A vote taken last month by the Seymour Police Commission to allow Detective Sgt. Ronald Goodmaster to stay on the force past his 65th birthday has been rescinded.
First Selectman Kurt Miller announced the news at the beginning of a Selectmen’s meeting Tuesday.
Miller said that Rich Buturla, the town attorney, was reviewing the Police Commission’s action and brought it to his attention that the vote last month overstepped its authority.
“In review by Rich, and Rich gets credit for uncovering this, the legislative body of the town is the only one that can take those actions,” Miller said. “So the actions by the board of police commissioners have been rescinded.”
“If that officer would like to have their retirement extended, a letter would need to be presented to the Board of Selectmen,” Miller added.
A message seeking comment was left at the publicly listed phone number for Goodmaster Wednesday morning.
Goodmaster will reach the retirement age of 65 on March 8, 2013.
On Sept. 13 the Police Commission voted 2 – 1 to extend his employment with the town until March 8, 2014.
Two of the five members of the Seymour Board of Police Commissioners could not attend the Sept. 13 meeting. Goodmaster’s bosses — Chief Michael Metzler and Lt. Paul Satkowski — also could not attend the meeting.
The specific request was not listed on the agenda posted prior to the meeting. Goodmaster attended the meeting and requested that the issue be added to the agenda and that the commissioners take action on it.
The move put Goodmaster in line to hit 25 years of service under the state’s municipal employee retirement system.
But Buturla’s review means it’s as if that never took place, Miller said after the meeting.
“Detective Sgt. Goodmaster’s request is null and void,” he said. “It never happened.”
Miller said the police commission wouldn’t have to take any special action to correct the mistake.
The town has reached out to the police union to make Goodmaster aware of the situation, he added, but no “formal” contact has been made with his office regarding a request to selectmen.
“Detective Sgt. Goodmaster needs to make a request to this board,” Miller said. “And then we will take it under advisement and then take action.”
“This was not done intentionally,” he added, regarding the Police Commission’s extension of Goodmaster’s service time. “It was what was assumed to be the correct process and it was uncovered.”
Miller had sent an e‑mail to the Municipal Employee Retirement System saying Goodmaster’s service time had been extended, but said he followed up asking them “to hold the request until they hear back from me.”
Goodmaster had been subject to disciplinary action in recent years — and had even been demoted — but he fought back through a series of grievances and complaints. One complaint alleged age discrimination.
He and his lawyer negotiated an agreement with the town that saw him reinstated as Detective Sergeant. Two suspensions against him were also reversed.
