Resident proposes charter change to require twice‑yearly mayor‑led departmental meetings in Torrington

Paul Cavaniro recommended that Torrington’s charter require two annual mayor‑led meetings of department heads — once in late fall and once in late spring — to improve cross‑department accountability and give elected officials greater insight ahead of the budget season.

Cavaniro said the goal is to reduce "siloed" decision‑making and let department leaders explain how funds, including grants with spending restrictions, are being used. He described the meetings as information‑sharing sessions rather than decision forums and said the charter should make attendance by department heads mandatory, with the mayor responsible for running the meetings.

"The only person in the city who's elected by the whole city to represent the whole city is the person of the mayor," Cavaniro said, arguing the mayor should facilitate the meeting for the benefit of the whole city.

Commission participants pressed Cavaniro on practicality: he acknowledged the meetings could be long — "two meetings of three or four hours a piece" — and other attendees questioned whether the level of detailed review proposed would be feasible for every department. A commissioner suggested that, when the charter commission votes on any change, members could simply vote the proposal down if they disagreed.

Cavaniro argued the meetings would foster shared understanding of complicated operations, such as water treatment and special‑education grant constraints, and would let elected officials ask hard questions well before final budget decisions.

No formal charter amendment was proposed or voted on during the hearing.