An ethics complaint possibly involving some school officials and school construction official Al Barbarotta has been dismissed.
Ethics Committee Chairman Tom Lee confirmed the complaint had been dismissed but could not make any further comment because the dismissed complaint is now confidential.
While it's not clear who the targets were, Barbarotta and Retiring Schools Supt. Ralph Iassogna said they were glad the complaint had been dismissed. At a recent Ethics Commission meeting, before the decision was made, School Plant Manager Steve Kennedy was also questioned.
Barbarotta is suing First Selectman Tim Herbst for allegedly interfering with a contract and defamation.
Town Attorney Ed Walsh noted that while he had not seen the complaint or the commission's ruling, it could be that the decision by the Ethics Commission to dismiss the complaint may have been based on a procedural technicality as opposed to being based on the underlying merits of the case."
Walsh added that “The dismissal of the Ethics Complaint by the Trumbull Ethics Commission did not preclude a possible investigation by another state or federal agency with respect to the facts and circumstances surrounding the merits of this case.”
He noted that the Board of Education and the district was only involved in the high school project in the beginning, when design specifications were approved.
An audit is planned for the renovation, which started in 2006 and continues beyond its originally scheduled completion date. The school also is up for accreditation in October.
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