To the Editor,
On 3/13/19, the Watertown Housing Commission, led by Chairman Mark Raimo, adopted a procurement policy that conformed with state statutes, requiring competitive bids for professional services.Â
On 10/30/20, Chairman Raimo and the Commission terminated the WHA employees to hire crony Propertyworx as the WHA property manager, without using the competitive bid process.
On that same day, the WHA attorney contacted the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority about the issue of the improper procurement of Propertyworx.Â
They knew there was an issue, but went ahead anyway. The WHA attorney referred to Propertyworx as the new management company. The word âinterimâ appears nowhere. After CHFA called the WHA Commission out on their improper actions, newly hired Town Manager Raimo was forced to term his crony hire âinterim.â
Mark Raimo has plans to hire the next crony â the Chief of Police.
During the December 7 Town Council meeting, Town Manager Raimo said that only current Watertown Police Department employees could apply for the chief of police position. The Connecticut Police Chiefs Association (CPCA) would vet the applicants and select the best ones for Raimo to interview. When filling the Deputy Chief position two years ago, the job was open to external candidates, and we hired the very capable Joshua Bernegger from Naugatuck.
In view of the small pool of eligible Police Chief candidates, CPCA will likely select Raimoâs crony of choice as someone Raimo could interview.Â
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