Board of Selectmen Meeting April 7, 2021

Board of Selectmen Meeting April 7, 2021

According to Town records on February, 2020 Mark Rustic, Building Superintendent was observed acting inappropriately by a Police Officer at the Tootin Hills School.

As a result of the observation of the Police Officer who is trained to observe inappropriate behavior, escorted Mark Rustic to the Public Works Facility for further observation.

It is alleged that Mark Rustic failed a drug test and was placed on Administrative Leave.

Several years ago, Mark Rustic was arrested for possession of Marijuana while living at the Apple Barn homes.

It is alleged that recently there was another incident where Rustic was under the influence of drugs.

Again, Rustic was placed on Administrative Leave and has not returned to work.

Has Town Manager Maria Capriola fired him or will Mark Rustic be allowed to retire?

During the recent Board of Finance Meeting there was discussion on the Pensions.

It was noted that a long-term Town employee who recently retired, is receiving approximately $240,000 a year. This is more than double his salary when he retired.

It is alleged that Gerry Toner, who was hired during the Shanks Administration as Director of Recreation, has accumulated longevity payments and is receiving a retirement check of $240,000 a year.

Are there other employees that could accumulate this outrageous payment?

Is it possible for the Town to renegotiated this payment?

There have been incorrect payments made to Town employees in the past.

It is alleged that Janell Mullen past Zoning Official received at least one week salary for not working.

A police officer had his salary calculated incorrectly when he transferred from another Town.

After his challenges it was found that the Town’s calculations were incorrect and he was paid the additional benefits.

Every employee should review their stubs for correct calculations, mistakes are made.

Affordable Housing has been the State Legislature’s policy for many years to create a crisis where none exists. This is an industry composed of Attorneys and building Lobbyists.

The legislation has been the result of State Legislators, who are mostly Attorneys creating a stringent law that changes the Zoning Regulations and imposes arbitrary regulations that have many unintended consequences for years to come,

The Affordable Housing Act has become a money-making industry for the Attorneys and the Lobbyists paid by the building industry who profit from the restrictive laws.

Recently the Zoning Board had lengthy hearings on the Affordable Housing proposal on Climax Road.

The Attorney for the developer proposed a site plan that had 19 homes, 6 homes affordable on 41/2 acres of land.

The Attorney for the developer received an insurmountable amount of money on his billable hours, the land owner who can be considered a Robber Baron for using affordable housing as tool to rape the land.

All the lobbyists who were also on the take for billable hours benefited from promoting the law, leaving the community with lowered property values.

Anyone who voices their opinion against these projects is considered a racist as a tool to quash the dialog.

This has nothing to do with being racist since poverty or low-income families come in all races and shapes.

Eno Farms Affordable Housing has continued to be an alleged fraudulent operation from the onset.

This complex was developed by the law offices of Rome, Case, Kennelly and Klebanoff on April 1993 under the Direction of CHFA (Connecticut Housing Authority), the present owners of the facility and the States Attorney Offices of the Charities Division under the direction of Attorney General Richard Blumenthal and approved .

This was a boilerplate proposal to CHFA, drafted by the law firm for many affordable units throughout the Hartford area with the caveat of Eno Farms restrictions under the Eno Trust.

The letter states: “I did make appropriate changes which are necessitated by the Eno Farms Declaration of Cooperative. I have also included some language from the model “market rate lease.”

This was approved by CHFA.

The Eno Farms Affordable Housing has a notation on the land records that the property is for low and very low-income affordability.

At the present time CHFA is the owner of the property and it cannot be sold due to their inability to have a clear title to the complex.

All of these inequalities were initiated and continues to the present under the Direction of Town Manager Maria Capriola who has the fiduciary responsibilities of the oversight of the Eno Farms Affordable Housing and the Eno Land Trust.

There have been many attempts to build Affordable Housing in Simsbury and most have failed.

Before the Town continues on this path, they should review the past proposals and the unintended consequences that they have created and learn from the past before embarking on new explorations.