political presentations are particularly helpful because many older residents do not use social media to learn about candidates.

Karen Pagliaro, who said she worked and volunteered at the senior center for more than 16 years, argued the policy implied the senior center director was not doing her job and said the draft was poorly written.

Kathy O'Donnell-Moss, a former volunteer and part-time employee, said the senior center director had always maintained balance by providing equal access to political parties without a written policy.

Julie Erickson, a senior center member, said the proposal underestimated seniors' ability to make informed decisions.

She also questioned whether current elected officials attending senior center events could gain an unfair advantage over challengers if the policy were adopted.

Not all speakers opposed the draft.

June Daly thanked the council for attempting to develop guidelines that would help protect seniors, saying she had observed situations in other communities where older adults did not know how to raise concerns and believed a written policy could provide needed guidance.

Sue Bordonaro also supported the proposal, saying 90 days before an election provided sufficient opportunity for political parties to meet with seniors and noting that other public forums are available for candidates.

For the minutes of the July 21 Berlin Town Council meeting, click on this link.

For the proposed draft of the senior center policy, click on this link and scroll to Page 35