Derby’s Police Chief lashed out at the chairman of the city’s tax board during a meeting July 15, accusing him of holding a grudge against the police department.
“This is absolutely personal. You left as a disgruntled part-time employee, you’ve been attacking the police department ever since,” Chief Gerald Narowski told tax board chairman Jim Butler.
After the meeting Butler said the chief’s statements were off-base and that he doesn’t hold a grudge against police.
Narowski’s comments came after Butler put two discussion items on his board’s agenda: “Police department vehicle use and education assistance.”
The items were added to the agenda because some months ago someone dropped an anonymous note into Butler’s mailbox.
The note was attached to a partial list of rules from the Internal Revenue Service on the use of take-home business vehicles.
The documents apparently questioned the use of city-owned, take-home vehicles by employees and whether the city was taking “appropriate action with W‑2’s,” Butler said.
But Narowski said the police department’s use of take-home vehicles conforms with IRS regulations. A city auditor at the meeting also said the department’s policy on take-home vehicles adhered to IRS regulations.
Narowski criticized Butler for placing the items on the agenda, saying a few minutes of research would have answered any questions he had. He was offended that the item was pegged to the police department, when other city employees take home vehicles.
Click the play button below to listen to the conversation between Butler, Narowski, a city auditor and the city treasurer.
He then said Butler has a grudge against the police department dating back to when the department revamped its “supernumerary” program.
“Every time you bring something up like this, you bring up this illusion of impropriety and you attack my integrity,” Narowski said.
Butler said he originally wanted to discuss the matter in executive session, but was advised against it.
State law prohibits public agencies from discussing public policy — such as the use of public vehicles — in executive session, which are meetings closed to the public.
“I can only tell you what was left in the mailbox,” Butler said. “I’m only bringing it up as an information. I discussed it with Tom (the city’s finance director). Tom didn’t really know which way to go either. And, you know, we’re just not hiding anything. We’re just presenting it.”
Butler also said his motivation to discuss the matter was tied to an anonymous flier sent out weeks ago smearing mayoral candidate Anita Dugatto. How that mailer tied into the IRS rules or the police department were not clear, because neither were mentioned in the document.
The chief said the discussion was unfair.
“You’re just bringing it up so that you bring up questions,” Narowksi said. “It’s sort of like, ‘How many times do I kick my dog?’ I don’t even know if I have a dog. You bring up these questions that raise this illusion of impropriety.”
In the end the tax board took no action on the matter.
