In terms of one's job performance, it goes without saying the the present City Clerk is by and large the worse elected official in Danbury. Natale has been highly criticized (on both sides of the political aisle and by her associates at City Hall) for not doing her job, not being available to the public, and not being in her office during City Hall normal business hours.
The post "What does the following image and the City Clerk Jean Natale have in common?" stems from a report and others conducted on Natale's absence from her office. For several months, myself and others have routinely walked into City Hall at random times to check to see if the complains about the City Clerk not being in her office was true. We wanted to see Natale came into work AND was in her office as much as the other elected officials who work daily at City Hall (Registrar of Voters, Town Clerk, Mayor office).
From the time period of 8:30 and 9:30 AM, out of those officials who work at the building daily, Natale (and her "assistant" Mary Foley) were by FAR the worse when it came to not being present in the office (NOTE: we excluded the Treasurer's office because his role is different than the other elected officials).
To reinforce this point, here's video footage of a member of the public (Lynn Waller) who echoed these same criticisms about Natale. It's also important to note that after these accurate remarks were made, it was reported that Natale confronted and yelled at Waller in the hallway of City Hall prior to the start of the Democratic Common Council caucus meeting.
In terms of Natale being in her office at random points of any particular day, once again Natale led the way when it came to being around. To add insult to injury, while Natale was not in her City Clerk's office, many times the City Clerk could be found on the second floor at the Registrar of Voters office (Natale is good friends with Republican Registrar of Voters member Mary Ann Doran and a former Registrar of Voters prior to 2003).
In one particular astonishing episode, after several people witnessed Natale not in her office and instead spending time in the Registrar of Voters office, I went to City Hall to witness this nonsense first-hand.
On February 5 2008, I went to the Registrar of Voters office at City Hall and requested a copy of the bond package referendum which was being voted on by the people on that day. The person who assisted me at the REGISTRAR OF VOTERS office in getting a copy of the ballot was none other than the City Clerk. Here's a copy of the ballot she personally retrieved for me.
This begs the question: Why is the City Clerk doing the work of the Registrar of Voters, a position that is outside of her job requirement?
What I witnessed first-hand is consistent with complains people launched against Natale when it comes to her not being available in her own office. For for City Clerk to be routinely present in another department (i.e., the Registrar of Voters office) is something that would be unacceptable if the position of City Clerk was changed to a civil service position. In other words, if you or I were hired to do a particular job and was instead not where we should be AND in an area where we didn't belong, WE WOULD BE DISCIPLINED OR FIRED. Unfortunately, as an elected official, Natale does not have to answer to anyone at City Hall which is why she can get away with this alarming level of incompetence. Add that with the fact that most people in Danbury are unaware of Natale's practice at City Hall and most of what the current City Clerk does goes unnoticed and never gets reported.
As taxpayers, you should be OUTRAGED. Do you part and:
2.:Sign the online petition, call for a public censure of Jean Natale and request the charter revision commission eliminate the position of City Clerk and replace it with a civil service position. (NOTE: In signing the online petition, the public will not be able to view any personal information provided).
04.25.22 (RADIO): WSHU Latino group call on Connecticut lawmakers to open a Danbury charter school
06.03.22 (OP-ED): KUSHNER: "Career Academy ‘a great deal for Danbury"
On September 26, 2007, ten plaintiffs filed suit in response to an arrest of aday laborers at a public park in Danbury, Connecticut. Plaintiffs amended their complaint on November 26, 2007.
The amended complaint states that plaintiffs sought to remedy the continued discriminatory and unauthorized enforcement of federal immigration laws against the Latino residents of the City of Danbury by Danbury's mayor and its police department.
Plaintiffs allege that the arrests violated their Fourth Amendment rights and the Connecticut Constitution because defendants conducted the arrests without valid warrants, in the absence of exigent circumstances, and without probable cause to believe that plaintiffs were engaged in unlawful activity. In addition, plaintiffs allege that defendants improperly stopped, detained, investigated, searched and arrested plaintiffs. Plaintiffs also allege that defendants violated their Fourteenth Amendment rights when they intentionally targeted plaintiffs, and arrested and detained them on the basis of their race, ethnicity and perceived national origin. Plaintiffs raise First Amendment, Due Process and tort claims.
Plaintiffs request declaratory relief, damages and attorneys fees.
In terms of one's job performance, it goes without saying the the present City Clerk is by and large the worse elected official in Danbury. Natale has been highly criticized (on both sides of the political aisle and by her associates at City Hall) for not doing her job, not being available to the public, and not being in her office during City Hall normal business hours.
On September 26, 2007, ten plaintiffs filed suit in response to an arrest of aday laborers at a public park in Danbury, Connecticut. Plaintiffs amended their complaint on November 26, 2007.
