Tony Carr calls for appointing new members to Board of Ethics

The following is a letter that Brookfield resident Tony Carr has sent to the Board of Selectmen and the Board of Ethics.

Carr, a West Point graduate and retired U.S. Army officer, is the husband of Brookfield Selectman Tara Carr.

Brookfield Patch plans to do a story in the coming days on Tony Carr's call for appointing new members to the Board of Ethics.

Dear Board of Ethics and Board of Selectmen,

Thank you for your dedication to the town. This letter you are about to read will test your commitment to making Brookfield a town of quality service from its municipal leaders and civil servants. I write now pertaining to C2025-01 (which Respondent Selectman Bob Belden waived confidentiality) and the failure of the Board of Ethics to adhere to their own procedures and the C.G.S. 1-82a. I filed my complaint on 1/21/25. I then received a letter saying that the BoEthics could not have a meeting which, I feel, is disingenuous based on the rationale. It has now been 51 days since I filed the complaint and nothing has been done about it other than a decision made in executive session to further investigate. The ethics board’s blatant disregard of the rules is not in keeping with the Charter, the bylaws of the Board of Ethics or the code of Ethics. Rules exist to be followed, not to be ignored, and they should be followed in a timely manner. This isn’t the first time the Board of Ethics has violated their own procedures. They had to dismiss a case based on their violation of C.G.S. They then ignored the 20 day rule in C2024-03 and the board tried to simply wish the problem away by saying their bylaws allow for “suspension of bylaws,” based on not having enough members for a quorum, which also appears disingenuous as only two members are required for a quorum and two have been continuously available throughout the year. In both cases (c2024-03 and c2025-01) the BofEthics has had enough members (two-thirds) to create a quorum and has even held a meeting on February 18th with all 3 members since I submitted complaint C2025-01, albeit already beyond the 20 days after my submission (January 25th). The “suspension of bylaws” action, no doubt, was ostensibly built into the BoEthics charter as a proactive measure should there be some reason in the future to suspend bylaws due to foreseen circumstances or, in the case of natural disaster or other calamity, not as a failsafe and a “get out of jail free” card to be used adhoc whenever the board makes procedural errors as a way of cleaning up their impropriety. I urge the BoS to call a special meeting immediately of the BoS to consider relieving the BoEthics in its current form at once and to appoint new members that can actually follow CT General Statutes, charter, and bylaw provisions. The current board membership is rife with incompetence, inattention to detail, and a general malaise in their approach to work. Another great example…when sending an email to the BofEthics last month, I received a reply from Christine Hand saying that she was still on the distribution list even though she had resigned from the board over a month earlier, thus compromising the confidentiality expected by the complainant and respondent. This inattention to detail on behalf of the board chair and its remaining member is not only unprofessional, but it erodes confidence in our boards and committees. The BofEthics’ recent displays of a continuous lack of a desire to be beyond reproach when dealing with serious matters puts the town at risk of legal challenges and its citizens at risk of being unfairly maligned. Tenure of the BoEthics members notwithstanding, they have become ineffective and a liability for the town and the taxpayers. It is your duty to provide the town with world class service. The service of this committee has been anything but that and has egregiously failed to provide even an average level of service. Sincerely, Tony Carr