Bethany First Selectman Announces Resignation Amid Scandal

BETHANY, CT — First Selectman Paula Cofrancesco announced she is resigning her position at a meeting Monday night.

The announcement was met with applause from many in the audience.

“I am writing to inform you of my decision to resign from my position,” Cofrancesco said, reading aloud her official resignation letter. “I recognize that my continuing as First Selectman will be a distraction to the important business that must be done.”

Several media outlets were at the meeting and posted video of Cofrancesco’s resignation announcement, such as WFSB and WTNH.

Cofrancesco’s decision follows the recent release of a report by an independent panel which concluded she failed to take key actions following claims that a town employee had sexually abused children.

Anthony Mastrangelo, 25, is accused of abusing minor children who were enrolled in Bethany’s parks and recreation programs while he was an intern and counselor.

Mastrangelo, who no longer works for the town, was charged last June with risk of injury to a minor, fourth-degree sexual assault, first-degree sexual assault, and illegal sexual contact with a victim under 16 years old.

The town retained retired Superior Court Judge Robert Holzberg and the law firm of Pullman & Comley to conduct an independent investigation. The panel issued its findings in a lengthy report made public on May 15.

Cofrancesco has denied wrongdoing and has indicated she disagrees with the report’s findings.

Cofrancesco said her resignation will be effective as of June 6, according to the Town Clerk’s office, which anticipated receiving her official letter of resignation on Tuesday.

The community will begin the process of finding a new first selectman.

The report concludes Cofrancesco knew the specific nature of the allegations against Mastrangelo as early as December 23, 2022, and that he was the subject of investigations by the state Department of Children and Families and state police.

“Even if her claim that she was unaware of the details of the December 2022 allegation is credited, by her own admission she knew no later than June 19, 2023—one full year before his arrests—that multiple DCF investigations had confirmed that Mastrangelo sexually abused children enrolled in Parks and Recreation Department programs,” the report states.

The panel concluded it is “inexplicable” that Cofrancesco failed to immediately terminate Mastrangelo’s employment in December 2022, notify the community of alleged assaults by a town employee, and initiate a comprehensive review of Parks and Recreation safety procedures and policies. The panel also faults Cofrancesco for failing to interview Mastrangelo or conduct an inquiry into the allegations against him.

Mastrangelo’s employment with the town ended in June 2023, the report shows, after the town received notice from DCF of its finding that Mastrangelo had sexually abused at least two children during his employment.

The panel evaluated any personal relationship between the First Selectman and Mastrangelo, and whether or not it impacted Cofrancesco’s decision-making.

“Despite the First Selectman’s denials, a close personal relationship with Mastrangelo and his family is supported by witness interviews, social-media posts, the First Selectman’s own text messages, and the hiring of Mastrangelo by the First Selectman’s husband for his insurance company after Mastrangelo’s employment with the Town ended,” the report states.

In a September 2024 “Bethany Bulletin” communication with town residents, which is included in the report, Cofrancesco indicated that after the December 2022 complaint, Mastrangelo was removed from all contact with minors in Parks and Recreation programs, and allowed to work for a short time in a different capacity while supervised.

Cofrancesco asserted there was not enough evidence available at the time to justify immediate termination. As for why residents weren’t notified in 2022, Cofrancesco told residents the town was legally and ethically bound not to comment on an open investigation.

Mastrangelo has denied wrongdoing and entered “not guilty” pleas to all the charges against him. His case is pending in Superior Court in New Haven, with his next court appearance scheduled for June 18.

Read the full report HERE.