Marconi, Republicans trade barbs

By Susan Tuz

The News-Times Online

RIDGEFIELD� Democratic First Selectman Rudy Marconi calls it dirty politics. Republicans say they are not spreading rumors, but residents have the right to know what�s going on with the town�s leader.

In recent months, there have been rumblings about paving work on Marconi driveway and a lawsuit against a company he used to run on Long Island.

Marconi said they are coming from the Republican Town Committee and AJ Di Mattia, the committee�s chairman and the GOP candidate for first selectman.

All of this is beneath Ridgefield, Marconi said Tuesday. I find it shameful and embarrassing to think that this is how my opponent chooses to run his campaign.

Marconi called on Di Mattia and the committee to stop the nasty personal attacks, to repudiate those they have already made and focus on the issues that are important to Ridgefield.

At issue are allegations sent to the Connecticut attorney general�s office that Marconi improperly used a paving company that also worked for the town to pave his private driveway.

Marconi denies accepting any improper favors. He provided a copy of a canceled check for $3,250 his wife, Margaret, wrote to A&J Construction on Aug. 27. A&J Construction was a subcontractor for Tilcon Connecticut Inc., the company hired to do paving work in Ridgefield by the state of Connecticut.

Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said Tuesday information provided by Marconi seems to address all the issues raised as far as state statutes go. There seem to be no law issues remaining to be investigated.

A second issue concerns Marconi�s involvement in a pollution lawsuit in New York. That state�s attorney general sued to recover funds spent to clean up contaminated soil at the site of a Long Island printing company where Marconi was once a partner.

;The suit was filed against several companies, including a company I was a part of 20 years ago, Marconi said. We have already provided documentation that shows our company was clearly not responsible for that and the (Republicans know) this.

Di Mattia�s said he knows nothing about improper paving contrac�s; but he questioned whether Marconi will be distracted by a trial on the clean-up issue.

There�s� a reason the first selectman is a full-time and substantially paid elected position, Di Mattia said. Ridgefield, a $100-plus million enterprise, involves duties and responsibilities that are extensive, demanding and complex, requiring the full attention of the chief executive.

The court case dates to the 1980s when Marconi was president of National Heatset Printing Corp. and of National Heatset Inc. in Farmingdale, N.Y.

New York�s Department of Environmental Conservation found the companies allegedly dumped organic solvents and other printing chemical wastes into leaching pools on the site, from 1983 to 1988,” according to DEC documents.

In 2002, the state of New York contracted for clean-up of the site, which is still ongoing.

Marc Violette, a representative of the New York State Attorney General�s Office, said Tuesday the office is involved in a legal action to recover the cost of the recovery effort at National Heatset and Rudy Marconi.

The state of New York is attempting to retrieve $780,000 in clean-up costs from National Heatset and Marconi specifically, Violette said. That figure could grow as clean-up continues.

I had no first hand input with chemical disposal matters in the business, Marconi said Tuesday. We hired plant managers and it was their responsibility to assure chemicals were handled in a proper manner.

Marconi has been dealing with the lawsuit since it was filed in federal court in April. His attorney, Frederick Eisenbud, requested allowing Marconi to take part in conferences on the legal matter via telephone.

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