CLAREMONT — City Council members expressed their anger Wednesday night over their own public display of infighting played out in the press over the past week, then voted no on the agenda item that had caused all the controversy.

Council members Nicholas Koloski, Keith Raymond Kyle Messier and Assistant Mayor Andrew Austin voted no to spending the $380,000 designated from the new community center bond to purchase furniture, fixtures and equipment for the center.

Victor Bergeron and Thomas Burnham voted yes.

Mayor James Neilsen IV and Councilmen Chris Irish and Roger Formindoni did not attend the meeting.

When saying no to the purchase of furniture, fixtures and equipment for the center, council members said they should lease the items instead, a discussion that will take place when Neilsen returns from vacation, a man Koloski has some words for.

“I’d like to see us deal with this (leasing the furniture) tonight, and I don’t like that it was taken off the agenda and I’ll take that up with Neilsen when I see him,” Koloski said. “I wanted this on the agenda. I also take offense that the mayor thinks we can’t conduct business in his absence.”

The controversy started shortly before Neilsen went on vacation, when he, Irish and Messier had a heated email exchange that ended with Neilsen calling for Messier’s resignation for what he said was a violation of the right-to-know law and city council rule 49, which outlines the use of email and the right-to-know law for city officials because she had copied the entire council to her email, constituting a quorum in the eyes of the law.

Then when Neilsen left town, Austin moved the purchase, not lease of the items, onto the agenda. This angered Irish who said before the meeting that it would be an illegal meeting and did not intend to attend it.

City Manager Guy Santagate told councilors Wednesday night that he has the authority to buy the items since the money was bonded for that purpose, but that he does not have permission to lease the equipment, a practice he and other city officials prefer.

“One of the reasons I like to lease, if you have a problem with the equipment, especially, you have a lot more leverage with the company,” Santagate said. “We lease all of the equipment at the DPW garage. We lease all of the police cruisers and have for years. We have leased all the Fire Department equipment and we have for years. Didn’t give it much thought.”

He recommended the issue be brought up at the next meeting with Neilsen so leasing could be considered. It could not Wednesday night because it was not on the agenda.

The items would have been leased for $350,000 for three years then the city could have owned the items outright.

“I just didn’t think it was unusual because we have done this for years,” Santagate said.

Council members though said they were angry about the controversy and wanted to make a decision on the agenda item that night.

Koloski apologized to Parks & Recreation employees and volunteers who stayed late to speak to the issue, but didn’t get the chance.

“This is absolutely ludicrous. We’re looking like a bunch of fools calling each other names in the newspapers, causing controversy. I don’t understand it,” Bergeron said.

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Meghan Pierce may be reached at mpierce@newstote.com.