Report: Town Clerk Clashes With Chief Of Staff Over Camera Removal In Derby City Hall

Wikimedia Commons

Derby City Hall (Wikimedia Commons)

DERBY — The Connecticut Post published a story over the weekend detailing a Derby City Hall dustup over surveillance cameras.

Click here to read the story
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The city, with the authorization of the Derby Board of Aldermen, installed the cameras in the Derby tax collector’s office after a 2012 scandal involving an employee in the tax collector’s office who may have mishandled cash, misapplied tax payments, deleted cash payments, manipulated data and suspended tax billing statements.

The installation of the camera system was discussed in broad terms at public meetings in 2012.

At the time the cameras were installed, the tax office and the city/town clerk’s office shared a common space on Derby City Hall’s first floor.

The tax office was moved out of the office suite, but the cameras remained behind.

Walt Mayhew, Derby Mayor Rich Dziekan’s chief of staff, started removing the equipment in September, according to an email chain between Derby City/Town Clerk Marc Garofalo and the chief of staff.

Garofalo said no one gave him a head’s up that the cameras or equipment were being removed, so he called Derby police to report a theft. Derby police told The Valley Indy no actual theft took place.

In a Sept. 22 email to Garofalo from Mayhew, the chief of staff said the cameras were removed because the tax office is no longer in the space.

Mayhew said the city’s human resources director and the city’s labor lawyer told him that without a written policy regarding the use of and access to such recording the recording should be discontinued.“

Garofalo responded by saying Mayhew had no authorization to remove the equipment, and did not consult or talk about the issue with him or the Derby Registrar of Voters, who now share the office space.

Garofalo expressed concerns about Mayhew taking it upon himself to enter a secure space to remove the equipment.

He noted the town clerk employees handle cash and play a key role in facilitating elections.

In all cases, the cameras protect all employees from any potential false accusations,” Garofalo said in an email.

Mayhew said the camera setup was based on a configuration of the office that hasn’t existed in years.

The Connecticut Post reported Mayhew as saying he was acting under the authority of Mayor Dziekan.

Everybody reports to the Chief of Staff,” the newspaper quoted Mayhew as saying. Under the mayor’s direction, I removed the cameras. The town clerk continually oversteps his boundaries. He sticks his nose into things that, quite frankly, are not his concern.“

Garofalo is an elected official. Mayhew is a city employee hired by the mayor.

The chief of staff serves under the direction of the mayor, and is to perform duties assigned by the mayor, according to an online version of Derby’s code book.

The city’s Board of Aldermen & Alderwomen have the power to make changes to the position’s description, according to the code book.

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