Stonington building officials accused of unprofessional conduct

Stonington — A veteran police officer is expected to address the Board of Selectmen at its meeting tonight about the “unprofessional” way the town’s two building officials have treated him and others seeking permits.

Stonington Detective Greg Howard said he will be speaking for a large group of homeowners, contractors and business owners who have told him they, too, have been subjected to the “rude, condescending and unprofessional treatment” by Building Official Lawrence Stannard and his assistant, Robert Chevalier. He also charged they are misinterpreting building codes and exceeding their authority by requiring work that is not legally required.

Other contractors and business owners who spoke with The Day this week also complained about the actions of the building officials but said they did not want to speak publicly because they have ongoing projects that require permits and fear retaliation. Some say the actions of the two men are discouraging people from investing in town, especially in Pawcatuck.

“No one is complaining about them being sticklers for the code. But I can’t stand to see people get bullied. Someone who does not have projects hanging over their head has to stand up to them,” Howard said.

First Selectman Rob Simmons said he has spoken to the two building officials on a number of occasions about how to properly interact with the public and even sent Stannard for training on the topic.

Simmons said he told Howard that he will not tolerate disrespectful behavior by town employees.

“It does not fit the definition of public service. We have people who have to do unpopular things, such as collect taxes, increase someone’s as-

sessment and give tickets for speeding. The building official is no different and sometimes people get upset. My job is to make sure we maintain our professionalism,” Simmons said.

Stannard declined to comment on the complaints.

Howard posted a lengthy description of his problems with the two building officials on the Stonington Community Forum Facebook page on March 19, saying many people had asked him about the trouble he was having with them.

“I have heard from many residents, business owners and contractors over the last couple of days; many are weary (sic) to come forward for fear of retaliation on ongoing projects ... I have pledged to those who have reached out that I will be their voice while keeping their identity confidential,” he wrote, asking people to contact him so he could present the selectmen with a list of problems when they meet at 7 p.m. at the police station.

“This type of conduct is not Stonington, and we can urge our leaders to address it,” he wrote.

Letter to first selectman

Howard attached a letter and email he sent to Simmons two weeks ago detailing his interactions with Stannard and Chevalier over the recent work he had done on his Pawcatuck home without a permit.

Howard said that in February 2017, he partitioned off a bedroom and bathroom from his living room and last month when he and his wife decided to put their home up for sale, the real estate agent told Howard the work required a permit and he would need to contact the building official’s office to correct the issue.

Howard said he did so and explained what he had done. He then supplied the office with “before and after” drawings and filled out a permit application.

Howard said that when Chevalier came to inspect the work, he told Chevalier he knew “he was in the wrong” and if needed, he would pull down the sheetrock.

He said Chevalier told him he also needed to bring his smoke and carbon monoxide detectors up to date, which Howard agreed to do. Howard said Chevalier then began criticizing the workmanship and code interpretations of a local electrician whom Howard knows.

“It saddens me that as a Stonington resident, that a town official took an unsolicited opportunity to degrade a local businessman in this manner,” Howard wrote.

He said Chevalier then declined Howard’s offer to remove the sheetrock so he could inspect the work he had done and told Howard he would have to hire a plumber, electrician and mechanical contractor to verify that the proper installations had been made.

Howard said he was not sure why an HVAC inspection was needed, as no such work had been done, but Chevalier said air flow could have been altered by the other work.

Howard said Chevalier then told him, “I’m not going to allow anyone to say that I signed off on this just because you’re a cop.”

Howard wrote in his Facebook post that never, in his 16 years as a Stonington police officer, has he “ever asked anyone to accept liability or skirt their duties to offer me a favor by virtue of my position in town. This comment was extremely uncalled for and very unprofessional in my opinion.”

‘Wrong from the beginning’

Howard said that he realized “he was wrong from the beginning” for doing the work without permits and obtained the three letters of inspections Chevalier required.

He said that when Chevalier came back to the house for a scheduled inspection, Chevalier said he would need to inspect the inspection done by the HVAC firm, which Chevalier had required and Howard had paid $153 for the work. Howard asked why, if Chevalier was going to inspect the work anyway, did he require him to hire an outside firm to do the same thing.

As for the plumbing inspection report, which stated a shower drain “was not exactly to today’s standards” due to the pitch of the pipe but would provide years of maintenance-free service, Howard said Chevalier acknowledged it was not a code violation but that Howard would have to make modifications.

Looking at the electrician’s inspection, Howard said Chevalier asked him, “Did he actually come here or did he just sign this because his brother is a cop?”

Howard said he corrected Chevalier that the electrician’s cousin is a police officer.

Another problem

“Again this insinuation of unethical conduct was not well received, necessary nor professional,” Howard wrote.

Howard, who bought the house from his grandparents in 2003, said Chevalier then walked around other sections of the house and pointed out other code violations that dated back to work done in the 1960s.

He said Chevalier refused to detail specific deficiencies but told him he would document that the house failed his inspection.

Howard then called Standard to say he was running into a problem with Chevalier.

Howard said he was told by the state building official’s office that because building codes were not implemented until 1970, the town cannot force people to correct work done before that and unless Chevalier could cite a specific code violation, he could not force other work to be done.

Simmons held a meeting last week with Howard and Stannard, at which time Stannard took over the issue and Howard agreed to do any required work. Simmons said the issue has been resolved and the permits issued.