NORWICH – Last week’s Common Council meeting saw the proposed appointment of an additional finance clerk come up two votes shy of approval, and one city official left the council chambers after it failed to pass.

Finance Director William Roberts quietly exited the building shortly after watching the proposal – which would have added one full-time position to the city’s finance department – fail by a vote of four to two following a lengthy discussion.

Although the council had already approved the position on two previous occasions, Tuesday’s meeting saw Aldermen Robert Carey, John Deierlein, Walter Schermerhorn and Robert Jeffrey changing their position this time around.

In April, the council unanimously approved the provisional appointment of Regina Pylinski to the position. When contacted, however, Pylinski had already taken employment elsewhere.

According to Roberts, vacancies in the Finance Department have led to severe backlogs, and the department has accumulated a number of additional duties over the years due to staff reductions.