The Board of Selectmen voted 6 – 1 Tuesday to offer the town’s top economic development job to a man who has several criminal convictions on his record.
Ferdinand “Fred” A. Messore, 41, the former executive director of the West Haven Economic Development Corp., pleaded guilty in 2005 to driving under the influence in Branford.
He received a six-month suspended sentence and 18 months probation.
He also had alcohol-related offenses on his record in 1989 and 1991, according to a 2005 article published in the New Haven Register.
First Selectman Paul Roy, who was on a committee that screened candidates, said he was aware of Messore’s 2005 DUI conviction.
Roy said Messore was up front about the DUI conviction. He interviewed well and his references were glowing.
Roy added that Messore’s professional resume was impressive — and that the man deserved a second chance.
However, publicly-available court records show what Messore also has misdemeanor convictions on his record. They include a 2008 charge in West Haven for disorderly conduct and a 2009 charge in Orange for interfering with police.
Roy said he was not aware of the other criminal cases.
The First Selectman said he is waiting to receive the results of a background check. The job offer was made pending the outcome of that background check.
When asked if Messore will be hired considering the misdemeanor convictions, Roy said it is “too soon to tell.”
When asked to comment on the criminal cases, Messore gave the following statement Wednesday:
“I’m excited about the opportunity that’s been handed to me, that I might be economic development director. Anything about my personal background is not to be discussed right now, because the job has not been given to me,” he said. “I try to look to the future and look ahead. When those things happened to me it was a previous stage of life. It was a different time of life, I went through a divorce and a custody battle. I’m very successful in my career, and anyone can speak highly about my character.”
Selectman W. Kurt Miller was the only member of the Board of Selectmen to vote against offering Messore the job.
He wouldn’t discuss why he voted no — other than citing “personal reasons.”
Hiring Process Questioned
In light of the new information reported by the Valley Indy, Miller said Seymour must change its hiring process.
First — a criminal background check has to be done before the Board of Selectmen votes to make a public job offer, Miller said.
Also — the Board of Selectmen needs to be more involved in the hiring process, Miller said, especially in key positions such as economic development director.
With the process currently in place, members of the Board of Selectmen did not even have a chance to meet and interview the final candidate. The Selectmen need to interview final candidates — not just the person the screening committee chooses, Miller said.
“If nothing else, this highlights the need for a professional human resource operation in Seymour (government),” Miller said.
Depending on final negotiations, the position would pay Messore between $40,000 and $43,000 for a roughly 20-hour work week.
