Teodosio: Only We Can Save Ourselves

Milone’s to-do list, the stalled audit, and the leadership we need before the bill comes due

Editor’s note: no emphasis added outside of original post.

I’ve learned a lot since I first sounded the alarm in April. I’ve tightened my process, tried hard to correct what I got wrong, and done my best to keep everything rooted in public records. Thank you to everyone who pushed back at times, asked hard questions, and stayed engaged. Your skepticism made me and the work better. I’ve done a lot of self-reflection over the past few months and there are things I’d say differently today, or not at all. I’m grateful for the feedback and the grace as I learn how to do this work in public.

With that said, what follows comes from a deep place of concern for my family and for all of you. My intent is to warn my neighbors about the very real future we face if we do not act in our own best interest.

Since Hamden Residents Unite started, I’ve uncovered a lot, and my list of unanswered questions continues to grow. I don’t know the personal rationale, circumstances, or factors that led those in charge to make the decisions they made. Is it ignorance, incompetence, blind loyalty, confusion, or a genuine belief that they were doing the right thing? Who knows. Many suggest Hanlon’s Razor applies: don’t assume malice when incompetence will do; either way, residents are paying the price.

The town’s finances have created an unsustainable burden for residents and a heightened risk environment: weak controls, unclear ownership, and almost no oversight beyond residents and a few lone council voices. The environment here is so lax and chaotic that anything could happen. This is a crisis.

The Milone Report

Michael Milone is Cheshire’s former Town Manager and a veteran municipal finance consultant. The Legislative Council hired him in spring 2025 to do an independent review of Town Hall’s finance operation, the blown audit timeline, and the budget process. His recently submitted report is blunt: the finance operation is dysfunctional, controls are weak, and immediate outside help and real council oversight are required.

The town has demonstrated a history of neglect of the department by not addressing its staffing deficiencies and the result is the mismanagement of key financial functions, a tendency to put political decisions ahead of sound financial practices, and a lack of fiscal prudence, good governance and real transparency. Unless something is done immediately, Hamden’s financial structure will continue to deteriorate and could eventually implode.”

“The biggest and most obvious problem that I observed is the highly dysfunctional financial operation of the executive branch and to a lesser extent the legislative branch of the government. A municipal organization must have a professional, competent, experienced, responsible, and responsive staff to govern effectively, efficiently, and credibly.

The second critical piece is to ensure that the department is sufficiently staffed. The quality of the organization’s financial operation and culture is the single most important function in town government as every policy decision or action by any agency of the town eventually comes down to dollar and cents considerations and passes through or involves the Finance Department.

Continued here.