Divided Council Starts New Term

The mayor of Verona is a now a largely ceremonial position. But there was little standing on ceremony when the Town Council held its reorganization meeting earlier this week. The council was not only not unanimous in its vote for mayor, but for the first time since Verona changed to its current form of government there were two candidates for the spot.

There are no hard and fast rules for the election, which happens every two years after a Town Council election. Typically, the deputy mayor from the outgoing council simply moves up to the mayor spot. Verona follows a so-called Council-Manager form of government: The council hires a manager, who functions as the town’s CEO, running day-to-day affairs and preparing legislation. (Only the council votes on the laws, however). The council members choose one of their own to represent them at functions in and out of town, but the mayor has no special powers, such as that of veto over legislation.

This year’s election, in May, returned three incumbents to office out of a field of seven. Bob Manley, the deputy mayor of the last council, was re-elected, as was Jay Sniatkowski and Kevin Ryan, who was the lead vote getter, with 1,153 votes. And it was on the basis of those votes that Council member Michael Nochimson put Ryan up for mayor.

“There are no defined criteria in choosing a mayor or deputy mayor,” Nochimson said at the Monday ceremony, “but it is my belief, that it is logical that the #1 & #2 re-elected vote-getters should decide amongst themselves who serves in each position, with council approval. This makes common sense to me.” Sniatkowski came in second in the election, winning his fourth term in office. Manley finished third with 1,012 votes, just one vote ahead of challenger Rich Williamson.

Nochimson also said that the vote for mayor could be a way to bring some of the Council’s differences together. “I believe for this council, the positions of mayor and deputy mayor are a symbolic opportunity to have the two different viewpoints represented in these positions,” he said. Since Nochimson and Ryan were first elected in 2011 (Ryan won only a two-year term to an unexpired seat the first time), the two have voted together on most issues. Sniatkowski has largely voted with Manley and Frank Sapienza.

But that was not to be. Sniatkowski was nominated for deputy mayor, which was put to a vote first. Manley received three votes for mayor: his own, Sniatkowski’s and that of Sapienza, who remains on the council through 2015.

“I was very honored to be nominated for the position of Verona mayor by Councilman Michael Nochimson,” Ryan said after the ceremony. “I feel he outlined a strong case for my selection over Bob Manley, the eventual winner. As Michael indicated there is no clear criteria for selection of the mayor. The object is to simply obtain the support of at least two other members of the council. I have been told that tradition dictates once the three votes are obtained the other two should fall into line for the sake of presenting a unified front. However, as councilman Nochimson correctly noted the council has not been united over the last two years and both of us felt honoring this tradition would give the false impression that the divide was being closed. While this may be desirable, we are not there yet. There are times when tradition must take a back seat to reality.”

“Bob Manley is a good man and has contributed much to Verona,” Ryan added. “I wish him nothing but success going forward but we have a different vision and approach to how things should be done. The residents who voted for me were aware of this. I felt I owed it to them to know that I was willing to be, and capable of, being the mayor. Councilman Nochimson gave a public statement regarding his reasons for nominating me. Perhaps this will be the start of a new tradition.”

In his acceptance speech, Manley thanked former Mayor Frank Sapienza for his leadership and set a few goals for his term. “As I have tried to adhere to during my term on the Council, and conveyed during my most recent campaign for re-election, essential to the efforts of this council is the clarity and ease of communication, both internal and external,” Manley said. “In any community, effective communication is not always easy, but surely always necessary.”

“Lack of communication and miscommunication can lead to misunderstanding and possible alienation,” Manley added. “I am committed to fostering an environment of transparency and inclusion, and as Mayor, I will insist that every member of our community feels that his or her voice will be heard and respected.”