New Haven Register

By Mark Zaretsky, Register Staff	June 19, 2000

WEST HAVEN — The lack of a fiscal 2000-2001 budget less than two weeks before the start of the fiscal year isn’t the only problem the Allingtown Taxation District is facing these days.

As the budget crisis continues to fester, one casualty has been the trust and personal relationships between some of the people taxpayers count on to take care of the tax money that keeps the Allingtown Fire Department in business.

One example: as of Friday, Fire Chief Richard Massaro no longer was dealing directly with Board of Fire Commissioner member John Samperi, whom Massaro is blaming for "ruining the fire district," among other things.

"What am I? A one-man wrecking crew?" Samperi responded sarcastically. "Yeah, I ruined the fire district. Forget about the last 97 years.

"You can’t run a fire district without talking to the commissioners," Samperi said.

Another example: Samperi last week retrieved his signature stamp from the fire district office, which means he will have to personally sign any checks issued between now and July 1. Any checks written on fire district accounts require the signatures of two fire board members.

The situation grew tense as Allingtown taxpayers rejected three budgets in a row.

It boiled over last week when Samperi, who skipped the June 9 meeting at which the third rejection took place after having "a blowout" with Massaro earlier in the day, told the Register that he was in "no state of mind" to address the public and "I would have fired the chief if I went to that meeting — in front of 500 people."

Massaro, stung by that suggestion — something that Samperi by himself would have no power to do — now says that on the advice of his lawyer he is no longer dealing with Samperi except through the fire board itself.

"I supported him" after he got elected. "I worked with him for a year," Massaro said. "But now he’s too far out. He’s all over the place, and on some issues me and him don’t have the same agenda."

The lawyer whom Massaro said gave him the advice was New Haven attorney and police board member Jonathan J. Einhorn, who couldn’t be contacted.

Massaro, a 25-year Allingtown Fire Department veteran who has enough service right now to retire, said that if the fire board really feels strongly he’s getting in the way of the fire department’s progress, no one will have to fire him.

"Put it in writing and I’ll leave," Massaro said.

Samperi is in line to become the fire board’s chairman July 1 when fire board Chairman Robert Roy leaves office and is replaced on the board by Aaron Haley.

A wildcard in the race, however, is no-show board member Curtis Edwards, who left West Haven months ago because of an out-of-state job transfer but continues to own his house in West Haven and, because of a lack of provisions in the Allingtown Fire District’s charter, remains on the board despite being absent for most of the past year.

Roy, said to be the only one in touch with Edwards, did not return calls for comment. He has refused to divulge Edwards’ whereabouts.

Samperi said he wants Edwards to resign before July 1 because he will earn another $1,000 annual stipend on that date.