Council approves Richter Park Authority appointment after residents raise transparency, residency concerns

The Danbury City Council voted July 7 to confirm Bob Bria as a member of the Richter Park Authority after a contentious discussion about transparency and whether the appointee needed to be a city resident.

During public comment and in the council chamber, multiple speakers raised objections to the process used by the ad hoc committee. Ashley Phan, who identified herself as a new Danbury resident and nonprofit leader, told the council she had not seen public recruitment for the Richter seat and asked that vacancies be accompanied by meaningful public outreach so every qualified resident could be considered. Al Robinson and other residents described the charter revision and appointment process as rushed and insufficiently transparent.

Councilwoman Fay told the council her ‘‘primary objection to Mr. Bria is not personal, but…he’s not a resident of Danbury’’ and asked whether a search had been performed. Mayor’s staff and the ad hoc chair explained the Richter Park Authority ordinance requires one member be an arts representative and that the seat need not be held by a Danbury resident; the mayor’s office said arts stakeholders had nominated Bria and that he had attended authority meetings regularly.

After discussion and a motion to accept the ad hoc report and appoint Bria as the arts representative, the council approved the appointment; two councilors recorded nays during the vote. Supporters at public comment praised Bria’s long engagement with the Richter musical and arts programming and urged his appointment.

Next steps: Bria’s appointment was confirmed; the council directed that future vacancy processes and ad hoc communications include clearer public outreach to address concerns raised during the meeting.