The City Council and Passero administration have needlessly generated skepticism and suspicion about proposed development along New London’s Waterfront Park.

On Tuesday, after completing its second of two closed executive sessions with the potential developer, the council approved a one-year agreement with Advanced American Engineering that gives it exclusive negotiating rights to work out a deal with the city. It was rushed, bypassing the three-reading requirement, which is becoming a troubling council habit.

Mayor Michael Passero told us Thursday he had met with company officials several times.

Providing exclusive negotiating rights makes sense. Advanced American Engineering, which has offices in New York and North Carolina, will be making a considerable investment in developing its proposal and assessing the regulatory landscape to test how feasible various aspects may be. It is understandable it wants protection from some other entity pushing ahead of it.

What is not understandable is the council awarding one-year exclusivity without sharing with the public any of the details, or even the concepts, under consideration. What should have happened is to first reveal the concepts the developer was envisioning for the waterfront and then — with the public clued in and able to offer input — the council could have decided whether the idea was worth pursuing and deserving of exclusive protection.

As things stand now, the mayor knows, and the council knows, and they’re saying, “Trust us.”

Passero said within weeks Advanced American Engineering will make public its ideas, now that it has the council-provided protection. The mayor noted  that as designed, the Waterfront Park largely blocks, rather than invites boats to dock. It has prevented the harbor from being an active marine-recreation waterfront. The engineering group has ideas to change that, he said.

Any investment, Passero said, will be from the private sector. Public access would not be diminished and instead likely increase, he said.

There is no question the city’s waterfront is underutilized. The opening of the City Dock Oyster Bar & Restaurant at Custom House Pier has demonstrated the potential to change that. Perhaps Advanced American Engineering will reveal exciting ideas to meet the waterfront’s potential. But the public had a right to learn something about those ideas before the council acted.

The Day editorial board meets with political, business and community leaders to formulate editorial viewpoints. It is composed of President and Publisher Timothy Dwyer, Executive Editor Izaskun E. Larraneta, Owen Poole, copy editor, and Lisa McGinley, retired deputy managing editor. The board operates independently from The Day newsroom.