Community Corner
Council Finds No Cause for Ethics Complaint Against Mayor
But a slip-and-fall lawsuit involving Ron McDaniel heads to court today
The Montville Town Council, meeting in executive session on Monday, found no probable cause for an ethics complaint filed against Mayor Ron McDaniel by a Montville resident.
The complaint by Bryan Ziemski alleged ethical violations on McDaniel's part, stemming from his ownership of Common Grounds, a property management company. Common Grounds managed a number of properties in Montville; McDaniel said, after he was elected in November, that he was divesting himself of those properties.
McDaniel's company no longer manages the property at 3 Walnut Drive that sparked Ziemski's complaint.
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Town Council Chairperson Candy Buebendorf said the council told Ziemski to pursue the issue through the zoning department.
"I thought (the complaint) didn't have any merit to begin with," McDaniel said. "It was a neighborhood dispute."
Find out what's happening in Montvillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
A second action, on in which McDaniel has been named as a defendant, is scheduled for a trial management conference in New London today.
It is the case of Scott Cassavaugh vs. McDonald’s Corporation, R&K Spero Co. LLC and Common Grounds LLC. McDaniel was the owner of Common Grounds in December 2010, when the suit was filed.
McDaniel’s attorney did not return calls about the lawsuit, but McDaniel said that the suit concerned a fall taken by Cassavaugh in 2009 in the parking lot of the McDonald’s in Montville. McDaniel had the snow-plowing contract for the restaurant at that time.
According to court documents, “the plaintiff alleges that on Jan. 15, 2009, while exiting his vehicle, he slipped and fell on an accumulation of ice and snow. As a result of this alleged fall, the plaintiff suffered injuries and damages.”
McDaniel said the case was “pretty standard litigation stuff.”
“In 14 years, if I only had one (lawsuit) I’m in pretty good shape,” he said.
A trial management conference is scheduled for 2 p.m. today. Jury selection and trial is scheduled for 10 a.m. , Jan. 17.
To read the case detail, click here.
To take the Montville Morning Poll and grade McDaniel's performance so far, come back to the Montville Patch at 10 a.m. today
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