ANSONIA – Mayor Frank Tyszka and former state Sen. Gary Hale are scheduled to give a detailed update Tuesday about a stalled fuel cell project the city inherited from former Mayor David Cassetti’s administration.

According to a meeting agenda on the city’s Facebook page, Hale is scheduled to lead the presentation during a meeting of the Board of Aldermen scheduled for 7 p.m. June 9 at the second floor of the Ansonia Senior Center, 65 Main St. Please note the venue’s location was changed from city hall.

Tyszka and city Democrats have said the fuel cell deal could be good for the city but was poorly handled by the Cassetti administration, causing it to fall apart. 

Click here for a previous Valley Indy story detailing the fuel cell drama.

Tyszka has been touting a “path forward” regarding getting the fuel cell project back on track. 

Those details are expected to be discussed at Tuesday’s meeting, which the Tyszka administration is encouraging people to attend.

Pay Not Disclosed

However, one unknown as of Monday (June 8) – what Hale is being paid for his consulting work.

Tyszka would not provide a dollar amount to The Valley Indy Monday because Hale is not being paid by the city. Instead, Androski Law Firm – the city’s corporation counsel – is picking up the tab, according to the mayor.

“Gary works on special assignments under the Androski Law Firm,” Tyszka said in an email. “He does not work for the City of Ansonia or me. I inquired about hiring an outside lobbying firm and was told it would be six figures. The city does not pay him directly, nor is he compensated for every hour he works, nor is he compensated in six figures. His presentation is part of his agreement and is not additional compensation.”

The Valley Indy then asked Tyszka how much the law firm is paying Hale to consult for the city but did not hear back.

Hale was brought on board in February by a vote of the Board of Aldermen. The 527-word resolution adopted by the Aldermen said Tyszka would negotiate Hale’s pay. The resolution is posted at the bottom of this story.

“The mayor is authorized to negotiate reasonable terms and compensation for such services, subject to available appropriations and any additional approvals required by the City Charter or applicable law,” the resolution reads.

The resolution touted Hale’s expertise in clean energy, legislative affairs, and his professional relationships with state lawmakers and the governor’s office.

Reaction

Ansonia Republican Town Committee Chairman Tony Mammone said the current administration is not transparent.

“I would like to say I’m disappointed but not surprised that they chose to hide his salary in the legal line of the budget,” Mammone said. “Team Frank ran on transparency and accountability in City Hall and this truly does not align (with) transparency or accountability, and may even question the legality of it. If this is the transparency that he promised during his campaign, the City of Ansonia is in trouble,” he said.

Mammone said he submitted requests through the state’s Freedom of Information Act five months ago asking to see employment contracts but hasn’t received them.

Mammone, former Mayor Cassetti, and the entire Republican Board of Aldermen were swept from office by Tyszka and the Democrats in November 2024.

Cassetti, in response to a message from The Valley Indy, said it sounded like the city was hiding payments to Hale.

“You’re telling me he’s working for free? Androski Law Firm is not back charging the City of Ansonia for his services?” Cassetti wrote in a text message.

Ansonia Democratic Town Committee Chairwoman Jacquelyn Daniels said nothing is hidden.

“The mayor has already stated the city is not paying Mr. Hale directly. The city retained the Androski Law Firm as corporation counsel, Mr. Hale is working through that arrangement because he has the experience needed to address serious issues this administration inherited,” Daniels wrote in a message.

She said Hale is fixing problems created under the Cassetti administration.

“This is starting to seem like it’s about distracting from the problems created under the previous administration, because the same political team criticizing the cleanup has still not taken responsibility for the fuel cell mess or the budgets that counted on money the city did not actually have. This administration is doing the difficult work of fixing problems it did not create,” Daniels wrote.

Republicans have also raised questions about whether the Democrats have been following the city charter when it comes to awarding contracts.

The Fuel Cell ‘Path Forward’

Tyszka and Ansonia Democrats have repeatedly said that “Team Cassetti” Republicans created a financial mess in the city, and have pointed to the stalled fuel cell project as one example.

The city, under Cassetti, entered into a $37 million lease-purchase deal with Johnson Controls International in 2024 to build fuel cells at the former SHW site on 35 N. Main St.

However, two years later, nothing has been built.

At issue: Two different companies claimed they had the right to build fuel cells there. HyAxiom, based in South Windsor, had also been in talks with the Cassetti administration and said they should be able to build their own project on the site.

Tyszka said the Cassetti administration kept secret the impact of its double dealing.

As example, he said the city’s current budget, which was adopted in June 2025, did not include a series of payments due to Johnson Controls, including a bill for $695,551 last December. 

Additionally, the budget booked for about $1.5 million in fuel cell revenue that did not come in.

Tyszka said the city had to bring in consultants such as Hale to straighten out the mess.

State legislators last month passed a budget adjustment bill which included language relating to Ansonia’s fuel cell deal.

State Rep. Kara Rochelle wrote in a press release that the bill gives Ansonia a path toward getting something built on the site, but the specifics have not been shared with the public.

“We were able to create a legislative path to make the project viable and give the city the opportunity to pursue regulatory approval,” Rochelle wrote. “While this does not automatically mean the project is ready to move forward, it adjusts several areas of state law to create a path for the city to pursue to resolve this issue.”

Tyszka said in an email that the presentation will give more information on that path forward.

“The presentation will indicate just how poorly the entire previous administration failed in its fiduciary duties. My team and I performed a herculean task to get us back on track,” Tyszka wrote.

Cassetti, in a text message, said Tyszka was misrepresenting the deal. He said the involvement of state legislators complicated the deal unnecessarily.

“The deal I made with Johnson Controls was concrete and they’re going to be moving in very soon,” Cassetti said.

Pictured below is the resolution adopted by the Aldermen in February which authorized bringing Hale on board.