The Berlin Town Council approved the appointment this week of resident David Ranaghan to the municipality’s Ethics Commission for a three-year term.
Downtown Berlin
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By Tara Fischer, Staff Writer
The Berlin Town Council approved the appointment of resident David Ranaghan to a three-year term with the municipality’s Ethics Commission this week.
The council unanimously approved Ranaghan for the commission at their Monday, Sept. 9 meeting. Mayor Zack Tyndall said the appointee has worked with hospital ethics boards in the past and is excited to volunteer his time with Berlin.
“I was very impressed with Mr. Ranaghan’s resume,” Councilmember Jay Knerr said.
The commission’s duties include reviewing and enforcing ethics issues within the Town of Berlin, overseeing the financial disclosure forms, and being “integral in our ability to process elections,” Tyndall noted.
Town Administrator Mary Bohlen echoed the mayor’s statements.
“To the point of elections, the portion of the election that this group oversees is the review of the financial disclosure forms,” she said. “Those are filed by incumbents by April 30 every year and by new candidates when they file for office. The election board reviews things for completeness, but the ethics commission reviews the financial disclosures.”
Currently, the ethics group has three members, which is the preferred minimum. Tyndall emphasized that they would like to keep the group to up to five active participants.
Berlin residents may submit their resumes and complete a brief form online to apply to a board, commission, or committee. Current openings can be found on the town website.
The Historic District Commission, the Arts and Entertainment Advisory Board, the Berlin Horticulture Advisory Committee, and the Parks Commission are a few of the teams that residents may lend their time to.
Tyndall wrote in a Facebook post last week that resumes for these roles do not need to be elaborate.
“The reason we ask for a resume is so the selection committee can get to know you before your interview,” he said. “We are not looking for decades of experience. If you live in the Town of Berlin and are passionate about a certain topic, we encourage you to apply.”
Once the proper forms are submitted, an informal interview with the mayor, town administrator, respective department head, and the current chair of the board or commission to which the individual is applying is scheduled.
Once the applicant meetings are complete, the interview committee gathers to recommend who is the best fit for the role. Tyndall notes that even if someone is not chosen, the group may inform them of other openings that better align with their experience and skill set.
Once the interview committee decides, the mayor submits the nomination to the Berlin Council for final approval.
Tyndall emphasized at the Sept. 9 meeting that the number of boards and commissions an individual may sit on is limited. Preferably, members of these groups are not permitted to hold positions on more than one committee.
“The ethics commission is one in particular that should definitely not serve on any other group just for the potential of conflict of interest,” Bohlen said.
The mayor noted that the decision-makers account for district representation if a vacancy receives a large applicant pool.
“We try to spread that out,” he said.
Members of these boards are also primarily residents of Berlin. Tyndall said they often receive applications from individuals who live outside the municipality and want to serve, but as a general practice, recommended volunteers are town residents.
Still, this rule is flexible.
“The parks commission, for instance…,” Bohlen said. “There may be someone out there with expertise that they want to bring in who does not necessarily live in town, so it does offer that opportunity. But that does not apply to every board.”
More information on Berlin’s boards, commissions, and committees can be found on the town’s website.