The controversy over the departure of Derby Finance Director Henry Domurad, Jr. has left the city’s tax board reeling, the board’s chairman said Wednesday.
“It’s put us in a very bad position. I have no resource person,” Jim Butler said. “I went into City Hall this morning to turn in some changes to the proposed budget and was told to turn them into the finance director. But we don’t have a finance director,” he said.
The tax board is scheduled to adopt a preliminary budget for next year on Tuesday.
Domurad resigned about three weeks ago, according to the Derby Mayor’s Office. However, Domurad said he was fired by Mayor Anthony Staffieri and that a resignation letter circulated by City Hall was fraudulent.
Staffieri and city attorney Joseph Coppola said the accusations are baseless — and even brought in an $1,800 handwriting expert to prove the signature on Domurad’s resignation letter is real.
Meanwhile, Domurad wants his job back — and filed a lawsuit against Staffieri Wednesday.
Enter Alan?
Last month Staffieri asked Alan Schlesigner — a former Derby mayor and past Derby finance director — to fill in as finance director until a permanent replacement could be hired. Schlesinger then began attending Derby tax board meetings to fill in for Domurad.
However, the Derby Board of Aldermen April 26 didn’t take action on Schlesinger’s appointment as interim finance director, leaving the position in limbo.
Instead, the Aldermen voted 5 – 3 to not accept Domurad’s letter of resignation due to the controversy.
Staffieri then vetoed the Aldermen’s vote, nullifying their action unless the Aldermen find six votes to override the veto.
Schlesinger came to the Derby tax board’s meeting Tuesday (May 1) with the anticipation of being hired not as interim finance director, but as a “consultant” to the tax board.
But the tax board, after holding separate political caucuses among the Democrats and Republicans, wouldn’t consider a request to transfer money that would be used to pay Schlesinger.
However, members of the tax board are going to try it again at a meeting scheduled for Thursday, May 3 at 6 p.m. in Derby City Hall.
The tax board is scheduled to consider the “financing of finance vendor,” according to the meeting’s agenda. The board will also consider transferring an unspecified amount of money in order to pay Schlesinger.
What Changed?
Butler said the tax board meeting Tuesday was a “workshop,” with no votes anticipated — therefore the tax board couldn’t legally vote on Schlesinger’s request.
(During budget season, the Derby tax board differentiates between “workshops” and meetings. However, the Connecticut Freedom of Information Act treats them as the same thing — a meeting where minutes must be kept.)
Whether the tax board has enough votes to allocate money for Schlesinger remains to be seen.
“I honestly don’t know,” Butler said.
But the chairman said the city desperately needs someone to act as the director of finance — and Butler, a Democrat, is ready to accept Schlesinger’s offer to help.
“We need somebody to crunch the numbers and give us the information we need. How do I get information? I don’t know at this point,” Butler said.
Keith McLiverty, the city’s elected treasurer, has been attending the tax board meetings and providing guidance. But he works a full-time day job.
“Keith has been coming in to give us some numbers when we need him,” Butler said.
Schlesinger told the Valley Indy Tuesday he was willing to help Derby if his services are still needed.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the amount of money Derby is willing to pay Schlesinger was not known, Butler said.
