Wallingford councilors study deeper probe into wood allegations

Second report may do the trick - Wallingford councilors study deeper probe into wood allegations

By Laurie Rich Salerno
Record-Journal staff

lsalerno@record-journal.com 

(203) 317-2235  

Twitter:@LaurieSalernoRJ

WALLINGFORD — Many town councilors said Monday they will likely not vote for an independent investigation into allegations that Public Works employees mishandled town wood, after reading Personnel Director Terence Sullivan’s second report on the incident. “Do I think at this time I would go the next step and vote in favor of an official independent investigation? I would say no, not at this time,” said Councilor John Sullivan, a Democrat, one of the councilors who voted in favor of a second investigation in a 7-2 vote in May. “This was a much more in-depth investigation in my eyes — this level of detail is what I wanted.”

The 32-page report, with hundreds of pages of supporting documents, was made available to councilors on Friday afternoon. By Monday, all nine councilors had picked it up at Town Hall.

The report concluded that there was “no proof of any kind” to support allegations that town employees had taken town wood for profit or personal use or cut down healthy trees in town parks.

In January, Town Councilor Nicholas Economopoulos, a Democrat, asked the town to investigate instances of town wood being taken in town trucks to the private dumpsite of Public Works employee Randy Mangino. Mangino held an outside contract with the town’s Water Department to dispose of clean fill and debris, and said he was allowed by Public Works Director Henry McCully to take wood the department had collected from trees damaged in an October snowstorm. McCully said he had misread Mangino’s contract and allowed him to take the wood, though the contract calls for Mangino to use his own truck, and wood does not strictly fall into the category of what he was contracted to haul.

The incident was ruled “an honest mistake” in a January report by Terence Sullivan, and the wood was reportedly returned. In May, Economopoulos reopened the issue in a presentation at a council meeting, and in June the council voted to have Sullivan do a second, more thorough investigation, with his report helping them determine whether to seek an independent investigation.

Councilors are slated to discuss the report at their next meeting, on Aug. 14. Only three votes are needed to trigger an independent investigation.

After reading the report, many councilors were particularly confused as to why William Comerford — a town resident who was investigating the incidents with Economopoulos— had not given evidence when asked to either by the personnel director or an inspector with the New Haven State’s Attorney’s office named Robert Sage.

Sage’s investigation was prompted by a letter from Public Works employee Mark Staszewski regarding “inappropriate and possibly criminal activity by certain employees of the DPW.” Staszweski’s second interview with the Personnel Department reflected these claims, saying that Public Works employees were “basically looking for wood to cut into smaller lengths for burning.” Staszewski did not mention this in his first interview with Terence Sullivan. None of the other 11 members of the Public Works Department interviewed corroborated his account.

Regarding Comerford, Councilor Tom Laffin, a Republican, said, “How is it possible that there’s such a passion towards getting to resolution, but then asked for evidence, they never give it to anybody?”

Councilor Craig Fishbein, a Republican, said that having the state’s attorney continue to investigate would be a thirdparty investigator and would mean the town wouldn’t have to hire anyone else to do the job.

“I’m looking to save the taxpayers’ funds — if a state investigator is asking for information, then a state investigator is a third party. Why not just put it in their lap?” Fishbein said.

Comerford, reached Monday, said he hadn’t been given a deadline by Sage, and intends to produce the evidence he said he has collected.

“Sage is going to get it all; I had no deadline to do this. I didn’t realize that someone was contacting him,” Comerford said.

He said he refused to supply Terence Sullivan with the information when asked because he questioned the personnel director’s ability and interest in performing an investigation into the topic, saying his first report was too thin, and that Comerford thought he would be able to find enough of his own evidence to proceed.

Terence Sullivan was on vacation Monday and could not be reached for comment.

Both council Chairman Robert F. Parisi, a Republican, and Councilor Jason Zandri, a Democrat, said Monday they’d like to study the report more closely before commenting.

Vincent Cervoni and Rosemary Rascati, the two Republican councilors who had originally voted against an investigation in May, said they were not surprised by the findings.

“This is much ado about nothing — I’ve said that from the beginning,” Cervoni said.

Rascati said that she agreed with the report — that after seeing Sullivan’s interviews with 26 people, she also felt there was not enough evidence to substantiate allegations.

She said her constituents would be happy to put the matter at rest, that they’ve been telling her, “This is ridiculous, that we shouldn’t spend any more money and time on this.”

Fishbein said the report still left him with questions that he would like to ask the personnel director.

“I don’t think all of my questions are answered,” Fishbein said of the questions councilors were allowed to submit for the inquest. “He doesn’t talk about who loaded the trucks.”

Fishbein had asked who loaded trucks with wood taken to Mangino’s property, but the report gives only the names of drivers, Public Works employees Mangino and John Manke.

Economopoulos, who instigated the investigation and is being sued for libel and defamation by Mangino because of his involvement with it, said he thinks that the fact that some of the facts waver in the report shows that there is something to his claims.

“My story from the report and from what I originally reported ... has not wavered. Yet, if you look at their stories, they have wavered considerably,” Economopoulos said Monday.

One example he uses is the addresses of the property Mangino listed as a dump site on his bid contract with the Water Department. He lists 1171 S. Broad St. on the contract, which is where Economopoulos found pallets of shrink-wrapped wood, but later said the address is actually 1173. Mangino says this was an error, and solicited a signed affidavit from the owner of 1171, Roland Clavet, saying that the wood is his, but Economopoulos said it’s one of many discrepancies found during the investigation.

“There’s just too many questions that weren’t answered,” Economopoulos said.

Mayor William W. Dickinson Jr. said the town would address questions that remain.

“Mr. Sullivan obviously spent a lot of time — I understand it’s close to 80 hours with the interview and review of things, so it sounds like a very thorough effort,” Dickinson said. “If there are other questions to be asked, they can be dealt with.”

Wallingford must try anew to sell old Legion building

As published in the Record Journal Thursday July 19, 2012

By Laurie Rich Salerno
Record-Journal staff
lsalerno@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2235

WALLINGFORD — The future of the former American Legion building is again unknown.

On Tuesday, the Town Attorney’s Office received a letter from a lawyer for Jeanine Connelly saying she would not proceed with the purchase of the town-owned building at 41 S. Main St., next to Town Hall. The letter from Jim Loughlin cited “circumstances arising unexpectedly,” saying Connelly had lost an investor and that “a family member can no longer work as a partner in the bed and breakfast project.” Connelly did not answer phone calls Wednesday. Loughlin said all the information he could provide was in the letter he sent.

Connelly’s bid of $125,000 for the late 19th century structure was approved last November by the Town Council, after she submitted plans to turn the long-vacant building into a six-to-eight-room bed and breakfast. The agreement also said she would spend an additional $191,600 renovating the building. Connelly, a respiratory therapist, planned to call the establishment the Hitching Post Inn.

Councilors and town officials were disappointed, as this is the second time a deal for the building has fallen through in less than a year.

“I’m greatly disappointed,” said Republican Town Councilor John LeTourneau. “I’m confident that somebody else will come forward and save this building. It’ll endure this, too. This is just a bump in the road.”

LeTourneau is a member of the Historic Preservation Commission, which, along with the state Attorney General’s Office, spent more than a decade fighting the town over demolishing the building. A New Haven Superior Court Judge ruled in February 2011 that the town could not raze the building, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993.

The town paid $190,000 for the American Legion building in a foreclosure auction in 1995 with the intent of demolishing it, making way for possible future expansion and parking for Town Hall.

Mayor William W. Dickinson Jr., who has long sought to raze the building, said he wasn’t entirely surprised that the deal fell through, considering the state of the economy. He said he doesn’t believe town money should be spent on the building, and he wouldn’t consider using it as a satellite building, as such buildings are costly to maintain.

Dickinson said the issue would return to the council, which would have to decide the next step.

“We start from square one for the third time,” Republican Councilor Craig Fishbein said Wednesday.

In November, Connelly’s bid beat out that of resident Donald Ahern, who was interested in turning the building into apartments. That was the second bidding process held in 2011, after local businessman Richard Termini withdrew his already approved bid last October. He would have converted the building into apartments and offices. A phone message left for Ahern Wednesday afternoon was not returned.

Fishbein said he thought the council’s decision was made too hastily last fall. He wanted to postpone the vote until the bidders at the meeting could make more thorough presentations.

“I asked for time for the applicants to get their ducks in a row so that we could do this the proper way the first time,” Fishbein said, adding that he was not supported.

Local architect Steven Lazarus was hired by Connelly to restore and redesign the building, and has been working since December on the project. He said the plans were nearly done.

“I wish that Jeanine could straighten things out with investors and I could come back. If not her, I would love to see someone else come over,” Lazarus said, and added he would be paid for much of the work.

He said Connelly had made a major effort to restore the building — hiring a consultant to advise on preservation issues, including restoration tax credits for anyone who uses the plans and builds.

“If a careful restoration were done, it could be a beautiful building,” Lazarus said.

Wallingford Historic Trust President Jerry Farrell Jr. said the American Legion building was particularly important because it lined the town’s historic parade ground along with Town Hall and other historic structures.

“If it got knocked down it’s a gaping view to the parking lot behind. We always argued that it would be like knocking someone’s two front teeth out — they would still be able to chew, but it’s not going to look nice,” Farrell said. “Maybe the third time will be a charm.”

Family, Friends, and Neighbors house party in Wallingford with Chris Murphy

Wallingford Democratic Party Chairman Vinny Avallone will be hosting a Family, Friends, and Neighbors house party on Tuesday July 17^th for Chris Murphy.

Pease join us anytime between 5:30-7:30 at Vinny’s offices (130 North Main Street, Wallingford)

For more information or to find out how you can get involved and help visit http://www.chrismurphy.com or contact Emily Smith at 202-491-3224 or emily@chrismurphy.com

Join Chris Murphy in Wallingford for some door to door campaigning

 

Chris Murphy and his campaign supporters will be door knocking in Wallingford Saturday and Sunday July 14^th and 15^th. 

They will be meeting at 2:30PM on both days in the Town Hall parking lot (45 South Main Street, Wallingford).

For more information or to find out how you can get involved and help visit http://www.chrismurphy.com or contact Emily Smith at 202-491-3224 or emily@chrismurphy.com