Audience cries foul during raucous council meeting

By Ally Lanasa, Staff Writer

(Oct. 1, 2020) Awkward. That’s the only way to describe one of the more rancorous Berlin Mayor and Council meetings to be held in some time, as residents gathered Monday night to challenge the appointment of Austin Purnell to the town’s Planning and Zoning Commission, and At-large Councilmember Thom Gulyas argued vigorously with the opponents.

Purnell, a Realtor in the coastal area, is the son of Troy Purnell, the District 1 councilman and a real estate developer.

Purnell, 31, was sworn in as the planning commission member after the Town Council’s 3-1 vote in favor of his appointment, despite complaints from the crowd about possible conflicts of interest involving him as a commission member and his father as a council member.

Troy Purnell recused himself from the discussion of his son’s appointment and the subsequent vote.

“I’m very grateful for the mayor and council,” Purnell said after the meeting.

After the much “spirited debate,” Purnell added that he is excited to serve the town as a planning commission member at the next meeting on Oct. 14.

Among the leading critics of the move Monday night, James Meckley of Buckingham Road condemned the council for the “blatant choice that is in very much conflict with what the Planning Board and the Zoning Board and the Town Council do together.”

“I just feel that it would be a conflict of interest for him to be on a [commission] that deals with annexations and building and so forth while his father is still on Town Council, which will make the ultimate decision,” Meckley continued.

Purnell said he anticipated some backlash to his nomination because of his business with his father.

“Yes, I do work with my father. I work for my father. I work for the family business,” Purnell said. “And I am in the last couple years starting to assist him and play an integral role in our development projects more than I had in the past years.”

He added that his family is not the only one developing in Berlin.

Before the meeting, Purnell called the mayor and four council members for support. All said yes, but one.

“I’ve been a member of this council for a while now, and I have never been contacted by a candidate for a commission prior to Mr. Purnell,” said Councilman Dean Burrell. “He brings expertise to this commission.”

Councilman Elroy Brittingham also said Purnell is the only candidate he has ever endorsed for a commission.

“It meant a lot,” Purnell said. “I’d say it was kind of validating in a way given all the criticism.”

Five ethics complaints were filed with the Ethics Commission regarding Purnell’s nomination for Planning and Zoning Commission by Sept. 25.

Meckley asked for Purnell’s name to be resigned or to table his appointment until after the Ethics Commission reviewed the complaints on Wednesday at 9:30 a.m.

Mayor Gee Williams countered that there were no ethical conflicts regarding Purnell’s appointment.

“If you have to basically know no one or have no affiliations, then I question if you’re really suited to make decisions on behalf of the community,” Williams said.

Williams added that following John Barrett’s resignation from the planning commission, he asked those interested in serving on the commission to submit a letter about their experience and thoughts about Berlin. After several months, Williams received only one letter – from Purnell.

Kim Holloway of Davis Court filed one of the ethics complaints.

“I just feel like out of all the people, possibilities that could be approached, to sit on this commission to make a selection — and I don’t need to go through the history — of a son of a builder and developer, who work together in business, who live in this town, who have many projects on the horizon, who can ethically sit on a commission,” Holloway said. “I don’t care how many times you say you’re going to recuse yourself and you’re going to be impartial … at the end of the day, ethically, it stinks.”

Meckley and Holloway said they spoke to many Berlin residents and business owners, who also opposed Purnell’s appointment.

Although Gulyas is a business owner in Berlin, Holloway did not ask for his opinion because of his “arrogance,” she said.

“You’re the same way. You and your husband,” Gulyas said. “I put up with you people for six damn years. I’m sick and tired of it … this is my meeting, not yours. Not yours. Not yours. Not yours.”

Monday was Gulyas’ last meeting as at-large councilman as he is moving outside of the town limits. Tony Weeg and Jay Knerr are running to fill his seat.

“You know, Kim, every damn time you’ve come to these meetings, all you want to do is bitch and complain,” Gulyas said. “You’ve been here three times.”

Bob Palladino of Buckingham Road stated his ethical concerns of Purnell’s appointment as well.

Councilman Zackery Tyndall moved for the council to table the nomination until after the municipal election.

“I think that we should wait until the second meeting of October to let the new council take office and evaluate the candidate,” Tyndall said. “I don’t think this is something that we should be voting on when there’s a whole new council that’s going to be coming in.”

The vote was 3-1 for postponing Purnell’s appointment.

“Frankly, I’m excited about Berlin and Berlin’s future,” Purnell said.

He has lived in Berlin since he was 8 years old, saying he has witnessed the positive impact of dedicated local business owners on the town’s prosperity.

In addition, Purnell was a volunteer firefighter in the Berlin Fire Company from 2010 to 2016.

“That was the first way I served the town. This to me, I just look at [it] as a second way in this season of my life,” Purnell said.

Update:

The Berlin Ethics Commission met on Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. in closed session to deliberate the five ethics complaints filed by Sept. 25 about Austin Purnell’s nomination to the town’s Planning and Zoning Commission.

According to the ethics provisions of the town code, the commission had no authority to reverse Purnell’s appointment.

Town Administrator Jeff Fleetwood said the commission did not discover an ethical breach in Purnell’s appointment in regard to his relation to Councilman Troy Purnell or his involvement in their family business.

As a commission member, Purnell will submit a financial disclosure statement, including any conflicts of interest, next year, said Deputy Town Administrator Mary Bohlen.