Time for new leadership in Ledyard

Ledyard Mayor Fred Allyn Jr. should resign immediately.

The town is in crisis and will not recover until a new top administrator is running its day-to-day operations. The mayor and nine-member Town Council, a council controlled by the mayor's own Republican Party, are so divided they can no longer productively work at all.

The strained relationship hurts taxpayers, who are paying the cost of a badly managed Town Hall.

The mayor has defied a council-imposed cap on legal spending, retaining lawyers beyond the appropriated budget for advice on, among other things, the legality of removing a councilor. He has also overspent the legal budget to block a councilor's request for Water Pollution Control Authority billing records, documents that by all other accounts are public record.

Councilors also maintain that Mayor Allyn retained an attorney to attend a Town Council meeting and take notes in his absence. And in a separate instance, they said he sought a second legal opinion after the first one didn't satisfy him.

But the problems go beyond the legal fees. Mayor Allyn did not return a phone call for comment, but councilors said he is so at odds with them that he has become an obstructionist, misrepresenting council positions and policies to town employees and taxpayers, not adhering to collective bargaining agreements and attempting to bargain with town unions outside the official negotiations. They also said he frequently ignores the town charter and budget.

A year ago this newspaper said Ledyard was in crisis and that Mayor Allyn was not serving the best interests of the town's residents. The situation has only deteriorated.

Councilors have tried to work with the mayor, but he has defied them at every step. His handling of a disagreement between the town's zoning commission and its zoning enforcement officer will likely cost the town money, either through a buyout or a lawsuit. And the town's land-use offices are ineffective because of the way the mayor handled budget cuts. And at the water and sewer department, payroll funds for clerical help will be depleted well before the end of the fiscal year as a result of a memorandum councilors said the mayor signed with the union there.

The mayor's actions are costing the town and hurting its ability to grow and prosper. Despite a long business career, he has failed as a municipal leader. Running a good business is not the same as being a municipal administrator. Government creates its own unique issues.

Mayor Allyn has deep roots in Ledyard. His ancestors settled in the town more than 275 years ago, and he has said he cares very much about the town.

If that is the case, Mayor Allyn should resign so that Ledyard can move forward. The mayor has 16 months left of his four-year term, an insufferable period for him, the council and, most important, Ledyard residents.

The mayor has said he is considering stepping down, but will do it on his terms and not be bullied or shoved. Do it however you want Mayor Allyn, but please do it soon.