The Freedom of Information Commission started hearing evidence Tuesday to determine if three Seymour police commissioners held an illegal meeting to talk about embattled Seymour police Detective Ron Goodmaster.
Six people testified at the FOI hearing Tuesday — detailing rumors, overheard conversations and information surrounding the alleged meeting of May 25, 2011.
After more than two hours of testimony in Hartford, an attorney for the Freedom of Information Commission decided she needed to hear more — and said she might subpoena two Seymour police officers to get to the bottom of what happened.
Background
Goodmaster and the Seymour Police union filed the FOI complaint against the Seymour Board of Police Commissioners in June.
It claims that three police commissioners — Stephen Chucta, Frank Conroy and Lucy McConologue — met illegally on May 25, 2011 to talk about Goodmaster.
During the hearing Tuesday Chucta, Conroy and McConologue all denied talking about Goodmaster on May 25. Each one testified that they only briefly saw each other that day, and immediately split up to avoid having a quorum of the Board of Police Commissioners present.
Goodmaster was in hot water with the department in May. The day before the alleged meeting, the full Board of Police Commissioners started reviewing an internal police department investigation about Goodmaster. The investigation found Goodmaster wrongly withhold information about a fugitive living in Seymour.
On June 16, the police commission voted to demote Goodmaster from detective sergeant to detective.
Goodmaster’s FOI complaint claims that the decision was actually made behind closed doors on May 25. The three members who allegedly met on May 25 were the three who voted to demote Goodmaster on June 16. Two other members of the board opposed the demotion.
The Hearing
The FOI Commission held the hearing at its Hartford office at 2 p.m. Jan. 10 to interview those involved in the complaint.
One FOI attorney — Tracie Brown — listened to the testimony. She will write a report and present a recommendation to the full FOI Commission.
The full commission will have the final say on whether the police commission violated the FOI Act and, if so, what type of punishment is necessary.
The FOI Commission can dole out fines or recommend FOI training. It can reverse decisions made during illegal meetings.
A quorum of any board of commission is not permitted to meet without public notice, according to state law.
Three people make up a quorum of the Seymour Board of Police Commissioners.
Witnesses
The following people testified at the hearing Tuesday:
- Frank Conroy: A member of the Board of Police Commissioners. Conroy is accused of meeting with two other commissioners to talk about Goodmaster’s case.
- Lucy McConologue: A member of the Board of Police Commissioners, now the chairman. McConologue is accused of meeting with two other commissioners to talk about Goodmaster’s case.
- Stephen Chucta: A member of the Board of Police Commissioners. Chucta is accused of meeting with two other commissioners to talk about Goodmaster’s case.
- Howard Simpson: The former chairman of the Board of Police Commissioners. Simpson testified that he had no knowledge of a meeting between other police commissioners on May 25.
- Det. Scott Nihill: A Seymour police detective. Nihill testified about a conversation he heard two other Seymour officers having at work about Goodmaster and comments Commissioner Conroy allegedly made about his upcoming demotion. Those two officers — John Harkins and Sgt. Richard Gittings — did not testify Tuesday. But Brown, the FOI attorney, said she might extend the hearing so she can interview the officers.
- Harry Marks: A member of the Seymour Republican Town Committee. Marks testified that Chucta told him about the alleged meeting of three police commissioners. According to Marks, Chucta said McConologue made up a reason why she was meeting with Conroy on May 25. Chucta called the testimony an “utter lie.”
Seymour Police Union attorney Richard Gudis represented Goodmaster and the union. Warren Holcomb represented the police commission.
Explanation
The testimony brought out a lengthy explanation — and some conflicting reports — about why three police commissioners happened to bump into each other in the same office on May 25.
McConologue and Conroy testified that they met to talk about an upcoming senior center picnic with the Seymour Land Trust. McConologue is the director of the senior center. Conroy is on the board for the Seymour Land Trust.
While they met, Chucta happened to walk in on the conversation in McConologue’s office.
Chucta was there to talk about the Republican Town Committee, which he and McConologue are both part of, according to the testimony.
“When he walked in and saw Mr. Conroy there, he said ‘Whoops. I’d better leave. It seems we have a quorum here,’” McConologue testified about Chucta’s arrival.
Did Goodmaster’s name come up during the couple minutes while all three were in the office?
“No,” McConologue testified.
The conflicting report comes from Marks’ and Chucta’s testimony.
Marks said Chucta talked to him about a made-up story regarding the senior center meeting. Chucta denies that he ever said that to Marks.
Testimony
Det. Nihill’s testimony revealed new information about how the rumors about the May 25 meeting spread through the Seymour Police Department.
According to Nihill:
- Commissioner Conroy had a meeting with Seymour Police Chief Michael Metzler and two police officers — John Harkins and Joe Matusovich — in the parking lot of Tri-Town Plaza at about 11:30 p.m. May 24. Nihill testified that he drove by the parking lot get-together on his way to a night-duty job. Nihill didn’t hear what the group was talking about.
- Officer John Harkins told Sgt. Richard Gittings the following morning (7:30 a.m. on May 25) that Conroy said Goodmaster would have two options — retire or be demoted.
The testimony didn’t make any connection between the two conversations Nihill witnessed. Nihill declined to comment after the hearing, citing a department policy to refer all comment through a police department spokesman.
Brown, the FOI attorney, said she wants to hear from Gittings and Harkins to get more information about what Conroy might have told Harkins.
Brown said she will decide by the end of the week whether to issue a subpoena for their testimony. If she doesn’t do so, Brown will wait for final closing argument memos from the two attorneys, then draft her report. It could be more than a month before the full commission hears it.
Video
Frank Loda attended the hearing. He posted this video online Tuesday night. Click here to view the video. Or click play on the video below to watch the first hour of the hearing.
