A bank commenced foreclosure proceedings in 2009 against Joseph Calabrese, the Democratic Party’s candidate for First Selectman, court documents show.
Calabrese said he has resolved the issue.
The case file began in 2009 was last updated in March 2011, court records show.
Calabrese said this week he was surprised that the court filing was still active.
“That should all be closed out now. That’s been taken care of,” Calabrese said. “If they haven’t finished filing whatever needs to be done, it should be, because it’s all been resolved.”
Calabrese said he went through a mediation process and is no longer in foreclosure. The taxes on his home are up to date.
Calabrese wouldn’t elaborate on the issue, saying it was a personal matter.
The fact the court record hasn’t been updated in seven months indicates the matter has been resolved, an attorney said.
Two messages seeking comment were left with the attorney for First Horizon Home Loans, which holds the mortgage on Calabrese’s home at 494 Quaker Farms Road.
Calabrese is an architect who took a job as administrative assistant to First Selectwoman Mary Ann Drayton-Rogers in January 2010.
He said he no longer solicits new clients, but does some architectural work for existing clients.
The Valley Independent Sentinel learned about the foreclosure by searching the candidate’s name on the judicial branch’s civil court database.
The Valley Indy searched a civil court database for cases connected to the candidates running for First Selectman and Mayor in the lower Valley.
Calabrese purchased the three-bedroom house for $153,500 on July 16, 1997, according to property records.
In 2004, he took out a mortgage on the property from First Horizon for $216,000. First Horizon is a division of First Tennessee Bank National Association.
First Horizon Home Loans started foreclosure proceedings against him on March 31, 2009.
Reaction
Calabrese’s challenger for the First Selectman’s office, Republican George Temple, said he was sorry to hear about the issue.
“I wish him the best. I don’t consider this political fodder,” Temple said.
Given the economy the last few years, Temple said voters might actually sympathize with Calabrese when they find out about the foreclosure proceedings.
Carol Georgette, chairman of the Democratic Town Committee, said it should have no bearing on the election because it is something that happened in the past.
“It’s a past event, and I don’t see that it’s news or relevant to anything now,” Georgette said.
A foreclosure should be covered by the press for the public’s interest, said Rich Hanley, director of the graduate journalism program at Quinnipiac University in Hamden.
“It’s clearly a legitimate area of coverage for journalists who are looking into candidates for public office. When people run for public office they need to understand their public record in whatever form will be examined and posted or published,” Hanley said. “The good material as well as the bad material is out there for public review.”
It is incumbent upon the reporter to publish that the foreclosure was remedied, Hanley said.
Foreclosures
The foreclosure situation is not unique to Calabrese.
There were 41,405 foreclosure starts in Connecticut from the first quarter of 2008 to the first quarter of 2010, according to the website Responsible Lending.
As of Wednesday, there were three foreclosed homes listed for sale in Oxford, and four homes in “pre-foreclosure,” according to Ansonia real estate agent Frank Hoinksy, who got the numbers from Realty Trac, a company that tracks foreclosed homes for real estate agents.
Calabrese’s house was not listed in any manner, Hoinsky said.
