SEYMOUR – Members of the Seymour Board of Ethics met in executive session for about an hour Monday (Oct. 19) to discuss a complaint against a town official.
No action was taken after the executive session. The board plans to meet again at a date to be determined.
Board chairman Stephan Behuniak said he anticipates the board could hold another two meetings before wrapping up.
Town officials said they are not allowed to identify who the complaint is against or the parties involved.
However, several independent sources told The Valley Indy the complaint is from Red Clover Farms owner Kim Dulka Warner against her neighbor, Al Bruno, who serves on the Board of Selectpersons.
Background
Al Bruno and his wife, Kristen Bruno, a member of the Seymour Board of Education, filed a complaint with the town earlier this year against the farm, saying it was holding commercial events, such as live music and open mics, that were not allowed in residential zones under Seymour land use regulations.
The Seymour Zoning Enforcement Officer issued a cease and desist against the farm, which was upheld by the Seymour Zoning Board of Appeals. Red Clover Farms has appealed that decision to Superior Court.
Meanwhile, the Seymour Planning and Zoning Commission on Sept. 10 approved a new agritourism zone designed to make it easier for farms to stay in compliance with land use rules in residential zones.
Bruno is not a member of the ZBA or the PZC. He is a member of the ethics board but has not been seated for this complaint.
Seymour First Selectwoman Annmarie Drugonis told The Valley Indy in August that Dulka Warner hand-delivered a sealed ethics complaint to her office in May. Drugonis said she did not read the complaint. She called the town attorney, who advised her to submit the sealed complaint to the Seymour Town Clerk.
Drugonis is not on the Seymour Board of Ethics. She is not involved in investigating the complaint.
The Meeting
Dulka Warner declined comment for this article. She did not attend the meeting.
Monday’s meeting was the fifth time the Seymour Board of Ethics met to discuss the complaint.
The board started the meeting around 6:15 p.m. at Seymour Town Hall.
The board members in attendance Monday were Stephan Behuniak, Tom LaPaglia, Kathie Vrlik, and three alternates, Alice Levey, Cindy Dion and Rob VanEgghan.
Robert Findley, another ethics board member, was not at the meeting.
Bruno was not in attendance.
A Valley Indy reporter was the only person from the public to attend Monday’s meeting.
The board voted to go into executive session at 6:17 p.m.
Executive sessions are closed-door meetings that are allowed by state law under specific circumstances – including when talking about a specific person. The person must be notified and has the right to have the discussion held in public.
The Seymour Code of Ordinances lays out how the ethics board handles complaints. Click here to read it.
Jeffrey Donofrio, a lawyer with Ciulla & Donofrio, LLP, has been hired as the ethics’ board lawyer. He’s guiding the board through the legal process.
During Monday’s executive session, Donofrio left the room at 6:30 p.m. and returned with Seymour First Selectwoman Annmarie Drugonis and town attorney Richard Buturla who were invited into the executive session. Both Drugonis and Buturla were in the room for about 15 minutes. Both declined to comment.
During two previous meetings, Donofrio called in the town’s former and current animal control officers to be part of the executive sessions.
Monday’s executive session ended at 7:07 p.m. The board reconvened in public and ended the meeting. Behuniak said the group will meet again, but a date had not been finalized yet.
To learn the background on the issue, please click the following links:
No Decision From Seymour ZBA Regarding Red Clover Farms
Red Clover Farms Up For Discussion
Seymour PZC Will Revise Zoning Regulations
No Decision Yet On Cease And Desist Order
Public Weighs In On Proposed Agritourism Zone
What Is Red Clover Farm Property Zoned As
PZC Could Decide On New Agritourism Zone By Fall
Farm Owner Asks Judge To Intervene
Ethics Board Meets Again Over Complaint
Selectmen Discuss ‘Right To Farm’ Ordinance
PZC Approves New Agritourism Zone