Norwich - An emotional plea to the City Council by resident and frequent city critic Joanne Philbrick on Monday was successful in lifting a ban on serving on city boards and commissions recommended by the Ethics Commission about 2½ years ago.

In August 2012, the Ethics Commission ruled that Philbrick violated the city ethics code when she opened and read a confidential internal letter addressed to then-Mayor Peter Nystrom. The docent desk at the time was located in front of city officials' mail slots. Philbrick was seen on video camera opening the string-loop fastener on the envelope.

Philbrick admitted to the violation and resigned from the Personnel and Pension Board and from the docent position, and at first said she would not seek future appointment to city boards. The commission included a recommended ban on her future appointment in its ruling.

But in January 2013, Philbrick returned to the Ethics Commission and asked that the ban be removed. The commission took no action, but Philbrick has applied several times to vacancies on city commissions since then, never landing an appointment.

Until this week. Philbrick confronted the City Council on Monday after she was not selected for appointments to several city commissions, including a new Disabilities Commission and the Historic District Commission that governs the Norwichtown Green area where she lives.

"Convicted murderers get a second chance," Philbrick told the council. "Rapists get a second chance ? What damage could I do on the Historic District Commission? I own one of the oldest houses in the district. I have a son with a traumatic brain injury. I've been fighting the system for 38 years."

Philbrick was recommended by the Republican Town Committee for the Disabilities Commission, and Nystrom, a Republican - "whose office I flagrantly violated," Philbrick told the council - even supported her application.

After the council approved the appointments already on the agenda, Council President Pro Tempore Francois "Pete" Desaulniers said more appointments will be coming to the newly formed Disabilities Commission. Desaulniers and Aldermen William Eyberse and Sofee Noblick serve on the council committee that oversees applications and commission appointments.

On Tuesday, Desaulniers informed Philbrick that she would be appointed to the Disabilities Commission at the April 6 council meeting.

"Just about everybody on the council said that she deserves another shot," Desaulniers said. "The selection committee said OK."

Philbrick said she was pleased with the pending appointment and said she still would be interested in serving on the Historic District Commission. She called it "a baby step" to receive the first appointment since the ban.

"Maybe my little plea (Monday) got to them," Philbrick said. "Hopefully next meeting, it will be on the agenda. I'm just going to keep my fingers crossed and hope that it happens."

c.bessette@theday.com

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