Open Letter From Outgoing Town Attorney Joe Zullo

A submitted "Open Letter to Town of East Haven Department Heads, Fellow Appointed Town Counsel, and Mayor Joseph Maturo, Jr. from Outgoing Town Attorney Joe Zullo":

Dear Town Department Heads and Fellow Town Attorneys:

When I was appointed by Mayor Joseph Maturo, Jr. as corporation counsel for the Town of East Haven in November of 2011, I was twenty-six years old, and a newly minted young attorney. Town Hall was an intimately familiar and warm place for me, mostly because | had grown up roaming the halls of the building in close tow behind my father, who would always bring me along when he would title search. In my initial weeks as Town Attorney, employees and department heads often fondly (and admittedly a bit embarrassingly) reminisced with me about how I would serenade them as a child with songs from my school plays as my father worked. Returning to the building as a young professional in such a demanding role was, to put it bluntly, terrifying. However, the friendly faces, fond memories, and good will from long-time employees and department heads made the experience much easier. Although I am leaving my role as Town Attorney with the change in administrations, the building remains an intimately warm and special place to me - particularly because of the incredible people with whom I had the opportunity to work.

I know that I brought a firm understanding of the law to my role as Town Attorney and I certainly feel that my experiences in this role and work with all of you gave me a richer and more detailed understanding of how our town government functions. However, for all of the knowledge that I have acquired in my time, I still feel that I could never know as much about how the Town runs as all of you - the incredibly talented, hard-working employees and department heads who keep the Town running on a day-to-day basis. Along with our town's residents, you constitute our Town's greatest assets. I have always been impressed by your professionalism, creativity, and genuine care for our community and I have relished every moment I've had the opportunity to work with you.

I also want to express special thanks to my fellow appointed town attorneys - Hugh Keefe, my father Alfred Zullo, and Frank Kolb along with Attorney Lawrence Sgrignari. When Mayor Maturo appointed me to this position, he all but assured I would succeed because he gave me some of the best mentors a young attorney could ask for. In particular, I want to thank Attorney Lawrence Sgrignari for his diligent work, alongside Mayor Maturo and our police professionals, piloting the Town through a four-year year consent decree. Although I was often given credit for my supervision of the Town's compliance efforts, Attorney Sgrignari brought a depth and breadth of leadership to our DOJ compliance team that paid dividends from the start and which was instrumental in the Town's success in completing the agreement on time and under budget. The Mayor deserves great credit for that pick.

The Mayor's office staff, both past and present, also deserves credit for their incredible dedication and hard work on behalf of the taxpayers and Mayor. Art Desorbo redefined "economic development" in East Haven and Frank Gentilesco brought the Fall Festival and other Town events to new heights because of his vigorous advocacy. When both men left the Mayor's staff, the Mayor tapped Joe Coppola and Sal Brancati - and thanks to their efforts, the office never lost a step. Often nder-recognized, but equally essential, have been the Mayor's administrative assistants during my tenure - Joyce Hollenbeck, my fiancée Danelle Feeley, and Sharon Grasso. In between fielding calls from concerned residents and helping to coordinate many of the Town's signature events, they provided invaluable support to the Mayor and his professional staff. The Mayor succeeded on his own merits, but he also excelled because he surrounded himself with the very best and brightest of professionals and staff members. I am honored to have worked with each and every one of them - so much so that I'm marrying one of them in the near future!

Finally, I want to express my sincere thanks to Mayor Maturo for giving me the opportunity of a lifetime. As a seventeen-year career firefighter, a former town council member, and, to-date, the Town's longest-serving CEO, he possesses a wealth of knowledge about the Town. Along with jumpstarting my career and arming me with the tools to become a better attorney and a more competent professional, the Mayor generously and unselfishly shared his wealth of knowledge with me. His generosity in these regards gave me the confidence and skills to become the State Representative for the 99th Assembly District, a role in which I look forward to working closely with all of you and in which I will continue fighting for our residents.

In closing, I ask two simple things of all of you: that you welcome my successor, and Mayor Elect Carfora, as warmly as you welcomed me; and that you share with them both all of your knowledge, so that they may be successful for the benefit of us all. Although they assume these roles with grand ideas and great passion, those ideas will not become reality without your continued hard work and dedication.

Thank you, sincerely, for your friendship and professionalism.

With sincere thanks and best wishes for continued success,

Joseph H. Zullo, Town Attorney - Town of East Haven