Councilor faces resignation after buying home out of district

By TAYLOR HARTZ
STAFF WRITER
City Councilor Calvin Brown was caught off guard at a recent City Council meeting when the impending sale of his Ivy Drive residence was questioned.
Brown, a representative of the city’s first district, recently bought a multi-family home in the second district, and will soon be putting his 21-year Ivy Drive home on the market.
During a council meeting on Jan. 12, Republican Town Committee Chairman Derek Czenzelewski questioned whether Brown would remain a representative of the first district when he was no longer a resident there.
The Republican chairman said he wanted to give Brown “a chance to set the record straight.”
The councilor then offered what he said would be a rather personal explanation.
“It has been a difficult time for my family,” said Brown, who said he had hoped to have more time to inform constituents of the news.
Brown explained that he currently resides in a home on Ivy Drive with his mother and brother, but that in the fall of 2016 the family will cease to receive the financial support that has allowed them to afford the home.
To secure housing for the family, Brown bought a multifamily home in the second district in the fall of 2015.
He said that although he hoped to continue to reside in the Ivy Drive home, “It has become clear to my family and I that that is probably not a possibility,” and they will be putting the property on the market soon.
“When that house is sold and I am no longer a resident of that district I will have no other choice but to resign my seat on the City Council,” said Brown at the council meeting.
The councilor became visibly emotional after making the announcement and offered his sincere apologies to friends, constituents and supporters of the news.
“I’ve lived in Bristol all my life, and I will continue to call Bristol my home no matter what happens,” he said the following week.
While Brown said it was his initial impression that once his residency changed his resignation would be required, he said he is now looking into whether or not that is the case – “We are trying to get to the bottom of this question as a legal matter.”
The second-term councilor said that if he is required to resign, he has yet to determine if he will run for election in the second district in 2017.
“All of us on the council have quite a bit to focus on over the coming months, and that will continue to be my priority,” said Brown.
Comments? Email thartz@SouthingtonObserver.com.