§ 203. Civil service commission.

(a)

There shall continue to be a civil service commission, which shall consist of five members appointed by the mayor as hereinafter provided. In October of each year, the mayor shall appoint one person as a successor of the member whose term shall expire, to serve for five years. Any vacancy shall be filled by the mayor for the unexpired portion of the term. Not more than two members shall be adherents of the same political party and no member shall hold salaried public office. The mayor may, remove a commissioner during his term of office only for misfeasance, nonfeasance or partisan activity while in office, upon stating in writing the reason for the removal and allowing him a hearing in his own defense before the city council and such removal shall then be effective only upon a two-thirds vote of the city council. (Amended, 1986 referendum)

(b)

Commencing with the appointment to the civil service commission to be made next after the passage of this act, the mayor shall appoint an employee of the city of Bridgeport as a member of the civil service commission; and the successors of this particular member shall be employees of the city of Bridgeport. In making this appointment, and the successor appointments to it, the mayor shall accept for appointment the person who shall have been elected by the employees of the city of Bridgeport. The member of the civil service commission who is also an employee of the city of Bridgeport shall be permitted to hold paid public office or position.

(c)

The nominations for the election called for in this act shall be made at an open meeting to be called by the chairman of a combined city employees election committee, chosen for the sole purpose of administering the provisions of this act, no earlier than September first and no later than September fifteenth of the year or years in which such an appointment is made, and said chairman shall cause to be published in a Bridgeport newspaper a legal notice of such a meeting at least two weeks prior to the date of said meeting. Such notice shall include the time, place and date of the aforesaid meeting. The chairman of the combined-city employees' election committee shall preside over this meeting. The recording secretary of said combined city employees' election committee shall record all nominations that have been duly made and seconded. The combined city employees' committee shall examine credentials of all participating in nominations to see that they are city employees.

(d)

Within five days after said meeting the combined city employees' election committee shall cause ballots to be printed bearing the names of all nominees. The election committee shall cause to be published in a Bridgeport newspaper a legal notice of the list of candidates on or before September twentieth of the year or years such appointments are to be made. One ballot shall be sent, together with a self-addressed return envelope, on or before September twenty-third to each city employee by the election committee. Such ballots shall be sealed and returned to the election committee on or before October first. Said ballots shall be tabulated by the election committee no later than the eighth day of October of said year or years the said appointments are to be made. The election committee shall present to the mayor, before October tenth, the name of the candidate receiving the highest number of votes, and said candidate shall be appointed a member of the civil service commission.

(e)

Should a vacancy occur in an unexpired portion of a term of a city employee position on the civil service commission the same procedure shall be followed as provided for in a regular appointment except that the nominations, elections and appointment shall be held at the time such vacancy occurs.

(f)

No provision of the general statutes or special acts inconsistent with any provision of this act shall apply to the city of Bridgeport.