MONROE, CT — The Leon Ambrosey campaign for first selectman has filed a Freedom of Information Act complaint against First Selectman Terry Rooney over a request for town legal fees and all contracts and invoices relating to repairs, renovations and improvements of town-owned buildings, including the former St. Jude School, from December 1, 2023 to the present.
Alan Vaglivelo, Ambrosey’s campaign manager, had dropped off the FOI request at Monroe Town Hall this summer and, other than a letter from Town Attorney Frank Lieto acknowledging receipt of the request on Aug. 20, Vaglivelo said he had heard nothing for 24 days, prompting the complaint.
“As we start our campaign it’s important for voters to hear the facts, not the rhetoric and hyperbole,” Vaglivelo said.
Of the St. Jude building, Ambrosey said, “as I go around town meeting and listening to voters, questions concerning renovations to that building are a hot topic.”
In his letter, Lieto told Vaglivelo the town was responding to his request. But on Tuesday, the first selectman expressed his belief that Connecticut General Statute 10-240 includes schools among town-owned buildings, which significantly broadens the scope of the FOI request.
“I need the information for the schools as well. It’s really surprising to me that Alan Vaglivelo asked for that, because he’s on the Board of Education. I really don’t understand why he doesn’t know where the money’s going on education,” Rooney said.
Rooney said he sent a letter to Superintendent Joseph Kobza asking for information on the schools for the FOI request.
“This is a momentous task,” Rooney said. “It will take a lot of town resources, work and money to grab all the information about the school building repairs and municipal repairs. This is going to take time.”
Once he gets the facilities information from the school district, Rooney said he will combine it with the town’s report and give it all to Vaglivelo.
Fred Martin, a former town attorney active in Democratic Party politics in town, had reviewed Vaglivelo’s FOI request. He responded to the first selectman’s comments.
“The implicit premise that the first selectman was simply awaiting the Board of Education’s response to this ‘momentous’ request is deceiving,” Martin said. “The information requested only goes back to December 2023. Why not release the information unrelated to the BOE? Why not release the information relating to attorneys fees that was requested? I would like to hope that 20 months of invoices relating to legal fees is not so ‘momentous’ that it takes over three weeks to comply.”
Martin also disagreed with the first selectman’s interpretation of the statute he cited which is:
Sec. 10-240. Control of schools. Each town shall through its board of education maintain the control of all the public schools within its limits and for this purpose shall be a school district and shall have all the powers and duties of school districts, except so far as such powers and duties are inconsistent with the provisions of this chapter.
… Local board of education is acting as agent of the town, not as agent of the state, in suit to recover damages for faulty construction of school building and doctrine of sovereign immunity is not applicable.
“The statute he cited is inapplicable to Vaglivelo’s request,” Martin said. “That statute relates to expense postings by the Board of Education, to which Alan is a member. Alan was in part seeking contracts and invoices which are the basis of those expenses. It would be like baking a cake, but being annoyed when asked what the ingredients were.”
“The first selectman’s response is not only disappointing and hostile to a fellow town official, but also akin to that of a three card monte player on a street corner in Vegas,” Martin continued. “Just comply with the request to the extent you can immediately, ask for more time for the BOE material and move on.”
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“and round and round she goes and where she stops nobody knows”
Rooney was called out on Facebook for having the town purchase a car for him. He then failed to confirm or deny the allegations. Where are all of our taxes going?