New London — A city Planning and Zoning Commission member, who is also vice chairman of the Neighborhood Alliance of New London, was charged Friday in connection a spray-painting incident in Riverside Park.

Wayne Vendetto Jr., 41, of 29 Chapel Drive, was charged with four counts of second-degree criminal mischief around noontime Friday.

Riverside Park is the subject of a referendum question on the Nov. 8 ballot. Residents will decide if 9 of the park's 18 acres should be sold to the Coast Guard for $2.9 million.

In 2010, as a member of the PZC, Vendetto voted against the sale of the park parcel to the Coast Guard.

Vendetto's wife, Corina, is running for the Board of Education.

Deputy police Chief Marshall Segar said someone saw Vendetto spray-paint the letters "CGA" followed by a dash and then "NL" in four places. The witness called police, who arrested Vendetto in the park, at 77 Grove St., Segar said.

In an email to The Day Friday evening, Vendetto said he had become "an accidental activist and an accused criminal."

Vendetto said he was spraying the letters in anticipation of an event in the park today to show who would own each portion of property if residents vote "yes" Nov. 8 to sell the 9 acres of the city-owned Riverside Park to the Coast Guard Academy.

Vendetto said his charges imply that he caused more than $1,000 in damages to city property. The notations were made with temporary field marker, he said.

"Never did I, nor did I ever, intend to do any damage to any property, city or other," he wrote.

"In fact," he said in the email, "when I was released from lock-up I promptly rinsed away the lines that I had made."

Vendetto could not be reached for further comment Saturday.

s.goldstein@theday.com