Tensions at Town Council Meeting over Board of Finance Appointment

Town Attorney Louis Martocchio III addresses Town Council. TOWN OF SOUTHINGTON VIDEO SCREENSHOT

On Monday, the controversy surrounding the appointment of Robert Britton to the Board of Finance was once again on the agenda, this time at Town Council.

It was the Council that unanimously voted Britton onto the Board of Finance on July 13, to fill the spot left by the death of Edward Pocock Jr. However, leadership for the town Democratic Party subsequently challenged the appointment, saying that giving the decision to the Council goes against the Town Charter.

Section 208 of the charter deals with vacancy appointments. The online copy of the charter does not clarify who is responsible for filling sudden vacancies on the Board of Finance, but it does appear to state that the town council does not have the authority to appoint a new member.

“Vacancies and elective offices, except in the Board of Education, the Planning and Zoning Commission and the Board of Finance, from whatever cause arising, shall be filled by the council for a period until the next town election,” it reads.

However, during Monday’s meeting, Town Attorney Louis Martocchio III asserted that the appointment was legal.

“I want to make clear, as I did in my opinion, which I think has been shared with a lot of people, that I do believe the Town Council had the authority [to make the appointment],” said Martocchio.

Martocchio explained that, in 2000, the Library Board was changed from an elected board to an appointed board, which made it necessary to remove mention of that board from the text of Section 208. In the process of making that change, other alterations were introduced into the text that left it incomplete and potentially unclear.

In 2009 and 2010, Martocchio went on, the Town Council appointed two individuals to the Board of Finance, including Pocock, and no issues with the process or charter were raised. 

Furthermore, in 2010, Southington residents voted on a referendum question that read, "Shall Section 208 of the Southington Town Charter be amended to allow vacancies in elective offices to be filled by the board or commission with such vacancy?" 8,906 Southington residents voted against boards appointing their own members, while 5,897 voted for it. This, Martocchio argued, clearly indicated that it was the will of the people to have Town Council fill such vacancies.

Chris Palmieri, leader of the Democrats on the Council, said that his party was pursuing legal remedies regarding the issue.

“That's [Martocchio’s] opinion, and there's other opinions. So again, I'm not going to comment on the legal matter,” said Palmieri.

Chairman Paul Chaplinsky, a Republican, reiterated the points made by Martocchio.

“To restate what the town attorney said, in 2010, there was a referendum question that went to the electorate that said, ‘Shall all elected vacancies be appointed by their own boards?’ And that went to referendum, and the voters voted on that and resoundingly said no, it should stay with the current language. So that's kind of where we are,” said Chaplinsky.

Earlier in the meeting, Chaplinsky and Palmieri engaged in what at times was a heated back-and-forth over the way the town accounted for $833,934 in state aid, although no new information was brought to light during the exchange.

Councilors Palmieri and Chaplinsky discuss the state aid. AVERY MARTIN PHOTO

Aside from the controversies, there was more positive news for the Council to consider. Town manager Alex Ricciardone reported that the Finance Department closed the books on Depaolo Middle School renovations from over ten years ago.

“[The Finance Department] closed out the Depolo Middle School renovations from over 10 years ago. That grant from the State of Connecticut has been sitting in file cabinets for over 10 years. Initially, when we put in for the grant, the state was looking for over a six-figure reimbursement back to the town from ineligible costs. So they sent us a preliminary bill for well over $100,000. We dug in, got more information, pulled the meeting minutes, dug up boxes,” said Ricciardone.

The state is expected to send a $2.6 million dollar check to the town to fulfill the grant that paid for the 2013 renovations.

Board of Finance Meets Amid Questions about Newest Appointment

The Board of Finance meets on July 29. AVERY MARTIN PHOTO

Despite initial suggestions that the Board of Finance Democrats would walk out of Wednesday night’s meeting, the agenda went ahead as planned with member Katie Wade the sole member of her party in attendance.

The other two Democrats on the Board, Stephen Salerno and Kevin Beaudoin, were not in attendance due to personal matters.

Democrats had considered boycotting the meeting after raising concerns over the appointment of Robert Britton to fill a vacancy on the Board.

“Town Council, in consultation with the Town Attorney [Louis Martocchio III], made an appointment, and they appointed Mr. Rob Britton to fill the vacancy left by Edward Pocock,” said Chairman John Leary, a Republican, at the opening of the meeting. “There are some challenges currently in play on whether it was the Town Council's appointment to make.”

At its July 13 meeting, the Town Council voted unanimously to appoint Britton, a former member of the Planning and Zoning committee, to the Board of Finance to fill the position left open by the death of Edward Pocock Jr.

Democrats now allege Britton’s appointment was done improperly, and are reportedly seeking legal counsel to overturn it.

The town charter, as posted on the town's website, does not clarify who is responsible for filling sudden vacancies on the Board of Finance, but does appear to state that the Town Council does not have that responsibility.

Section 208 of the charter, which discusses vacancies in elective offices, reads, in its entirely:

“Vacancies in elective offices, except in the Board of Education, the Planning and Zoning Commission and the Board of Finance, from whatever cause arising, shall be filled by the Council for a period until the next town election. Vacancies in the Planning and Zoning Commission shall be filled by the Planning and Zoning Commission for the period until the next town election. In filling any vacancy, the Council, Board of Education or the Planning and Zoning Commission shall select a person of the same political party as that of the former incumbent, unless said incumbent was not an enrolled member of a political party, in which case his successor shall not be an enrolled member of a political party. A member elected at a town election to fill a vacancy shall serve for the remaining unexpired portion of the term of the former incumbent.”

The Democrats’ contention is disputed by town Republicans, who say that the Town Attorney and the Town Clerk regard Britton’s appointment as proper and also point to the Council’s unanimous vote as an indication of Democratic approval.

Council Chair Paul Chaplinsky has said on social media that the issue will be discussed at the next meeting of the Council on Monday, August 10.

$833k in State Aid Appropriated to Board of Education

The Board voted 4-0 to forward an incoming $833,994 check from the state to the Board of Education’s budget.

At the last meeting of Town Council, there was some disagreement among officials on the question whether the funds had been properly accounted for. In response to questions raised by Councilor Chris Palmieri, Town Manager Alex Ricciardone suggested the Board of Finance might need to draw that amount from the town’s surplus funds, while Council Chair Paul Chaplinsky argued that there was no shortfall, no error on Town Council’s part and no action the Council needed to take.

A lengthy discussion by the Board of Finance on Wednesday revolved in part around the wording used to characterize the handling of the sum – was it an “error,” or an “oddity?”

“I don't believe it was on the record or transparent for everyone that the error was there,” said Wade, preferring the former term. “We all had access to the information, but the error was spotted by our finance director.”

Leary called the confusion an “oddity” and said it will serve as a learning opportunity for the future.

“The mill rate setting meeting should have two pieces to it: review the bridge of the budget given to town council and the one received back or changed, and then set the mill rate. That piece didn't happen,” said Leary. (A ‘bridge’ analysis is ‘a financial technique used to explain the change between two financial values by breaking the difference into its underlying drivers.”)

“I'll take responsibility for that. But I do believe that if we were to go back and wave a magic wand and raise the mill rate by 0.12, we would then be taxing the people for an additional $833,000. So we would have the state's $833, and the people's $833. That's why I don't consider [what we did] an error.”

 

Audit Reveals $2.5 Million Surplus Funds

The Board also received a presentation and report on the audit of the town’s finances for 2025, conducted by the accounting firm CliftonLarsonAllen LLP.

The audit, summarized by CPA Leslie Zoll, revealed that Southington’s budgetary revenues came in $2.4 million lower than expected while expenditures were $4.9 million lower than expected, leaving a $2.5 million surplus that will go into the town’s rainy day fund.

The audit report can be read below:

20260730155801-2.pdf

Download PDF • 1.39MB

Details of Two Recent Violent Attacks Become More Clear

Police on the scene at Cadillac Ranch, July 15. JENNIFER ROY VIDEO SCREENSHOT

A fuller picture is emerging of the confrontation that led to a shooting at Southington’s Cadillac Ranch on July 15.

The July 20 confrontation between youths on ebikes and a motorcyclist on Main Street has also become clearer thanks to video evidence that can be compared with the police report.

The following account synthesizes reporting by staff at the Hartford Courant and by Bruce Mattazarro, Jr., of CT Insider. It incorporates analysis from John E. Bunch II of Black Dragon TV, a "motorcycle club historian and protocol expert," evaluates videos posted (with permission) by the Facebook page New England Unfiltered, and summarizes official reports released by the Southington Police Department and Connecticut State Police.

Note that every person accused of a crime is presumed to be innocent until and unless their guilt is established beyond a reasonable doubt.

The Cadillac Ranch Incident

On the evening of July 15, Cadillac Ranch at 45 Jude Lane was holding its monthly “Bike Night.” Typically the event brings in several hundred motorcycle enthusiasts and members of motorcycle clubs. Proceeds from the event were to benefit the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. It was sponsored by Haymond Law Firm, a Hartford-based firm that specializes in personal injury compensation, and Yankee Harley Davidson.

Among those who came to the event were 44-year old Francis Imperato III of Griswold, Connecticut, and his father. Imperato is listed by the State of Connecticut as the owner of Bully Baggerz & Son, LLC, a motorcyle repair shop in Jewett City, Connecticut.

Around 6:30pm, the younger Imperato was reportedly approached by an individual who said that he was unhappy with the work that was done on his motorcycle seven years ago and wanted his money back. CTInsider, drawing on police reports, has given the name of the individual as Chris Sneider.

Imperato told police that Sneider was accompanied by several other individuals. He said that Sneider then punched him in the face, and that once his father tried to separate the two, the rest of the assailants joined in. While his father was pinned to the ground, Imperato said he was subject to assault. He said the assailants attempted to pull off his jewelry and his clothes, as well as his loaded gun, a Glock 43X, which he had in a holster tucked inside his waistband. He reported that his gun was taken from him and that he subsequently heard it discharge. The men, he said, took turns punching, kicking, and hitting him with what he said felt like a hammer. He said he did not fire his gun.

When the gun discharged, a 25-year old man named Justin Woodbury was struck in the chest by a bullet and critically injured. He was later taken to the hospital. His brother, 31-year old Harley Woodbury of Terryville, told police that he was some distance away when the gun discharged and raced to the scene, where he found that his brother had been shot. He said that he then joined the assault on Imperato, thinking that he had pulled the trigger. He also said that he grabbed and threw the Glock.

Southington Police arrived on the scene and gained control of it with help from police departments in neighboring towns. During the initial investigation, police found a single shell casing on the ground about ten feet from the location of the shooting victim. They swabbed Imperato’s hands for signs of gunshot residue. Apparently finding none, they did not take him into custody, and informed him that he was free to leave the hospital whenever doctors allowed it.

Cadillac Ranch’s owner Peter Griffin allowed police to examine video taken by the facility’s surveillance cameras. He told them that the camera aimed at the area of the altercation was not working, while the cameras that were working were pointed elsewhere. Accordingly police had to rely on video provided by a witness to identify the assailants.

After reviewing the witness’s video, police identified five men involved in the assault on Imperato. Four were arrested and charged with assault: James McDermott, 52, of Waterbury, Gerard McAfee, 54, of Branford, Philip Gugliotti, 55, of Waterbury and Harley Woodbury, 31, of Terryville.

A fifth individual said by police to be involved in the assault left the scene.

Four more men were arrested for interfering with an officer: Kevin Lawlor, 48, of Derby, William Schneiter, 60, of Baltic, Marc Debenigno, 49, of Waterbury and Zarif Ramadanov, 46, of Bethany.

A police officer at the scene reported that the individuals involved in the “commotion” were wearing the black and red sleeveless vests of the Diablo motorcycle club. He also said that the shooting victim was wearing a Diablos vest. The booking photos show Debenigno, Lawlor, Ramadanov, and Schneiter wearing Diablos vests, and Gugliotti with Diablos tattoos.

The Diablos Motorcycle Club is a nationwide ‘outlaw’ motorcycle club founded in 1961 by Meriden native John J. Baltas. The club has a clubhouse in Meriden. In 2019, repeated brawls between the Diablos and their rivals, the Outlaws, at Plainville’s Central Cafe led state officials to suspend the restaurant’s liquor license and shut it down.

A GoFundMe account was set up for the shooting victim soon after the incident. The GoFundMe page states, in part: “Justin Woodbury, Virginia’s beloved son, was tragically caught in the crossfire as an innocent bystander at the Cadillac Ranch. Justin was struck by a stray bullet, resulting in significant injuries that have left him on life-support. He is expected to remain in the hospital for several months, facing multiple surgeries and a long road of rehabilitation ahead. This sudden and senseless event has turned Justin’s life upside down, and the emotional toll on his family has been immense.”

Since then the account has raised $28,648 towards its $30,000 goal. On July 26, according to the page, the largest contribution was $666 from DIABLOS MERIDEN. The page has since been taken down.

Two days later, on July 17, an explosive device was set off at Imperato’s motorcycle repair shop in Jewett City. Investigators identified it as an illegal, M-class explosive device consisting of a tube filled with flash powder and detonated with a hobby fuse. The explosion inflicted light damage on the shop.

On the night of July 23, Kevin Lawlor, one of the men from the Cadillac Ranch incident charged with interfering with an officer, was arrested in connection with the explosion. Lawlor was charged on four counts, including conspiracy to commit arson. The arrest warrant for Lawlor says, “This is an active investigation with additional arrests anticipated.”

Cadillac Ranch has cancelled its Bike Nights for the remainder of the year.

Youth Attack on a Motorcyclist

On Monday, July 20, just five days after the incident at Cadillac Ranch, an apparently unrelated attack occurred in Southington when a group of youths fought with a man riding a motorcycle on Main Street.

Videos purportedly taken by the teenagers and footage from nearby homeowners shows the events from multiple angles. While the videos reveal what transpired, they do not make clear what was said or what motivated any of the subsequent actions.

At around 2pm, a group of about 30 youths on ebikes, bicycles, and mopeds riding southbound near 503 Main Street passed a 58-year old man on a motorcycle. While it seems likely that some of the youths were from Southington, not all were, since the two who were later arrested were residents of Waterbury and Cheshire.

The incident began when the youths and the motorcycle rider exchanged words. Subsequently the entire group came to a halt in the street, blocking traffic. The motorcyclist got off his bike and began to face off with a youth dressed in black clothes with a black balaclava over his face. As they circled one another, one youth tried to hold back the youth in black. Then a third youth went over to the man’s stationary motorcycle and touched it. When the motorcyclist lunged at him, he was attacked by the two aggressive youths and a third who joined in. They tackled him to the ground and proceeded to punch and kick him and take his cellphone.

The youth dressed in black drew what police later identified as a screwdriver and struck at least twice at the man’s lower back.

About two minutes passed between the initial encounter and the arrival of police. The homeowner’s video shows many of the youths fleeing before police arrived.

Police arrested 20-year old Kevin Manuel Rodriguez of Waterbury and changed him on eight counts, including –

Criminal Attempt to Commit Assault in the First Degree

Conspiracy to Commit Assault in the First Degree

Assault in the Second Degree

Conspiracy to Commit Robbery in the First Degree

Riot in the Second Degree

Unlawful Assembly

Threatening in the Second Degree

Breach of Peace in the Second Degree

Booking photo for Kevin Manuel Rodriguez of Waterbury SOUTHINGTON POLICE DEPARTMENT PHOTO

Police also arrested a 13-year old from Cheshire and charged him with seven counts, including –

Robbery in the First Degree

Conspiracy to Commit Robbery in the First Degree

Larceny in the Fourth Degree

Assault in the Third Degree

Riot in the Second Degree

Unlawful Assembly

Two counts of Breach of Peace in the Second Degree

Because of his age, police will not release his name.

The Outsider invited local leaders from both parties to comment on the recent attacks. We will be sharing their complete responses in a future article.