SEYMOUR – Members of the Seymour Board of Ethics met in executive session for about an hour Wednesday (Sept. 2) to discuss a complaint against a town official.

Town officials are not allowed to say who the complaint is against or the parties involved.

However, several independent sources have 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 events, such as live music and open mics, that are not allowed 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 is working to change its land use regulations to make it easier for farms to stay in compliance with land use rules in residential zones.

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, but 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 nor is she involved in investigating the complaint.

The Meeting

Dulka Warner declined comment for this article. She did not attend the meeting.

Wednesday’s meeting was the third time the Seymour Board of Ethics met to discuss a complaint.

The members of the Seymour Board of Ethics started the meeting at 6 p.m. in Seymour Town Hall. The board members in attendance Wednesday were Stephan Behuniak, Tom LaPaglia, Kathie Vrlik, and two of the three newly seated alternates, Alice Levey and Cindy Dion. A third alternate, Rob VanEgghan, was not in attendance.  Robert Findley, another ethics board member, was  not at the meeting.

Al Bruno is a member of the Seymour Board of Ethics. However, he has been replaced by an alternate during the recent meetings, and has not been in the audience.

A Valley Indy reporter was the only person from the public to attend Wednesday’s meeting. 

The board voted to go into executive session at 6:01 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 Wednesday’s executive session, Donofrio exited the closed meeting room and returned with Jess Moffo, the town’s animal control officer. Moffo was in the room for about 30 minutes.

Because the town is treating the complaint as confidential, it is not known why Moffo was there. She declined to comment.

After the executive session ended at 7:10 p.m., the board reconvened in public and ended the meeting. The board took no action or votes after coming back into public session.

Behuniak said the group will meet again, but a date had not been finalized yet.

This was the third time the ethics board has met on this complaint. They first convened on July 14 and met again Aug. 12. 

According to meeting minutes on the town’s website, the agendas called for an “executive session with legal counsel to discuss complaint #2026-01,” which was the same complaint number discussed on Wednesday (Sept. 2). 

The Procedure

The Seymour Board of Ethics’ job is to determine whether the town’s ethics policy has been violated. Specifically, the board is “empowered to investigate allegations of unethical conduct, corrupting influence or activities levied against any municipal official, officer or employee,” according to the Seymour Town Charter.

The meetings are open to the public, but the board can vote to go into executive session after the meeting starts.

When a complaint is received, the members of the board of ethics meet to determine whether there’s enough evidence to warrant an investigation. The goal of the initial investigation is to determine whether there is probable cause to believe a violation happened.

If probable cause is found, the board holds hearings – which can be held in private, unless the person or group accused says otherwise –  to determine whether a violation happened. If probable cause is found, the board must notify the public of the finding, according to the town charter.

The ethics board eventually reports to the Board of Selectpersons as to whether the town’s ethics policy was violated. They can also recommend a punishment to the Selectpersons, if a violation is determined.

Click here to read the ethics policy and procedures from the code of ordinances.

Correction: the board of ethics’ policy is explained in the Seymour Code of Ordinances, not the Seymour Town Charter.