Letter: Reader does not agree with ethics decision

To the editor: I find it disturbing that the Southington Ethics Board would find Town Councilman tom Lombardi violated the Code of Ethics even though he was advised by our Town Attorney and Town Manager that the vote he was making was procedural and not a conflict of interest for him. I, like Councilman Lombardi, have served on numerous local boards, and if we can’t depend on the paid professionals of our local government to know what a conflict of interest is, and what isn’t, how are we to know? Our town government is extremely well-run, and both our Town Attorney and Town Manager are highly respected. Is the decision of the Ethics Board to be considered a reprimand to Councilman Lombardi, or should it be to the paid professionals who counseled him? Should every volunteer member of our local boards not be able to rely on the advice of our paid professionals for fear that their counsel will be second-guessed by the Ethics Board, and they, in turn, labeled “unethical?” I think the Ethics Board missed the boat on this one. Jeff Wight, Southington