The controversy surrounding last year’s departure of Derby finance director Henry Domurad, Jr. rekindled in the form of an argument between Mayor Anthony Staffieri and Ron Sill during the Jan. 24 Board of Aldermen meeting.
First, the background.
Domurard left Derby City Hall in April 2012.
The mayor’s office said he submitted a letter of resignation.
Domurad said he was fired and claimed the signature on the resignation letter wasn’t his. He later sued to be reinstated. His lawyer alleged that Staffieri’s office, as a condition of hiring Domurad, had Domurad sign a pre-written letter of resignation that would be enacted at the mayor’s will.
A judge at Superior Court in Milford court didn’t believe Domurad and threw out the case in July.
Now, the argument.
At the Jan. 24 Aldermen meeting, Alderman Art Gerckens asked corporation counsel Joseph Coppola to prepare a report detailing how much the city spent on the Domurad allegations, which included the hiring of a handwriting expert who analyzed Domurad’s signature.
That seemed to touch a raw nerve with Staffieri, who pointed out the Aldermen — the majority of whom are Democrats — refused to accept Domurad’s resignation.
They caused the city to spend money in court, Staffieri indicated.
Sill said going to court was a cheaper option than settling the matter out of court and paying Domurad an settlement of $53,000.
Staffieri said the payment would have come through the city’s insurance carrier.
Sill indicated the city would have paid — eventually.
“Nothing is for free. They get it in the end,” he said.
That rekindled the “did he resign?” debate.
“I had a resignation letter. I had him out the door already,” Staffieri said. “You’re the one trying to bring him back in the door.”
Corporation Counsel Joseph Coppola, responding to a question from Alderman Joe DiMartino, said the city spent more money by going to court over the controversy.
“Yes. The answer is it cost us more money by going to court,” Coppola said.
“Make sure that’s in the report,” DiMartino replied.
Gerckens also wanted specifics about how he, Sill and Alderman Carmen DiCenso cost the city money in connection to the Domurad case.
Gerckens was apparently referencing a Valley Indy video of Staffieri’s reaction recorded immediately after a judge tossed Domurad’s lawsuit against Staffieri. The video is below.
Also at Thursday’s Aldermen meeting, new board President Barbara DeGennaro read a statement asking residents to be civil when addressing Aldermen during public comment. People who don’t follow the rules could eventually have the cops called on them, DeGennaro said.
In a separate matter during the meeting, former Alderman Joseph Bomba formally requested that the Aldermen notify him when they plan to discuss him in public.
At a previous Aldermen meeting, the majority of the Aldermen voted not to give Bomba a waiver that would have allowed him to continue as a part-time custodian while serving on the Derby Police Commission.
Bomba is a Republican. Most of the Aldermen are Democrats. The move meant Bomba is off the police commission, where he volunteered for a year.
The city’s police commission supervises the police department, listens to complaints from the public and watches the department’s purse strings.
Bomba had never received the proper waiver (per the Derby Charter) from Aldermen before Staffieri appointed him to the commission.
However, corporation counsel Joseph Coppola said the misstep did not impact any of the business the police commission undertook during Bomba’s tenure.
Bomba asked the board to extend him the common courtesy of notifying him when he is to be discussed at Aldermen meetings.
