Barnes Withdraws Lawsuit Against Former New Milford Mayor

NEW MILFORD, CT — A lawsuit that accused former Mayor David Gronbach of misappropriating funds to renovate the John Pettibone building has been withdrawn.

The lawsuit, filed by Chairman of the Republican Town Committee, Michael Barnes, claimed Gronbach should have gotten Board of Finance approval before allocating $225,000 from the Landfill Settlement Fund to turn the former John Pettibone School into a community center. Barnes withdrew his lawsuit to shield the current administration from having to pay the legal costs.

Gronbach claimed he was authorized to move the money with only Town Council approval as the fund came from an annual settlement payment, not from taxpayer funds.

Last month, the Town Council rejected that premise when it declared null and void two documents that Gronbach used as evidence to prove he had the authority to spend the money without finance board approval.