Stratford Mayor James R. Miron, left, and Town Attorney Richard Buturla attend a hearing on the possible termination of Fire Chief John J. Cybart at Town Hall. The hearing was continued until Feb. 2 so Cybart's attorney could review documents. Stratford fire chief's day of reckoning on hold
By Richard Weizel
ConnPost Staff writer
Updated: 01/08/2009 12:24:32 AM EST
STRATFORD -- Fire Chief John J. Cybart was granted an 11th-hour reprieve from potential dismissal Wednesday when Mayor James R. Miron agreed to a request by the chief's lawyer for a second continuance of the termination hearing.
But the chief is far from off the hot seat. The hearing continues at 9 a.m. Feb. 2 in Town Hall's Council Chambers.
Cybart, 54, a 14-year Fire Department veteran, faces termination by officials investigating the fallout from what they contend was a tainted bidding process for a new firetruck.
During Wednesday afternoon's brief hearing in Town Hall, New Haven lawyer Robert A. Richardson, representing Cybart, asked Miron to agree to continue the highly anticipated hearing to provide more time to "review a wide range of documents" pertaining to the firetruck bidding process, as well as Cybart's personnel file.
Town Attorney Richard Buturla provided Richardson with all the requested documents at the session.
Cybart was not among the 40 people who attended the hearing.
"Let me be clear about this. The town was ready to present its case today, and the final continuance will go forward Feb. 2," Miron said. "We recognize Chief Cybart's attorney needs to review numerous documents, but we want to expedite and conclude this process."
The hearing, which began last month, had been continued to Wednesday at the request of Cybart and his lawyer.
"While I appreciate and understand that the mayor would like to move forward with the hearing as soon as possible, there are valid reasons for the continuance," Richardson states in a Tuesday letter to Buturla. "After reviewing the transcripts of the witnesses' interviews, it is clear to me that the bid documents that were submitted to the Stratford Fire Department will be relevant at the hearing to my cross-examination of some of the town's witnesses."
Richardson added, "Mr. Cybart's job and professional reputation are at stake. He is interested in moving forward with the hearing, presenting his witnesses and explaining his side of the story as soon as possible. But Mr. Cybart will need to discuss the actual bid documents, and the documents are quite voluminous."
He also said that after reading an outside consultant's report on the investigation that resulted in a recommendation of Cybart's termination by Chief Administrative Officer Suzanne McCauley and Human Resources Director Edmund Winterbottom, "it has become clear that documents from Mr. Cybart's personnel file may be relevant to the hearing."
Cybart, who has been chief nearly two years, faces possible loss of his job after town officials accused him in a Dec. 1 memo of displaying a "gross lack of judgment" by appointing Lt. Robert Spiegel to the bid review committee, knowing Spiegel had a "direct conflict of interest" as an employee of New England Fire Equipment Corp. of North Haven.
The chief's appointees to the bid-selection committee are accused of trying to change specifications for the firetruck they estimated would cost $450,000 to ensure New England Fire Equipment would be awarded the contract, even though with a $507,000 bid, it was not the low bidder.
The case has also revived a controversy seven years ago also involving New England Fire Equipment and its owner, former Town Council Chairman James Feehan. He was embroiled in allegations he tried to coerce then-Fire Chief Ron Nattrass into buying a truck from his firm.
A Superior Court judge threw out the charges of first-degree larceny and attempted coercion against Feehan after a four-day trial in October 2002.
Feehan has blasted Miron, insisting that "on several occasions the mayor told me when I was council chairman he would do anything in his power to get rid of Chief Cybart."
Miron has denied the allegation.
Cybart submitted a letter seeking a disability pension to the town Dec. 2 based on a claim of "injury on the job," the day after he was advised of his termination hearing, Winterbottom said.
Stratford Mayor James R. Miron, left, and Town Attorney Richard Buturla attend a hearing on the possible termination of Fire Chief John J. Cybart at Town Hall. The hearing was continued until Feb. 2 so Cybart's attorney could review documents.
Attorney Robert A. Richardson, left, representing Fire Chief John J. Cybart; Fairfield attorney John Bohannon, center, representing the Town of Stratford; and Edmund Winterbottom, Stratford's human resources director, talk before a hearing on Cybart's possible termination Wednesday at Town Hall.
Autumn Driscoll/Staff photographer Attorney Robert A. Richardson, representing Fire Chief John J. Cybart, leaves Town Hall Wednesday following a hearing, which was continued, on the possible termination of Fire Chief John J. Cybart.
Autumn Driscoll/Staff photographer Attorney Robert A. Richardson, representing Fire Chief John J. Cybart, attends a hearing, which was continued, on the possible termination of Fire Chief John J. Cybart.
Fire Chief John J. Cybart