Board of Ethics to Hold Public Probable-Cause Meeting

The board of ethics will review , Tuesday, and the meeting will be public.

According to the board's handbook, when handling complaints, the four-member body is not required to provide public access to its determination of probable cause.

However, Simon has requested the meeting be made public, Assistant Town Manager Emily Moon said Friday.

According to Moon, the ethics board would have conducted its regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday, commenced an executive session, and made its findings public following its executive session.

Simon, Moon added, has no problem with the decision-making process being made public because the issue has come under the public eye a number of times over the past month.

During the meeting, the board will make a determination of probable caused based on three requirements:

1. Whether the allegations constitute a violation of the code of ethics;
2. Whether there is substantial evidence "to warrant further proceedings;" and
3. Whether the circumstances, official or employee "are governed by a collective bargaining agreement, personal employment contract, or other agreement policy... which would take precedence..."

The complaint, filed by Windsor resident and former board of education president Rosemarie Miskavitch, questions whether or not an e-mail sent by Simon to Windsor baseball parents violated section 2-26 of the town's code of ethics.

Section 2-26 concerns conflicts of interests, and it reads:

No town official or employee shall accept any employment or have any interest, direct or indirect, or engage in any business or transaction or professional activity or incur any obligation of any nature which is in conflict with the proper discharge of such official's or employee's duties in the public interest or which will impair such official's or employees independence of judgement or action in the performance of official duties.

Simon has said he committed no wrongs in sending the e-mail, which encouraged baseball parents to vote "yes" in the town's May 15 budget referendum, and highlighted the presence of funds within the town council's budget that would go towards improving baseball fields in town and the concessions stand at Welch Park.

Tuesday will mark the first time, since the board's handbook was drafted in 2008, that procedures outlined will be used, according to Moon.

The board of ethics will meet at 7 p.m. on Tues., July 10 in town hall's Dr. Primus room.