Police and the mayor’s office are trying to get to the bottom of an alleged assault that may have happened after Wednesday’s Parking Authority meeting.
Leo Moscato, Jr., the Parking Authority director, claims that he was hit in the head by John Dorosh, a Derby police officer who also serves as the chairman of the Parking Authority.
Moscato notified police Wednesday. Dorosh denies the accusation.
Specific details about the incident were not available Friday.
Lt. Sal Frosceno, the department’s spokesman, sent an e‑mail Friday morning confirming the investigation.
“I can confirm we have received an official complaint which remains under investigation. We have no further comment at this time,” Frosceno wrote.
Moscato declined to elaborate Friday.
Dorosh said the the allegation is false.
“I am embarrassed for the City of Derby, for the Parking Authority, my family and myself, therefore I will not address Mr. Moscato’s ridiculous accusation that I assaulted him. It did not happen,” Dorosh said Friday.
Mayor Reacts
Mayor Anthony Staffieri said he met separately with Dorosh and Moscato Friday to find out what transpired. Staffieri indicated there was an incident of some kind.
“They’re each saying the other one started it,” Staffieri said. “That’s why I can’t put the blame on either one until I know. The police department will gather the facts and point us in the right direction.”
Staffieri said he will take “appropriate action” when the facts are determined.
“I’m very concerned about the whole matter,” Staffieri said. “Whoever is wrong, I would be very concerned that they acted inappropriately.”
Members of the Parking Authority are appointed by the mayor and the Board of Aldermen. Dorosh was elected chairman of the Parking Authority by fellow members. Moscato’s role as director is a part-time job, running the day-to-day operations of the Derby parking garage and the city’s municipal lots. Moscato answers to members of the Parking Authority.
Click here to learn more about the Authority and to access past meeting minutes.
Dorosh Speaks
In June, Moscato pleaded guilty to second-degree breach of peace, a misdemeanor, after being arrested in a Naugatuck police sting where an officer posed as a prostitute on Craigslist.
Moscato was sentenced to a year’s probation.
At the first Parking Authority meeting after Moscato’s arrest, members didn’t have much to say. Dorosh simply told reporters that Moscato would be on the job the next morning as usual.
The relationship has eroded.
Dorosh, reading from a prepared statement Friday, said the Parking Authority has been “reviewing a number of issues” involving Moscato’s employment — and that Moscato is retaliating.
“Since Mr. Moscato’s arrest for solicitation we have been reviewing a number of issues involving his employment with the authority. We have reviewed with Mr. Moscato our concerns about his personal use of the cell phones supplied by the Derby Parking Authority, the hours of work he sought compensation for, his personal use of storage space and the garage, and clarification of his job duties in order to be more accountable. As a result of our discussions of accountability, Mr. Moscato is retaliating toward me,” Dorosh said.
Both Dorosh and Moscato own property in downtown Derby. They both are born and raised in the city and have been credited with being key players in revitalizing the Parking Authority. Click here for more information on the Derby Parking Authority.
Mounting Tensions
Parking Authority members have been trying to figure out how to deal with a garage that has outlived its lifespan.
The conflict between the Authority’s two leaders is an obvious distraction.
“Let me just say it’s been uncomfortable,” said Tony Szewczyk, a member of the Parking Authority, a former Alderman — and chairman of the city’s Republican Committee. “You could let it go, at first. Everybody has bad days, even a normally nice person … It’s become obvious now that something is wrong and we’re just beginning to think about what’s the best path to do. In the meantime we’re hoping things get resolved in a civilized way.”
At a Parking Authority meeting in August, Moscato accused Dorosh of not paying parking meters in front of property Dorosh owns. Dorosh screamed at parking enforcement officers, Moscato alleged. The Parking Authority then met in a closed-door meeting to talk about “personnel matters.” Click here to read our previous story on that issue.
In September, meeting minutes show that Moscato complained about not receiving reimbursement payments for a personal cell phone he also uses for Parking Authority business.
“Members were unaware the reason Mr. Dorosh had held the requisition,” the minutes state. Moscato was asked to provide his cell phone bill, but he “didn’t feel it was necessary,” the minutes show. The Authority voted to reimburse him $97.50 nonetheless.
Wednesday’s Meeting
The alleged incident took place Wednesday after yet another contentious Parking Authority meeting. The meeting was held in an office on the first level of the municipal garage at 2 Thompson Place.
During the meeting, Dorash was angry at fellow Authority members over a recent expenditure by the authority. He apparently did not know the money was being spent.
It is unclear whether there are witnesses to the alleged assault, which Moscato said took place after the meeting.
Eugene Driscoll and Jodie Mozdzer contributed to this report.
