Jeffrey Hughes thinks he was forced out as an owner of Connie’s Restaurant because Mayor Anthony Staffieri has a plan pending to redevelop his Plaza on the Green for senior housing.
“They are covering something up,” Hughes said.
Staffieri said Hughes is baiting the media to write about the issue.
“Leave me out of this. I have nothing to do with this. You guys (reporters) are falling for it,” the mayor said.
The Players
Hughes and Staffieri’s two grown sons, Anthony, Jr. and Paolo, comprise Hughes and Staffieri, LLC, the entity that owns Connie’s, a popular bar and restaurant on Elizabeth Street.
The mayor previously owned Connie’s. The mayor owns Plaza on the Green, the retail building next to Connie’s. He also owns the parking lot between the buildings.
Hughes’ older brother, Ken, is the president of the Derby Board of Aldermen. Ken Hughes was also Staffieri’s campaign manager during the mayor’s re-election campaign.
Ken and Jeffrey’s father, Robert J. Hughes, is chairman of the Derby Police Commission.
Dispute
Jeffrey Hughes told the Valley Independent Sentinel May 25 that he had been forced out of the Connie’s ownership arrangement in March by Staffieri’s sons — and that the mayor played an active role in pushing Hughes out.
Hughes has hired an attorney who drafted a civil lawsuit that names the mayor and his two sons as defendants.
Hughes said his attorney filed the lawsuit in Superior Court in New Haven — but it has yet to show up on the state’s electronic database.
The mayor said he has not been served with a lawsuit.
The e‑mail
Hughes has a copy of a June 20, 2008 e‑mail from Seymour architect Joseph Migani of O’Riordan, Migani Architects, LLC.
In the e‑mail, addressed to Mayor Tony Staffieri, Economic Development Director Sheila O’Malley and Bernadette Settelmeyer, Migani outlines rough costs associated with “Plaza On The Green Senior Housing.”
The e‑mail mentions a meeting between the architect and the mayor about the project — a $4 million endeavor that would result in 20 units of affordable housing for seniors.
Hughes points to a line in the e‑mail outlining a timeline for the project:
“It will require 24 months of planning to get funding in place and prepare documentation before construction can commence.”
Hughes said there may be a connection between the two-year timeline for redevelopment and his ejection from the limited liability company controlling Connie’s.
His “firing” as part owner happened roughly 22 months after the date on the e‑mail.
The former bar owner said the e‑mail was leaked to him after details of his dispute hit local media.
Hughes took exception to several statements attributed to Staffieri in the New Haven Register.
“They’re lying about this,” Hughes said. “That’s what really bothers me.”
Staffieri’s Reaction
Staffieri was given a copy of the e‑mail Monday afternoon by the Valley Independent Sentinel.
He said the project mentioned in the e‑mail was one of many that have been floated to redevelop his Plaza on the Green, where many of the offices are vacant.
The plan detailed in the 2008 e‑mail was too expensive, Staffieri said.
Staffieri said if he had plans looming for a Plaza redevelopment project, he would gladly make them public.
“I wish it was true. God knows that would be huge for the Plaza, Derby, the seniors,” Staffieri said. “It would be great for the city.”
“It was one of many (plans),” he said about the e‑mail. “When you’re a property owner, you check to see what you can do.”
Staffieri said he is getting dragged into the dispute by the press even though he’s not directly involved. The Plaza and Connie’s are two distinct limited liability companies, Staffieri said.
He called the fall out “ugly,” but insisted he is staying out of the matter.
Hughes said the mayor calls the shots for his sons.
He said he wants to be allowed to return to Connie’s as an owner — and he wants an unspecified amount of monetary damages.
Hughes said he has been working temporarily as a landscaper since he no longer draws a salary from the restaurant.
