Willimantic's 1893 Charter as a City - Part 3 by Pete Zizka 3-4-2023

Speaking to the Connecticut Legislature’s Committee on Cities and Boroughs, Judge John Hall reminded the committee members that Willimantic, incorporated in 1833, was one of the state's first boroughs. In 1872, the legislature had granted a revision of that borough charter giving Willimantic broader powers. Since then, Willimantic had added public conveniences that were said to have matched any of Connecticut’s smaller cities. Hall  also pointed out that the change from borough to a city wouldn’t entail  any noticeable expense, while it would give Willimantic the advantages of a city government. Hall mentioned two additions to the draft charter, the first which would end the emptying of Willimantic sewage into the Natchaug River. The second was that the city charter should take effect the second Tuesday in Novernber, 1893, and the borough officials then in power would continue, in office until the city election in December. The, present borough authorities wanted to provide electric power for the new city from an electric light plant it proposed to build at the Natchaug waterworks. However, the legislature suggested that the city purchase the electric cornpany’s existing plant. Borough attorney Sumner ‘responded that a city power company could provide electricity cheaper than a private company and that it would be less expensive to build a new power plant at the borough waterworks.  Moreover; a recent decision by the state legislature that forbade the South Windham Electric and  Power Co. to supply Willimantic  with electricity concerned the  borough authorities who believed  that the electric company would monopolize power supplies when  Willimantic became a city and thus drive the cost upwards. Attorney Morrison then argued that the company had no capital and should not be allowed to dictate what the city must do in lighting its streets. The next item for discussion was the continuation of the borough’s sewage and drain systems. Some citizens wanted the system to be run by a private company but borough officials noted that much of the expense of the sewer project was that system had to be laid out in trenches that oftentimes had to be blasted through granite a result of the meeting between the Legislature and the Willimantic Charter Committee, several changes to the proposed charter would need to be made before the legislature approved it. When the City Charter Committee met on June 23, 1893, to consider the changes proposed by the legislature, they were angered to find “some very important and expensive changes had been made; changes which had never been endorsed either by the Committee or the people of the borough”. The Charter Committee’s feeling was that the charter had been drafted with the greatest care and had been sent to the legislature for final approval after having been approved by the borough’s voters after several meetings and “the most thorough discussions”. We’ll save some time by saying that the Charter finally passed by the Legislature was “in the main, the same as formulated by the committee and approved by the freemen and doubtless comes as near satisfying the majority as any that can ever be formulated”. On October 30, 1893, the vote on whether or not to accept the charter and become a city was held. While there was minor opposition, it was felt that charter would indeed pass. Immediately after the vote (voters were given slips of paper and could vote “yes” if they favored the charter or “no” if they did not), there were some objections to the vote since it was not done by secret ballot and, “there was no booth or envelopes as in voting for town officers”. They felt that the open vote was illegal. The borough’s attorney, Elliott Sumner was asked to investigate. After deliberations with a second attorney, the borough attorney decided that the vote was indeed legal. Sumner said that the meeting was not an election and that there was no statute requiring boroughs to vote by secret ballot. During the day, however, the controversy held the attention of the voters. Then, at 5P.M. the counters took possession of the ballots and declared the results. “Total number of votes cast, 827; those voting “yes” 485, those voting “no”, 342, a majority of 143. It was a larger majority than expected. Borough Warden Julius then declared the vote and after almost three years, the Charter was accepted and Willimantic became a city.  This weeks photo shows Edwin Buck (left) and George Harrington, the city’s first mayoral candidates.

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