Ansonia’s garbage hauling contractor filed a lawsuit against the city alleging Mayor David Cassetti and other officials broke the city’s contract with the company with a view to steering the work to another hauler with connections to City Hall.
A meeting about the case is scheduled for Monday morning in a New Haven courthouse.
Cassetti called the garbage company’s allegations “complete falsehoods.”
The lawsuit was filed Tuesday by Danbury-based Winters Bros. Waste Systems.
Winters Bros. says they want the city to live up to its end of the contract, which was due to run until next summer — and at least $433,000 in compensatory and punitive damages as well.
Ryan Bingham, a division manager at Winters Bros., showed up at City Hall Tuesday to plead directly with Aldermen during their monthly meeting. Bingham is the former mayor of Torrington.
He said it’s the only thing he could do after being “stonewalled” for a month by Cassetti, Economic Development Director Sheila O’Malley, and Public Works Superintendent Michael D’Alessio.
The lawsuit says Cassetti sent a letter June 16 to Winters Bros. telling them the city was terminating its contract with the company, and that they were only allowed to collect garbage up to Friday (July 15).
Bingham said the letter surprised company officials because they hadn’t heard any complaints about service up to that point.
So they tried calling City Hall to get more info. They never heard back.
City officials dispute the assertion, saying they told Winters Bros. again and again of problems.
Bingham said the company has served the city well for five years. Cassetti’s letter came out of the blue, he said.
Click here to read reactions to the lawsuit from Ansonia residents.
Bingham also accused city officials of holding meetings with one of Winters Bros. competitors, saying it was improper of them to do so.
“This is unreasonable,” Bingham said outside the meeting. “It’s unprofessional.”
The lawsuit identifies the competing company as City Carting of Stamford.
Winters Bros. alleges in the lawsuit Cassetti, O’Malley, and D’Alessio have personal relationships with one or more of that company’s principal officers. But they don’t provide concrete details.
Article continues after the document.
Winters Bros. vs. Ansonia by The Valley Indy on Scribd
City Responds
Aldermen did not discuss the matter publicly during the meeting.
They spoke about the lawsuit behind closed doors, which is allowable under the Freedom of Information Act because the discussion concerned pending litigation.
Afterward, they referred the matter to John Marini, the city’s corporation counsel.
Marini said Winters Bros. allegations were false.
“It’s the city’s position that Winters Bros. should have spent less time making false accusations and more time picking up the garbage for the residents of the city of Ansonia,” Marini said.
Marini said the city has for months complained to the company about trash not being picked up, “garbage being strewn around neighborhoods,” and other problems.
The company was “either unwilling or unable to make good on their contract,” he said.
So the city considered the contract voided and sent the company a letter telling them not to pick up the trash after Friday.
So who will pick up the trash starting next week?
Cassetti will have to make an emergency hire of a garbage hauling contractor, Marini said.
The city would then solicit bids for a company to replace Winters Bros. on a more permanent basis.
In the short-term, the mayor said that he has a firm lined up — City Carting.
But he flatly denied having any sort of improper relationship with the company or its officers.
“That’s a complete falsehood,” he said.
Cassetti said City Carting reached out to him two years ago inquiring about the city’s garbage hauling contract.
He said he told them they could bid on the job when Winters Bros. contract was up.
“That’s the only conversation I’ve ever had with City Carting,” Cassetti said.
The city and the company are scheduled to discuss the case with a judge at Superior Court in New Haven Monday.
Hearing Order by The Valley Indy on Scribd
