New London - To stage April's referendum on a magnet school plan, it cost roughly $14 to process each citizen's vote in a cash-strapped city where the expense of an extra custodian can spark a debate on the City Council.

The 16-percent turnout was the poorest showing in the five years in which resident-triggered referendums have developed into a routine part of New London politics.

The election's outcome hardly revealed widespread, grass-roots opposition to the plan: 1,006 upheld the council's support for the plan, and 596 turned out to reject it. Despite the lack of voter interest, the election cost the city an estimated $23,000.

”The vast majority of people don't want to spend $20,000 every time a certain group of people disagree,” said Councilor Mike Buscetto III, who was a vocal advocate for the magnet plan.“I do believe we were elected for a reason.”

Two weeks ago, it appeared as though the voting machines would have to be unlocked for another referendum, on the council's sale of waterfront land to Cross Sound Ferry. But company officials withdrew their offer, citing, in part, the proposed referendum.

The referendum is not new in New London, but its recent frequency of use appears to be unprecedented. The city clerk office's scattered files record nine referendums that questioned a variety of bond issues and tax rates between 1973 and 2003, the year that the citizens group Looking Out For Taxpayers (formerly Lower our Taxes) forced the city budget to an election and ushered in the current period of signature-gathering zeal.

Since 2003, when a referendum question accompanied the general election, there has been an average of one referendum a year. The budget was challenged in 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2007. A city charter revision went to referendum and failed in 2007 and so far, this year, the magnet-plan referendum has also been forced to a vote.

Some residents and officials see a knee-jerk use of the broad referendum powers that New London gives to residents. While careful to respect the city's proudly held tradition of direct democracy, they question how many disagreements with council decisions should be amplified into costly, low-turnout elections.

”I think referendums are good, but I don't think you need to referendum every issue that you disagree with,” said Deputy Mayor Wade A. Hyslop Jr., a 14-year representative to the state General Assembly. Hyslop, who supported the deal with Cross Sound Ferry, said the challenge to the controversial sale“didn't make sense” to him.

”To me, it's sour grapes because you didn't win your point of view, so you find another avenue to do it,” he said.“I think it's just a selected few people that are disgruntled that things don't go in their favor.”

Echoing a point made by critics of the frequent referendums, Hyslop said,“Our form of government is a City Council form of government in which you elect seven members to be your voices.”

If you don't like how you're being represented, he said, vote them out in the odd-year elections for council seats.

Buscetto said he accepts that referendums have become an established part of city government, but he has been frustrated by the recent challenges.“I've seen people say, 'Get ready for a referendum,'” he said.“You just shake your head and say, 'Why?' You don't even have to come to meetings anymore. You can just grab the clipboard.”

Adam Sprecace, one of two Republican councilors, defends the current petition and referendum provisions, and sees no need to change them.

”I don't begrudge them their right to seek this balance of power,” said Sprecace, who supported the magnet plan but opposed the Cross Sound Ferry agreement, which he noted the petition seemed to have halted.

”When you have such a lopsided party system like you have in New London, I think these referendums are good,” he said.“It's another way to do the business of government.”

Under the city's current referendum rules, a resident needs to gather just shy of 400 voter signatures to challenge essentially any council action. If the council doesn't reverse the challenged action, the action is decided at a referendum.

Donald Goodrich, the city's interim finance director, has also acted as consultant to local Connecticut governments on charter issues since the 1970s.

He said that unlike New London, most Connecticut municipalities with council-manager forms of government allow residents to petition the budget and sizable expenditures,“but not all of the actions that the city takes.”

He said the city's“quite lenient” referendum rules allow for challenges of both multimillion-dollar budgets and a“resolution for congratulating the high school for the football award.”

Buscetto said he believes LOT members are using the referendum to gain a foothold in city policy-making, and he said that the anti-tax group's enthusiasm for referendums is costing taxpayers.

”It's a tool that's being used by them. Sometimes it will work. Sometimes, it won't, and it's legal what they do,” Buscetto said.“But sometimes even they have to realize there's other facts out there, and just maybe, maybe, other people can be right.”

Downtown developer William Cornish, whose signature can be found on yellowing past petitions, remained characteristically undeterred and rejected the criticism, using profanity to make his point.

The LOT founder and former councilor said the city was“shortsighted” to approve the magnet school plan, and he credited LOT members with stopping the Cross Sound Ferry sale, which he maintained was the product of a“back-room deal.”

”The only vehicle a resident has after an election is a petition,” said Cornish, whose“Vote No” sign remains propped in the window of his Bacon Building property on State Street.“That's our right, and I and our group take it seriously.” He said if anyone wants to question that right,“they can go f--- themselves.”

Buscetto and Hyslop said the city should consider increasing the number of signatures needed for a valid petition. According to the city charter, that number stands at 10 percent of those who voted in the last regular city election - 376 based on November's City Council contest.

Buscetto said the low number results in less than 5 percent of residents making decisions on behalf of the city's roughly 10,000 registered voters and 26,000 residents.

Buscetto suggested the required signatures should equal 10 percent of all registered voters - about 1,000 - and the Charter Review Commission could examine the city's referendum rules during its ongoing, yearlong review of the document.

Cornish opposes any proposal that would increase the number of petition signatures required or make it more difficult for residents to challenge council decisions.“They should be looking to make it easier,” he said.“So they want to make it harder for people to address their government?”

Nor does he think residents should have to wait for council elections to challenge the council.“People need to be heard, and we're not always represented by the City Council,” he said.“What do you do for two years? Hold your breath?”

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