South Windsor Hires Former Councilman Yagaloff as New Town Attorney

Former South Windsor Councilman Keith Yagaloff was appointed as the new town attorney following a contentious debate at Monday night’s council meeting, according to the Journal Inquirer.

Yagaloff was approved by a 5-3 vote, which was along party lines with Republican Cary Prague abstaining, according to the Journal Inquirer.

Read the full story at the Journal Inquirer here.

Yagaloff’s appointment has been highly debated with Republicans arguing that his hiring violates the town charter.

Mayor M. Saud Anwar recently defended the appointment in his newsletter.

Read the full message from the mayor below:

FACTS ABOUT OUR TOWN ATTORNEY APPOINTMENT

It appears that the partisan politics are at work once again. The South Windsor Republican Party took out a paid advertisement in the Journal Inquirer recently alleging that the appointment of Keith Yagaloff and Associates has violated the Towns charter. It further alleged that the appointment of this firm was based on partisan politics.

I want to make the facts known to the community so that there are no misconceptions.

First, the vote to hire the Town Attorney was bipartisan, 6-2. Each member of the Town Council stated that the selected firm was qualified to be Town Attorney, including Councilors Mirek, Snyder, Prague and Delnicki. The hiring process was fair and objective and the candidate firms were rated on many factors. The firm that was hired was one the two top firms that were interviewed.

Please consider just spending 12 minutes watching this and this should clarify the reality.

The arguments have been made by a small minority that the hiring process was compromised. There are also allegations of charter violation.

This allegation is based on a statement from the Republican Town Committee Chair of Vernon, who happens to be a lawyer.

Because of this allegation, Town Council members and I, including the Democrats and Republicans, had agreed to get an independent assessment from Robinson and Cole, a company which has not sought the position. Their independent evaluation clearly stated the Charter was not violated.

The Secretary of State’s office was asked for a determination relative to the end of a council person’s term. Their response also reassures us that the charter was not violated.

I think that it is important for the Town Council to continue to do the work that is so much needed at this time. It is critical that this partisan bickering and attacks stop and we do the job that the community has elected us to perform.

Attorney Yagaloff of Keith Yagaloff and Associates has the reputation and record of being an excellent attorney. I am confident that he will serve our town ethically and work in the best interest of our town. Please join me in congratulating him on being appointed to this important position.

For the readers, what do you think of the hiring? Leave your comments below: