Post by Admin on Oct 10, 2019 8:58:37 GMT -7
Candidate Profile - Ed Dobrowski for South Glastonbury Director
Note:The Forum is writing a series of in-depth candidate profiles. Several candidates have a long history with Glastonbury and a lengthy public record. Our series starts with Ed Dobrowski who is running for a director's position to represent South Glastonbury on the Glastonbury Landowner's Association (GLA) Board. In a few days we will add similar profiles for the other official candidates in South Glastonbury. In a week or so we will cover North Glastonbury.
Ed Dobrowski moved to Glastonbury with his family in 2009. His mother, Clare Parker, is also running for a director's position on the Glastonbury Landowner's Association (GLA) Board in 2019. His stepfather and Clare Parker's husband, Rudy Parker, previously held the position of GLA Board Treasurer. Both Ed and his mom have had previous GLA Board experience.
In 2014, Ed Dobrowski won a seat on the GLA Board with just 48 votes. His 2016 election bid garnered more votes than any other South Glastonbury candidate. His stepfather, Rudy Parker was the GLA Board Treasurer at that time. Rudy Parker admitted that at the 2016 Annual Election, he personally paid past due amounts for some landowners, which enabled their ballots to be counted. Ed Dobrowski then proceeded to victory and quickly became co-chairman of the road committee.
In June 2016, GLA Road Committee Co-chair Dobrowski ordered 76 loads of Durgan's Road Mix to be deposited in the turnout on Dry Creek Road by Route 89. High South Glastonbury was promised 38 loads of gravel, but only received 11 loads. The remainder went to Low South. Protests were lodged against the GLA Board, but High South did not receive the gravel it was promised.
In November 2016, Dobrowski cruised to a stunning victory in the Annual GLA Elections. However, allegations of corruption, mismanagement of landowner funds and conflicts of interest between his Board duties and private contracting business, were brewing in the background. They were openly discussed at a contentious January 2017 Road Committee meeting held in Emigrant Hall. Dobrowski vigorously denied all allegations. Walter Wunsch, a long term road committee member asked Dobrowski to resign as GLA Road Co-chair because he was too argumentative and lacked the ability to work and cooperate with others.
A few hours later on January 16th Dobrowski was questioned about his role in building a private walkway/driveway without informing the landowner that permits were required for driveways. Dobrowski contended that he did nothing wrong and stated that the driveway was actually a wheelbarrow walkway. In the Glastonbury Landowners for Positive Change Meeting Summary, Director Mark Seaver is quoted as saying that Dobrowski is "lying through his teeth".
The controversy surrounding Ed Dobrowski continued at the February 2017 GLA Board meeting. While some directors defended Dobrowski, others questioned the consistency of his explanations regarding his knowledge of and involvement in the driveway/walkway project. The GLFPC Meeting Summary states:
"Next, was a heated controversy carried over from the previous month’s meeting precipitated by board member and contractor Ed Dobrowski, hired to do a project in South Glastonbury that hit up against board policy and procedures.
"Chaotic discussion followed when Board President Dennis Riley requested to have on record that he warned Dobrowski, as a director, to be more cautious. Riley stated that board members need to operate on a higher standard to avoid potential lawsuits, and that he [Dobrowski] should have bent over backwards to check all the facts before installing a “walkway” without permission from the landowner. As it turned out, the project was wrongly installed in a
neighboring subdivision without any of the landowners knowing anything about it."
"Then, Vice-President Dan Kehoe added, “When someone asks you to put in a 10 ft. wide walkway for a wheelbarrow that will support the width and weight of a car, you need to think twice that this is not really a walkway.” “Then are you calling me a liar?” asked Dobrowksi. Kehoe retorted, 'Yes'. "
At the April GLA Board of Directors meeting Dobrowski was removed from the Project Review Committee. Dobrowski left the meeting before the vote was taken. At the May Board meeting it was announced that Ed Dobrowski had resigned from the GLA Board as of May 2nd, 2017. At the June 2017 GLA Board Special Meeting Regina Wunsch, wife of Walter Wunsch, was appointed by the GLA Board to replace Ed Dobrowski.
"Chaotic discussion followed when Board President Dennis Riley requested to have on record that he warned Dobrowski, as a director, to be more cautious. Riley stated that board members need to operate on a higher standard to avoid potential lawsuits, and that he [Dobrowski] should have bent over backwards to check all the facts before installing a “walkway” without permission from the landowner. As it turned out, the project was wrongly installed in a
neighboring subdivision without any of the landowners knowing anything about it."
"Then, Vice-President Dan Kehoe added, “When someone asks you to put in a 10 ft. wide walkway for a wheelbarrow that will support the width and weight of a car, you need to think twice that this is not really a walkway.” “Then are you calling me a liar?” asked Dobrowksi. Kehoe retorted, 'Yes'. "
At the April GLA Board of Directors meeting Dobrowski was removed from the Project Review Committee. Dobrowski left the meeting before the vote was taken. At the May Board meeting it was announced that Ed Dobrowski had resigned from the GLA Board as of May 2nd, 2017. At the June 2017 GLA Board Special Meeting Regina Wunsch, wife of Walter Wunsch, was appointed by the GLA Board to replace Ed Dobrowski.
The 2017 November Annual Election was abruptly postponed until December 2017 when Kathleen Rakela filed a lawsuit against the GLA. Ed Dobrowski and his mother Clare Parker quickly joined the Rakela lawsuit in late November.
In a letter dated November 27th, 2017, then candidate Clare Parker presented the GLA Board with a petition that called for the December 2nd, 2017 GLA Annual Election to also be suspended. The petition claimed that the Covenants and Bylaws were violated, and landowners were disenfranchised as a result. Ed Dobrowski and 45 other landowners signed the petition. The lawsuit was eventually settled and cost landowners over $21,000.00. The court ordered a new election to be held and it was scheduled for June 2018.
Both Ed Dobrowski and Clare Parker ran unsuccessfully in the new June 2018 Election. Dobrowski garnered just 38 votes while his mother did slightly better with 49 votes.