ANSONIA – The corporation counsel is investigating the “use of city credit cards and city vehicles for non-city business,” Mayor Frank Tyszka said Tuesday (Feb. 17).

The mayor’s announcement came at the end of an Aldermen meeting convened to discuss financial problems Tyszka said he inherited from former Mayor David Cassetti’s administration.

The mayor said the investigation into the use of city-issued credit cards is already underway.

“The preliminary results of the credit card investigation is, to put it politely, very interesting,” Tyszka said.

Click play on the video below to watch the mayor’s remarks. The story continues after the video.

The mayor said the corporation counsel will prepare a report on the use of city-issued credit cards and the use of city vehicles for non-city business.

“When that initial report is thoroughly completed, which we have not done, the results will be released to the public and referred elsewhere if necessary,” he said.

That referral could mean the report will be sent to law enforcement or a state’s attorney. 

Tyszka said he ordered both investigations.

Tyszka, a Democrat, defeated six-term Republican incumbent Mayor David Cassetti in November 2025. The Democrats also won every seat on the Board of Aldermen from the Republicans.

Caroline Baird, a lawyer at the city’s corporation counsel firm, Androski Law, said in an email that the administration “is undertaking a broad compliance and efficiency review spanning multiple departments, including the corporation counsel, budget and fiscal offices, the assessor’s office, and public works.”

She said the process has just started. No conclusions have been reached.

“We’re not making any assumptions about conduct, and we’re not making any allegations at this point,” Baird said in a follow-up interview.

Baird described her office’s investigation as a review of city policies, and whether those policies were followed.

“If we do determine that something does not seem to be aligned with city policy, then, you know, we will forward it to the appropriate people, but I think it’s a little bit early in this, in our investigation anyway, to really comment on it,” Baird said.

The Valley Indy called Tyszka Feb. 19 for comment but did not hear back.

Prior Accusation

The use of city vehicles was an issue during the mayoral campaign in 2025. 

In a Facebook post dated Oct. 19, 2025, the Ansonia Democratic Town Committee shared a screen shot of an undated image they said showed Cassetti’s daughter, then a Republican candidate for the Seventh Ward, posing next to a city-owned vehicle outside a New Jersey sporting arena.

The Valley Indy called David Cassetti Feb. 19 for comment but did not hear back.

What Are The Rules?

According to a draft copy of the City of Ansonia’s personnel rules and policies uploaded to the web by The Valley Indy in 2015, no city officials or employees are allowed to use a city vehicle for “personal convenience” unless “specifically authorized by the appropriate authority or agency.”

Credit cards are not mentioned in the document.

The Valley Indy emailed Ansonia Human Resources Director Joseph Jaumann Feb. 19 asking whether the city has written policies for the use of city-issued credit cards and vehicles but did not hear back.

Baird said her office is currently researching whether the policies exist.

Next Steps?

The process Tyszka briefly described this week is similar to the process the city undertook during an internal review in 2012, after a Valley Indy investigation revealed a former tax collector issued paperwork saying certain residents had paid their motor vehicles taxes when they had not. 

In that case, the city’s corporation counsel conducted an investigation and produced a “fact finding” report that was made public and then given to the Ansonia Police Department.

Police forwarded the report to the chief state’s attorney’s office, who did not prosecute.

The former tax collector resigned, but the city allowed her to rescind the resignation and retire – without telling the public.

Lt. Patrick Lynch of the Ansonia Police Department said Feb. 19 his department has not been contacted about city-issued credit cards or vehicles.

Reaction

The Valley Indy reached out to Ansonia Republican Town Committee Chairman Tony Mammone for comment. He said in a text message that he supports the investigation.

“We are committed to ensuring that taxpayer funds are managed with transparency, integrity, and accountability. We believe taxpayer funds must always be used solely for their intended purpose. Any misuse of funds should be promptly repaid in full to the city,” Mammone said.

Ethics Training

Baird said the investigation is part of a larger effort by Tyszka to make “ethics and fiscal responsibility the bedrock of his administration.”

That effort also included re-establishing the city’s Board of Ethics, holding ethics training seminars for all city employees, and “reinforcing a fundamental principle of Connecticut law” that “city vehicles, funds, and supplies are public assets held in trust to serve our residents.”

“Mayor Tyszka’s mandate is straightforward: restore public trust and be responsible stewards of taxpayer money,” she said.