Brooklyn’s Government

    This page of the Brooklyn History Web site is about Brooklyn’s government. It is also about its First Selectman, Mr. Bowen.
    300 years ago, in 1703, people moved to Brooklyn and created a government 83 years later. The Town Hall was established in 1842 and was used as a Court of Law and included a jail in the basement.
    Mr. Bowen loves being with the government and he’s been with the government for thirty-five years. “The best part of my job is when someone thanks me for helping them” he said.
    There are 3 Selectmen on the Board of Government. Mr. Bowen is the First Selectman. The First Selectman has a 2 year term. He is also the Chief of Police.
    There are three Selectmen on the Board of Selectmen. The help make important decisions about the town. This includes the budget, roadwork, trees falling down and other things.
    The government has many problems to solve. In 2003, we had a bad winter, so it was a big pain because the State Government only gives him money to clear three-and-a-half miles of roads, and there are about sixty miles of roads in Brooklyn.
    Decisions are made at meetings in the town hall. Mr. Bowen calls and holds the meetings. A moderator is chosen and voted on. Then people listen to debates about the topics. Sometimes they vote there at the meeting. Sometimes they have a referendum, where they vote in a voting booth.
When Mr. Bowen or the Board of Education wants to do something, they have to take their idea or problem to to the Board of Finance. If they accept the idea, the Board of Finance must let the citizens vote on it. If the Board of Finance doesn’t accept it,the person has to modify the idea and hold another meeting and ask the Board of Finance again.
    An example of a problem is In a winter like 2003’s, Mr. Bowen didn’t have enough money to clear the roads, so he asked townspeople and the State Governor for more money by raising the taxes.
    We hope that you learned a lot about Brooklyn’s governmental history on our web page.