Bull Requests Hearing to Have Suspension Expunged From His Record

Volunteer firefighter Steven Bull, who served a 42-day suspension following an alleged run-in with Harold “Buddy” Clark, is seeking for the entire suspension be expunged from his record, citing that the discipline was unjustified and administered without following proper department protocol.

In a letter to the Southington Board of Fire Commissioners last week, Bull requested a hearing with the board through Commission Chairman Robert Sherman. The daytime volunteer with questioned whether he should have been suspended at all.

“I feel that my suspension was unwarranted and very excessive,” Bull wrote in the letter to the board. “I would like to request a meeting to eliminate this suspension from my record.”

Under the town’s charter, the Southington Board of Fire Commissioners is required to answer Bull’s request within 30 days and would therefore have to host Bull during its Aug. 16 meeting or host a special meeting in order to address the issue.

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As the suspension is considered a personnel matter, it would have to be discussed in executive session, according to town officials.

Bull was suspended by the fire chief on June 11, immediately following the alleged confrontation between the two at a Darling Street fire scene, and was not reinstated until July 23. The suspension .

Town charter provides the Board of Fire Commissioners with control over hiring, termination and discipline of employees, but members of the board said they were never given any information regarding the suspension, even after he was reinstated. Bull and other volunteers have argued that this was a violation of his rights, even as a volunteer employee.

Messages left with Bull and Sherman were not immediately returned Monday night. Clark and Southington Town Attorney Mark Sciota could not be reached for comment, although both have declined to comment on the case in the past.

The commission for an executive session into the matter that lasted for over an hour. Southington police in a June 11 incident between Clark and Bull.

Bull filed a criminal complaint in June, stating that Clark grabbed his wrist and caused injury that led him to go to the , to seek treatment.

Lt. Michael Shanley said in a police report released to the media on July 13 that he could not find enough evidence to corroborate the events that Bull reported happening. He said Southington Fire Capt. Peter Kurtz was the only witness and did not see any physical confrontation between the two, who appeared to be having a conversation.

Immediately following the police investigation, that Sciota said is “common practice” anytime there are criminal accusations against a public official, regardless of the police department's findings.

Officials indicated Monday that the internal investigation has since been closed.

Members of the board, including Doroles Longo and Ann Dandrow, have expressed frustration with the level of communication surrounding the incident.

“This issue isn’t over by any means,” Dolores Longo, who declined to comment on specifics of the case, said Monday. “There are several issues here that I believe need to be addressed, both in what happened and how the whole situation was handled.”

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