Community Corner

Hearing to Remove Commissioners Postponed

East Haven Assistant Town Attorney Frank Kolb delays hearing in order "to give the board time to self correct" and avoid a possible court battle.

East Haven Assistant Town Attorney Frank Kolb has postponed to consider the removal of three Board of Police Commissioner members in order to give the "board time to self-correct" prior to a new hearing date of May 1, according to a press release from

sent a letter April 4 to Police Commission Chairman Joseph Civtello, Vice-Chairman Carl Perez and commissioner Frank Piergrossi notifying them a hearing would be held April 17 to determine whether or not they should be removed from the board "for just cause."

All three men were members of the commission during the with former in the wake of the f into alleged civil rights abuses by East Haven Police officers.

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Kolb, as the for former , was as the town's labor lawyer by Mayor Maturo after he returned to office last November.

Commissioners' Representation?

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In a letter sent to early this morning, Kolb asks the former town attorney — who was to represent commission members outside of current Town Attorney Joseph Zullo — for notification if CoFrancesco or another lawyer will be representing the three commission members at the upcoming dismissal hearing.

Cofrancesco was in the middle of in February, in which an posted on her Kimberly Avenue law office property was allegedly vandalized.

Kolb's letter, as well as the mayor's press release, are posted in the gallery that accompanies this article.

'Cease-and-Desist'

in his letter, Kolb requests that:

  1. You [Cofrancesco] confirm, in writing, that you will cease-­and-desist in your apparent representation of the Board of Police Commissioners of the Town of East Haven.
  2. At the next Board meeting, the Board shall acknowledge that before retaining outside counsel, they will submit to the Town Attorney a request for the furnishing of conflict free counsel, clearly specifying and the reason Why counsel appointed by the town attorney, pursuant to the Town charter, has a conflict in continuing representation on a particular item of Commission business.

'Outside of Court'

Kolb continued, stated that the "town recognizes that resolution of the various issues" involving the police commission "outside of court is preferable for all involved."

"I am postponing the hearing that is scheduled for April 17, 2012 until May 1, 2012 which is after the next regularly scheduled meeting of the Board of Police Commissioners to take place on April 24, 2012 to allow both you and the Board to comply with the requests herein and to put this matter to rest. l look forward to hearing from you at your earliest opportunity following receipt of this correspondence."

(Editor's Note: This article was originally published on April 16.)


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