Sheila O’Malley
SEYMOUR — The Seymour Board of Selectmen turned themselves into a search committee Tuesday in order to look for a new economic development director.
The move shields the search process from public view, which is allowed under the state’s Freedom of Information Act when towns are trying to hire an “executive level” position, according to Rich Buturla, the Seymour town attorney.
The idea is to protect potential applicants who may not want it known publicly they are applying for the job.
However, the Seymour Economic Commission, an appointed board, has already publicly named and publicly met with a candidate interested in the job: Sheila O’Malley, who holds two positions in Ansonia city government: grants writer and director of economic development.
In a meeting in late April, members of the EDC talked extensively about bringing O’Malley on board as a consultant to Seymour. If hired by Seymour, she would continue to be employed full-time by Ansonia, according to the members of the EDC.
The EDC can make a recommendation to hire O’Malley, but only the Seymour Board of Selectman can make the hire.
The EDC’s view is being challenged by Stephan Behuniak, the chairman of the Seymour Town Democratic Committee. Behuniak wrote a scathing letter that was read into the record at the start of the May 19 Selectman meeting.
In the letter, Behuniak states Ansonia government (under Republican Mayor David Cassetti) is a “complete failure” and has had “numerous, lengthy and inappropriate legal battles.” Behuniak points out O’Malley is a key figure in Ansonia government.
Stephan Behuniak
“As a policy, I believe that town Town of Seymour must steer clear of sharing services and strategy with such a rudderless municipality until such time that there is a leadership change there,” Behuniak, a former member of the Seymour Board of Selectmen, wrote.
Additionally, Behuniak questioned the wisdom of having an employee of a neighboring town in charge of economic development in Seymour. Neighboring towns are often competing for projects, Behuniak pointed out.
“When a business is looking to move into the area, I want, and the taxpayers deserve, someone whose sole focus is growing the grand list of Seymour and bettering our community,” he said.
The Valley Indy reached out to O’Malley for comment.
She offered to meet with Behuniak to go over her record in Ansonia, “and to remind him that there are times when we have to leave politics behind and work together for the good our our communities.”
O’Malley, who previously served as grant writer and economic development director in Derby, pointed out her father was the chairman of the Democratic Town Committee in Waterbury.
“I am really proud of the role I have played in the successful revitalization of Ansonia, spearheading major projects and securing almost $50,000,000 in competitive grant funds over the past seven years,” O’Malley said in an email. “I have helped improve the economic growth of the city. After 23 years representing multiple communities and helping to secure millions in grant funding, I’m fairly confident in the job I do and the help I have provided along the way. I would point out that any consultant, financial adviser, attorney, engineer, architect or other professional a municipality hires, of course, represents multiple communities at the same time.”
At a meeting of the Seymour Economic Development Commission posted on YouTube April 30, Michael Marcinek, a member of the commission, vouched for O’Malley, saying he’s seen her work in Ansonia.
Marcinek owns Fletcher Thompson, the architecture firm that moved from Bridgeport to Ansonia’s Main Street a few years back.
Marcinek said O’Malley is good at negotiating complicated deals and dealing with complicated projects. He said she would be an asset to deal with Seymour’s tough-to-deal with properties, such as the underdeveloped Tri-Town Plaza.
In the EDC meeting, Marcinek, referenced an email exchange about the position he apparently had with Rob VanEgghen, a Democrat on the Seymour Board of Aldermen. VanEgghen, at a Selectmen meeting April 21, had said he wanted more information about the position.
Marcinek said the EDC wants to move forward.
“To me, I just want to get someone who knows what they’re doing to get on board so we can get moving,” Marcinek said.
He characterized some of the opposition to O’Malley’s hiring as politics “rearing its ugly head.”
Now that they’ve created a search team, presumably the Seymour Board of Selectmen will interview O’Malley at some point. One person who won’t be in the room when and if that takes place — Seymour First Selectman Kurt Miller.
Miller took himself out of the O’Malley conversation April 21, after Selectman Bowen pointed out Miller had been hired by Ansonia City Hall as a financial consultant to help craft Ansonia’s budget last year.
Bowen said that Miller probably worked closely with O’Malley during that time.
“I just feel this is a matter of perception. There are some close relationships here,” Bowen said, suggesting that Selectwoman Annmarie A. Drugonis head up an interview with O’Malley instead of Miller.
Miller did not object to Bowen’s suggestion.
“If that is a concern for the board, if they feel there is a perception issue, I have no problem with Annmarie and Rich (the town attorney) handling the negotiation,” Miller said.
Just last year Seymour hired the Connecticut Economic Resource Center (CERC) to steer economic development. But that entity stopped offering the service to the town, according to Bowen.
The economic development position in Seymour previously paid about $35,000 per year. Presumably the job will be posted to attract other candidates as well, though that has not happened yet.
As of 2018, O’Malley was making about $97,000 from her two titles in Ansonia City Hall, according to an article in The New Haven Register.
