The city’s police commission does not have a chairman, even though a chairman was elected last month.
Background
Mayor Anthony Staffieri removed chairman Robert Hughes from the commission last month. Hughes’ son, Jeffrey, is in a legal dispute with Staffieri’s sons, Anthony and Paul, over the ownership of the now closed Connie’s Restaurant on Elizabeth Street.
Hughes found out he was off the commission as he was preparing for the commission’s July meeting.
Staffieri issued a statement on Hughes’ removal, saying that the dispute over the restaurant had affected Hughes’ objectivity as a police commissioner. The mayor’s statement was not more specific.
After Hughes’ ouster, the two remaining police commissioners — Leo DiSorbo and Theodore Estwan, Jr. — met in July and elected Estwan chairman.
However, Ken Hughes, president of the Board of Aldermen and son of Robert Hughes, protested.
Hughes said there were not enough commissioners present to elect Estwan chairman.
Staffieri and the city’s corporation counsel did not comment on the matter, which was first reported by the Valley Independent Sentinel last month.
No Chairman
According to the minutes from the Aug. 9 police commission meeting, it looks like Ken Hughes was correct.
The minutes have DiSorbo clarifying the chairman election issue from the July 12 meeting.
“For the record, all were in favor because it was just Commissioner DiSorbo. Commissioner Estwan did not vote and therefore, technically, there is no chairman at this time.”
Estwan had been listed as chairman of the police commission on the police department’s website. That title has been removed.
The mayor has yet to appoint a third person to the police commission.
Copies of the meeting minutes are posted below, along with Staffieri’s statement on the issue from July.