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ENFIELD, CT — Just hours after the resignation of Town Manager Ellen Zoppo-Sassu, the newly-elected town council made plans to bring back the previous manager who resigned abruptly in the midst of a heated meeting two years ago.
The agenda for Monday’s organizational meeting, at which the 11 council members will be sworn into office and a new mayor and deputy mayor will be selected, includes a resolution appointing Christopher Bromson as town manager.
Bromson, 63, was appointed town attorney in the fall of 1989, serving in that capacity through 2008, with a short stint as acting town manager in 2005-06. He served eight years as director of public safety, and was appointed acting town manager on May 29, 2018 following the sudden departure of Bryan Chodkowski. He was made full-time town manager by the council in early September of that year.
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In 2021, Democrats gained the majority on the council for the first time in more than a decade. On Nov. 15, at the first full meeting of the new board, discussion about a proposed bike path in the Thompsonville section of town turned heated when several Democratic council members criticized a document included in their information packets.
Following the criticism, Bromson said, “I talked to you before the election and said my time here was short. Tonight, watching all of you and meeting in executive session, I think it’s time for you to pick your own manager, for you to proceed on your own course. So what I’m going to do is leave now. I’m going to make my resignation effective in two weeks.”
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Before departing, Bromson appointed Director of Finance John Wilcox as acting town manager. He then motioned his hand toward the council members and said, “I can just see this is not going to be something I want to be involved in going forward. We’ve done incredible things, and this picking … I’m not going to be part of it, so I bid you adieu.” He picked up his folders, tossed his pen on the table and left the chamber.
As of publication time, neither Bromson nor Republican council leader Ken Nelson had returned messages from Patch seeking comment.
The agenda also indicated an interim replacement will be appointed to the town attorney position, as the contract of current office holder James Tallberg will not be renewed.
Monday’s organizational meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. in the council chambers at town hall.
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