Norwich – All city employees, board and commission members will have to undergo periodic ethics training to be organized by the city manager, according to a resolution approved unanimously by the City Council Monday.

The resolution, co-sponsored by two Republican aldermen after a recent closed-door party caucus, was prompted by the controversy swirling around lavish trips to the Kentucky Derby hosted for the past four years by the Connecticut Municipal Electric Energy Cooperative. Several Norwich Public Utilities officials have attended the trips each year, and Mayor Deberey Hinchey was a guest for the 2016 trip. The 2016 trip alone cost CMEEC $342,330 for 44 invitees.

The city Ethics Commission has received four recent complaints, at least one of which involves the Kentucky Derby trip. All ethics complaints remain confidential until the commission reviews them and decides whether to investigate. The Ethics Commission will meet at 5 p.m. Monday to begin its review.

During council discussion Monday, Hinchey received emotional support from Republican Alderwoman Joanne Philbrick – the lone city official to be officially censured by the Ethics Commission in recent years. Prior to being elected to the council in 2015, Philbrick had been found in violation of the city's ethics code as a volunteer City Hall docent after she opened and read an inter-office memo addressed to then-Mayor Peter Nystrom.

Philbrick made public apologies and resigned as a docent and from the Personnel and Pension Board.

Philbrick on Monday called Hinchey's participation in the Derby trip – she was a last-minute invitee – “collateral damage” and said the investigation must go “higher and deeper” to include CMEEC and NPU officials who planned the trip.

Alderman William Nash clarified public comments made at the start of the meeting urging the council to include NPU in the ethics training. Nash said the resolution approved covered all city employees and all boards and commissions, including NPU staff and members of the utilities commission.

In a statement he read Monday, Republican Alderman Gerald Martin, who co-sponsored the resolution, said the regular training would let employees know that there doesn't have to be a complaint to seek opinions from the Ethics Commission. The code of ethics allows for public officials to seek advisory opinions from the commission when questionable situations arise.

Hinchey supported the ethics training resolution Monday and said the council now should let the ethics process go forward.

At the start of Monday's council meeting, several residents supported the ethics training resolution and some said the measure did not go far enough. Resident Shiela Hayes said she has served on numerous boards and commissions in the city over the years and said commission member could use general training on how to serve on boards and commissions.

Resident Brian Kobylarz said the training should include refreshers in state Freedom of Information statutes as well.

c.bessette@theday.com