Burdick asks to withdraw his complaint against New London mayor
New London — In light of Mayor Daryl Justin Finizio’s failed re-election bid, Reid Burdick is attempting to withdraw his pending ethics complaint against Finizio.
In a letter to the Board of Ethics dated Wednesday and shared with The Day, Burdick maintains that Finizio calling his comments “homophobic” at an April 20 City Council meeting was “outside the bounds of decency,” but said a hearing on the matter would be a waste of taxpayers’ dollars.
Burdick had voiced his opposition to a tax increase at the meeting and said, “How do you accept a 12½ percent increase from a guy who doesn’t own a house or a car?”
Burdick went on to say that “wouldn’t it be great if we all had an Uncle Henry?”
Finizio replied to Burdick at the same meeting, saying, “I must say that (Burdick’s) repeated claims in this forum and others, that I do not pay taxes to the City of New London, is homophobic.”
Burdick subsequently filed an ethics complaint and the Board of Ethics found probable cause for him to make his case, setting a Sept. 28 hearing date for the presentation of testimony and evidence.
Both Burdick and Finizio had hired attorneys in anticipation of the hearing.
“Given Mayor Finizio’s impending departure from official office, Mr. Burdick believes the continuation of these proceedings by the Board of Ethics is an additional waste of municipal resources,” according to the letter signed by attorney Jason Burdick, Reid Burdick’s son.
Reached on Wednesday, Reid Burdick said, “on primary day the people spoke, and it appears they want to move on.”
“I’m with them on that. Let’s move on,” Burdick said.
After the ethics complaint was filed, Finizio called Burdick’s comments “outrageous,” maintained they were homophobic and said he pays taxes jointly with his husband and his home is under his husband’s name.
Finizio had questioned the timing of the board’s announcement so close to the election and the fact that the board was made up of mostly Republicans, some of whom were supporters of his opponent in the Democratic primary, Michael Passero.
Jason Burdick, in the letter to the Ethics Board, also raised the issue of impartiality.
“All members that voted to find probable cause of these violations are Republicans, some active in the upcoming election, and some actively running for political office,” Jason Burdick wrote. “The other members are political appointees expected to render a decision regarding the ethics of a politician. Perhaps the Board of Ethics should look inward at its own policies, procedures, and ethics to ensure its decisions are beyond reproach.”
Four members of the Ethics Board voted unanimously that probable cause existed that Finizio was in violation of three sections of the City’s Code of Ethics regarding policy, standards of conduct and treatment of the public.
Members of the board voting on the probable cause findings were Chairman K. Robert Lewis, Constance Fields, Dennis Downing and David Hersant, according to Lewis.
Board member Minerva Dudley-Clark was absent. Fields is the lone Democrat among the voting members, the rest are Republicans.
The City Council recently appointed Republican Karen Paul to the board.
Finizio’s attorney, Kim Carlson McGee, in a letter to Lewis, encouraged Downing to recuse himself from all further proceedings, noting he is endorsed by the Republican Town Committee for a spot on the City Council.
McGee, who posed a series of questions to Lewis in anticipation of the Sept. 28 hearing, said Wednesday she and Finizio looked forward to the commission’s responses to her questions and to Burdick’s request to withdraw his complaint.
Lewis was not immediately available for comment.
Twitter: @SmittyDay
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