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04/28/2020 02:00 PMThe recent appointment of a new tree warden in Clinton raised some controversy this month. The vote split the Town Council along party lines and the process followed by the council has raised some eyebrows amongst others in the community.
At a virtual Town Council meeting held on April 17, the council voted 4-3 to appoint Gary Bousquet, a Republican, as tree warden for a term of two years. The four Republican councilors (Chairman Chris Aniskovich, Mark Richards, Dennis Donovan, and Carol Walter) voted to appoint Bousquet. Christine Goupil and Tim Guerra (both Democrats) and Eric Bergman (Green party) voted against the appointment.
Each municipality in Connecticut is required to have a tree warden. According to the state Department of Energy & Environmental Protection, “tree wardens are appointed public officials responsible for trees alongside public roads and in public spaces, other than those on state property or under the jurisdiction of a park commission.”
The job includes assessing the risk posed by trees, as well as approving or denying requests for planting and removal of trees. The warden doesn’t physically remove any of the trees on public property, but can approve a request to remove them.
“It’s an essential job that has to happen. We’re a very forested area. You’d be very surprised at the amount of calls you get weekly,” said Bousquet.
In Clinton the tree warden is appointed by the Board of Selectman (now the Town Council) for a term of two years. The warden is an employee of the town and paid by the town a stipend of $2,500.
Bousquet had been tree warden in Clinton for about a decade, but was removed by the Board of Selectman in 2018 in favor of Kim Syrel, whose term ended on April 11.
The Town Charter expresses a preference that the tree warden be a resident of Clinton and a registered arborist but requires neither. Bousquet is a licensed arborist and resident of Clinton while Syrel, though a licensed arborist, was not a resident of Clinton.
Bousquet was removed from his position by selectman Goupil, who was at the time first selectman, because of what she said was a lack of response to the public by Bousquet. Council member Walter, who was a member of the Board of Selectman and spoke in favor of Bousquet in 2018, said she felt his removal from the tree warden post was done arbitrarily.
Bousquet told the Harbor News that he wasn’t surprised some people had an issue with his appointment. He said that when he was getting certified to be a tree warden, he was told the hardest thing about being a tree warden “is working with the partisanship in your town or city.”
As for issues in the past, Bousquet acknowledged there was sometimes a lack of communication on his part. When a tree warden approves or denies a request about removal of a tree for instance, a notice is published and a request can be made to hold a public hearing over the removal of a tree. The sentiment expressed at the hearing isn’t always followed.
“Sometimes you have to make a decision that is unpopular,” said Bousquet.
Bousquet said that he was content to let the past be and move on.
“I’m going to be a better communicator and do a better job of explaining the process,” said Bousquet.
That rocky past was often times hinted at but never explicitly stated during the Town Council’s recent discussion.
When the possibility of Bousquet’s appointment came up at the April 17 meeting, Aniskovich said, “I’m putting forth the name Gary Bousquet based on his qualifications only. I’m really not interested in going back to where we were in the past and how it came about.”
Aniskovich told the Harbor News he was bothered that the vote for the appointment fell along party lines, and stated he felt Bousquet’s qualifications spoke for themselves.
Aniskovich acknowledged he was made aware of past issues during Bousquet’s time as tree warden but declined to get into specifics.
The decision had ramifications outside of the Town Council. Members of the Tree Committee, with which the tree warden will work, were not consulted in the decision.
“I was kind of annoyed at the Town Council,” said Tree Committee Chair Carol Geiser. “They had indicated we don’t have an opinion.”
Geiser said she was not notified that the council was going to the fill the position.
“Granted we are an appointed board, but I sat on the Inland Wetlands Commission for years. Appointed boards are important, too, “said Geiser.
In March, the Town Council adopted a new policy that requires a vacant seat on a board or commission to remain vacant for 14 days and that the vacancy be noticed so that all interested applicants have a chance to apply for the seat.
Syrel’s term expired six days before the council meeting on April 17. Aniskovich said the town had received no communication from her about resubmitting for the position.
Syrel told the Harbor News she wasn’t contacted in any way by the town, and only knew the appointment was happening when she received text messages asking her why she wasn’t being nominated again.
“I was shocked. I wasn’t aware it was happening. I’m overqualified for the position, frankly,” said Syrel, who is a state-licensed consulting arborist, a forestry graduate, and holds several other relevant memberships.
Syrel said she thought she worked well in the position and that she “was very proficient, and very responsive.”
Syrel said she would have appreciated the chance to make her case to the council as to why she would be a good candidate to stay on in the position.
“I feel like the rug was pulled out from under me. I don’t like that they put politics in front of trees,” said Syrel.
According to Aniskovich the new appointment policy didn’t apply in the tree warden’s case because the policy only applies to seats on boards and commissions—the tree warden on the other hand is a town position that works in conjuncture with the tree committee, but is not a member of the committee.
“I’m personally telling you that any issues that are out there as it related to the Tree Committee will be addressed. I will meet with the members of the tree committee and have a meeting with Gary and we’re all going to sit down and figure it all out and make sure we’re all on the same page,” said Aniskovich.
While Aniskovich stated that appointing the tree warden falls under the Town Council’s duties, council member Bergman pointed out that earlier in the council term the council heeded the opinion of the Clinton Historical Society in making a selection on who should serve as town historian, a ceremonial position overseen by the historical society. Bergman said he wasn’t in favor of voting on the appointment without getting input from the tree committee.
On the subject of the new tree warden, Geiser told the Harbor News, “The last two years we had a different tree warden and she set the bar very high. I’m very sure Gary will do a fine job; I’d like to see him more involved in our tree planting and planning schemes.”