BERLIN — A tense Town Council meeting Tuesday drew dozens of residents in support of Grassroots Berlin — a self-described nonpartisan and nonpolitical community discussion group — and in opposition to a proposed policy that could limit organizations from hosting or sponsoring events at the town’s senior center.
The group’s July request to sponsor a Bingo event at the senior center was denied by town officials.
Group leaders told CT Examiner they believe Republican Mayor Mark Kaczynski is antagonistic toward the group and was instrumental in denying the Bingo request. The mayor in turn has repeatedly denied any personal animosity, saying his concerns stem from complaints he’s received from seniors who felt uncomfortable with certain topics presented at the center — even prior to Grassroots Berlin being formed in 2024.
On Tuesday, the council had been scheduled to vote on a first-ever senior center sponsorship policy written by senior center Director Christine Doyle, outlining the types of groups that could speak at the facility. That vote was tabled until the Oct. 21 council meeting. But not before 10 residents supporting Grassroots Berlin members criticized Kaczynski and Republican Deputy Mayor Charles Paonessa for comments they said were made about the group at the Sept. 16 council meeting.
Several speakers accused Paonessa of using profanity to describe the group on an open microphone, allegedly saying: “I’m not afraid of the propaganda from those fucks.”
Paonessa has said he used the words “folks.”
Audio available from the meeting and reviewed by CT Examiner was garbled and inconclusive.
Greg Starr, a Republican and a 29-year Berlin resident, scolded Paonessa during public comment, presenting a yellow card as a “warning,” he said, to watch his language.
“You are not my judge and you can keep that card,” Paonessa replied, reiterating that he did not use profanity and that his comments weren’t directed at any specific group — a point that members of the public strongly disputed.
“Our actions and words are important, particularly from town leadership,” Starr said. “We are better than this. We need to be better for the future of Berlin.”
Grassroots Berlin co-founder Cornel Boudria said the Bingo denial triggered the group to speak out and attend Tuesday’s meeting.
“Mark [Kacyzynski] you can shake your head, but you were adamant [at the September meeting] these things [groups like Grassroots Berlin] shouldn’t happen [at the senior center.],” he said.
Town resident Greg Prentiss said he did not “understand this resistance to our civic engagement with the other people in the town or prohibiting our access to common use facilities that are taxpayer funded, like the senior center. … We are individual taxpayers just trying to engage our fellow citizens. Many of our members are seniors.”
Grassroots Berlin has sponsored or participated in a number of events and at venues in town, including raising about $1,000 for four groups during a Martin Luther King Jr. “Day of Good Deeds” event earlier this year. Those receiving funds from the event’s proceeds included CT Food Share, CT Habitat for Humanity and Safe Harbor of Southington. In addition, Grassroots Berlin has sponsored an Earth Day cleanup, celebrated Pride Month at the Veterans Park gazebo, and presented a talk at the town community center in September on ICE and immigration. The featured speaker for the ICE discussion was State Sen. Sujata Gadkar-Wilcox, D-Bridgeport, who is also a constitutional lawyer.
At the meeting, the mayor said he gets calls and queries from residents on a variety of issues and wants everyone in the community to feel heard and welcomed.
“I have people contact me every day, email, phone, in person, and have their opinions on [a variety of topics],” Kaczynski said. “I have to listen to them. It’s our job here to listen to everyone in town.”
The mayor added that he’s received complaints from several seniors who feel uncomfortable with certain groups, without singling out Grassroots Berlin.
“We can’t make people feel uncomfortable,” the mayor said. “The community center [at the senior center needs] to be a place where all seniors are welcome and glad to be there. … If people are uncomfortable in a town building, especially, we’ve got to take a look at it.”
The mayor said he had “more specific information” but would not elaborate.
The senior center policy drafted by Doyle would allow “local nonprofits, civic organizations and other organizations engaged in charitable purposes” to present or host events.
The draft policy also provides a list of groups that would be allowed to present or host events at the center including health care agencies and hospitals, financial institutions offering senior-related services, educational institutions, local businesses offering relevant wellness or safety resources, and individual residents with pre-approval and clear objectives.
Those not allowed to sponsor or co-sponsor events at the center include political parties when the event is within 90 days of an election, political campaign organizations, politically affiliated groups hosting campaign-related or partisan events, and organizations promoting discriminatory, violent, exclusionary or hateful ideologies.
Boudria told CT Examiner he considers Grassroots Berlin to be a civic organization, and thus, would be allowed to make presentations at the senior center. He added that the group is not political and will not endorse or campaign for any candidates in next month’s election.
“[Grassroots Berlin] first started meeting for coffee, and that’s what started this whole thing — we would meet on Saturdays for coffee and just talk shop,” Boudria told CT Examiner prior to the meeting. “We invited everybody under the sun to come and talk. All perspectives were welcomed. That continues to be the case today. … We took those conversations and we found common ground with all of our bipartisan membership. … We use that as a basis for organizing actions for the community, trying to inform people of issues that are going on in the town.”