Update: Derby Board of Aldermen President Ken Hughes posted on Facebook Monday, Nov. 21 that the city issued Mark Lanzieri a vendor permit.
Original post follows:
City Hall wants to the courthouse crooner to pay up or pack up.
The Derby Board of Aldermen said Mark Lanzieri, a hot dog vendor who runs Court House Dogs outside Superior Court on Elizabeth Street, hasn’t paid the $200 vendor’s fee to the city since 2007. Vendor permits are supposed to be renewed annually.
Elected officials couldn’t explain how or why Lanzieri was able to stay there without a permit for all these years — but another hot dog vendor apparently brought it to the attention of Derby Town Clerk’s Office, in the vein of ​“If he doesn’t pay, why should I?”
The Town Clerk brought it to the attention of the Derby Board of Aldermen.
Aldermen Ken Hughes and David Lenart said officials have tried several times to get Lanzieri to fill out the paperwork and pay the fee for a permit. Mayor Anthony Staffieri talked to Lanzieri personally, according to the Aldermen.
But Lanzieri hasn’t done it, so the Aldermen Thursday were about ready to issue a fine of some $200 against Lanzieri — until they backed off a bit and decided to throw it to the Derby Police Department.
Did we mention that Lanzieri is a crooner? He does weddings, lounge appearances, etc. Here’s video of the court house crooner in action:
When asked to comment on the permit issue, Lanzieri said he’s always applied and received permits from Derby — but this year he forgot.
The whole issue may boil down to a misunderstanding of the hot dog vendor permitting process.
He said he filed an application in September — but he’s been waiting for the Board of Alderman to approve his application before he pays the fee.
In any event, Derby Police Chief Gerald Narowski, whose department could, possibly, levy a fine against Lanzieri, told the Board of Aldermen police would research the issue independently, talk with Lanzieri and decide how to proceed.