MONROE, CT — Leon Ambrosey, the Democratic Party candidate for first selectman, who currently serves on the Monroe Planning and Zoning Commission, recently recused himself from the hearing on Sun Valley Glen, an eight lot cluster housing subdivision proposed for 1536 and 1564 Monroe Turnpike.
On Monday, Ambrosey said he recused himself after Christopher Russo, the attorney for the applicant, expressed concerns over public comments he made about affordable housing. Russo told The Sun he “never demanded” that Ambrosey recuse himself.
“We don’t have any room for the students anymore, so we’ve got to look at this cluster housing before we approve any more of them,” Ambrosey said of his stance.
He said Superintendent Joseph Kobza told him the school district will have to get portable classrooms if nothing is done to reopen Chalk Hill as a school again.
“It’s not that I don’t want cluster development,” Ambrosey explained. “We can’t approve them right now. We need to take a little step back here.”
In light of the pending lawsuit the applicant, Jans Land Development LLC, filed against the town, appealing the commission’s denial of the application last May, Ambrosey said he did not want the developer to use his past comments against the town in another appeal should the commission deny the application a second time.
“I didn’t want to jeopardize the decision of the commission,” Ambrosey said.
Ambrosey said he was reviewing the housing application before the hearing, which began last Thursday, when the town’s Planning and Zoning Administrator Kathleen Gallagher relayed Russo’s concerns and said the attorney wanted to know if Ambrosey was going to recuse himself.
Last Thursday night, Gallagher would only say that any decision for recusal on an application is solely up to the commissioner.
Ambrosey said he consulted with Town Attorney Frank Lieto, who told Ambrosey it was completely up to him.
“Frank said, ‘you can do what you want to do, but you’ve never been biased on an application and no one ever said you were,'” Ambrosey said.
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Nothing about this proposed development is affordable so I find it laughable the attorney felt the need to bring that up. Note to Russo, Mr Ambrosey didn’t vote on the denial. These are 900,000 dollar homes with 4 and 5bedrooms. That’s not adorable.