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07/31/2017 10:20 AMUPDATE: The Aug. 8 meeting discussed in this story has since been cancelled, according to notification from Town Hall issued on Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2017. The meeting was cancelled due to lack of quorum.
More than a dozen Freedom of Information requests, from a town resident who feels some actions by town officials are negatively affecting taxpayers, will be discussed at an upcoming town council meeting.
Victor Pietrandrea has obtained and has been reviewing numerous town documents he received through 15 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests.
On Tuesday, Aug. 8, at 7 p.m., the issue will be on the agenda at the regular Town Council meeting, said Town Manager Michael Paulhus.
Paulhus first made note of some of the FOI requests at the July 11 Town Council meeting, saying he’d received an “unusual” number of FOI requests in recent weeks (10, at that point). During the time set aside for citizen’s statements at the same meeting, Pietrandrea detailed some of the specifics he said he was uncovering through his FOI requests.
Pietrandrea later told The Sound that the information he obtained has led him to question town “rules and regulations and laws, and how they’re written.” He’s hired a forensic accountant as part of his effort to look more deeply into town actions he said he feels are negatively affecting taxpayers and are in need of further review.
Paulhus told The Sound he continues to be in contact with Pietrandrea in terms of supplying requested information and reviewing items, and that the Town Council will be provided with copies of the documents that Pietrandrea requested.
“I’m working to get as much information as I can to the council ahead of time,” Paulhus told The Sound.
Paulhus said Pietrandrea has raised some points regarding procedure and protocols, and as town manager he will have some recommendations for the council. Paulhus said the council may direct him to follow those recommendations or request he take other actions. He said some other FOI-related issues Pietrandrea is raising lie with the Board of Education (BOE), which is out of the purview of the Town Council.
Pietrandrea started requesting information through the FOIA after an April motorcycle accident on school grounds. While ambulance response was requested to assist Pietrandrea’s son, who was involved in the incident, volunteer fire department members hired by the BOE to perform a safety “fire watch” at the North Branford Auditorium responded instead.
On July 11, Pietrandrea told the council ambulance records obtained through the FOIA indicated, to him, that the ambulance was out of repair, yet under warranty, and had $22,000 billed for repairs. He also said that having Town Finance Director Anthony Esposito—who also serves as deputy fire chief—sign off on paying the ambulance repair bills should be a conflict, based on a past opinion by former Town Attorney John Gesmonde, relating to the issue of one person serving in two town administrative roles.
Paulhus told The Sound current Town Attorney Pasquale “Pat” Young checked the Town Charter and determined a conflict would only be created if the finance director was also fire chief,
“[Esposito] is not serving as fire chief, he’s serving as deputy chief, which is not a position in the charter,” said Paulhus.”If the council sees it that way, they can certainly push in that direction, if they think there’s a violation or that it’s an issue.”
Pietrandrea also told the council on July 11 that there were discrepancies in some of the information provided to the council on June 20 regarding a request to transfer funds to replace unsafe or outmoded fire hose. The council’s June 20 discussion on the fire hose replacement cost opened with Paulhus noting a request to transfer a $70,000 “placeholder” amount, due to limited cost information available from the fire department.
With regard to some of the issues raised by Pietrandrea concerning the fire department, Paulhus said there may be other details, beyond those culled through the FOI requests, that could provide clarity to the council. Paulhus said Seward and the Fire Commission want to meet with council in a joint executive session (not open to the public) to discuss specifics. At press time, he said the meeting is hoped to be held an hour ahead of the Aug. 8 Town Council meeting.
“I think it will be enlightening for the council members, and it might help them through the process going into the [Town Council] meeting at 7 p.m.” said Paulhus.