Following a report released by the former interim director of the Department of Public Works (DPW) that states some members of the department believe that the public—and town officials—don’t have a high regard for the department, town officials are looking for both causes and solutions.

Robert Myers, a consultant with the Conference of Connecticut Municipalities who served as interim director of the department from January to early April, was brought in to town in part to help evaluate the efficiency of the department on items like staffing, workload distribution, and productivity.

Myers’s 32-page report was handed in at the end of April, and one specific bullet point had town officials talking. As part of interviews with the staff members of the department, Myers wrote: “The majority of the DPW staff believe the residents, as well as elected officials/management, have a low opinion of them. They also believe that those same individuals do not understand what it is that DPW does and how they do their job on a daily basis. The belief is that if this were understood, the appreciation of the department could be much higher.”

The findings of the report were discussed at the May 22 Board of Selectmen (BOS) meeting, where that specific point dominated much of the discussion. Myers said out of 16 members of the DPW, 14 said they felt that negative perception of them. The members of the BOS expressed surprise and disappointment at that finding.

Some BOS members wondered about possible explanations for the feelings.

“I find that shocking. I’m wondering if that comes from social media?” asked Selectman Carol Walter, who pointed out that social media tended to highlight negative aspects, such as complaints about the maintenance of town facilities.

First Selectman Christine Goupil pointed to the town’s budget process as a possible source of contention.

“Every time we go through the budgetary process and one fails, DPW is the one that gets hit,” said Goupil.

Selectman Phil Sengle wondered if it was a case of the town not doing enough to make its gratitude felt.

“Second-hand praise doesn’t go very far,” Sengle said, noting that the BOS does at its meetings often praise the DPW for the work it does, but the meetings are not often attended by DPW workers to hear that praise themselves. Sengle suggested in the future perhaps BOS members could attend DPW meetings to convey their feelings more clearly.

Myers told the BOS it was difficult to point to one reason as to why the disconnect was there, but seemed to echo some of Sengle’s thoughts.

“Generally, I didn’t feel like there were a lot of thank yous. Thank yous are free and go a long way when they’re given genuinely,” Myers said.

Myers also pointed to a perception from some of the staff that if cuts were needed to staff it was likely to be felt in the department, as well as a perception that needed capital projects were not given proper attention.

Myers report was not all negative however. Elsewhere in the report Myers wrote “The Town of Clinton...is in a good position to move its DPW forward with many no- or low-cost solutions, collaborative measures, and modern, efficient, and effective best practice procedures.”

Myers also noted the cleanliness and organization of DPW headquarters, a lack of complaints about the department, and the level of department morale. On May 14, Todd Hajek was officially named the new director of the department after the reirement of longtime director Peter Neff.