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Source: Money missing from Norwalk town clerk’s office

By Nancy Guenther Chapman

Norwalk Town Clerk March 12 2013 009
The Norwalk Town Clerk office will be closed on Good Friday, March 29.

Correction 9:40 a.m.: Fifth paragraph, year was incorrect; 2011 is correct.

NORWALK, Conn. – An employee in the town clerk’s office has been placed on leave while an investigation is conducted, City Hall officials confirmed Tuesday. According to a source, the investigation involves missing money.

Town Clerk Rick McQuaid confirmed Tuesday afternoon that Norwalk Police are involved in an ongoing investigation of the office, which began in late November 2012.

An employee has been on leave for about a month, he said, declining to provide a name.

Personnel Director James Hasselkamp confirmed that an employee is on leave. He would not divulge and further details. “It’s a personnel matter,” he said.

McQuaid was sworn in as town clerk Nov. 22, 2011, after winning the election to replace Town Clerk Andy Garfunkel, who resigned to run for mayor.

McQuaid did not say money was missing, just that there was an investigation, and an employee is on leave.

“I don’t know what the actual depth of it is,” McQuaid said. “I’m probably as shocked as anybody, but this was before I was around.”

NancyOnNorwalk has been provided a name by a source who has requested to remain anonymous.

“It appears she was suspended with pay, during an investigation. … The employees keep hearing that same story,” the source told NancyOnNorwalk. “Well, it turns out that she is out on suspension, yet she’s being paid during the investigation, although they keep pointing the finger at her.”

Comments

32 responses to “Source: Money missing from Norwalk town clerk’s office”

  1. Tim T

    No James Hasselkamp it’s not a personnel matter. Its a taxpayer matter. The bigger joke is the NPD doing the investigation as they cant investigate their way out of a paper bag. Its seems as if they have already been “investigating” for a month…Maybe is the “no snitch rule” as work.

    1. Nancy Chapman

      The problem was discovered in late November. The indication is that the investigation began months ago.

  2. Tim T

    All the worse “months ago”…LOL

  3. Simmie

    I, also, take issue with the town clerk stating that it is “personnel matter”. Is he serious? Or does he just think that us, (Norwalk’s pesky tax- paying citizens) are just that stupid?

    If this town clerk has any desire to reassure Norwalk’s citizens that he is awake at the wheel, his response just did not do it for me!!

  4. Orange U. Glad

    It seems like they had a problem long before McQuaid was elected and he stopped it. Why isn’t that the headline?

  5. Nancy Chapman

    I had an inaccurate comment here earlier. I have talked to Town Clerk McQuaid again and will have another story on this by tomorrow morning.

  6. Nancy Chapman

    Simmie,
    The town clerk did not say it was a personnel matter. That was Mr. Hasselkamp, the personnel director.
    Town Clerk McQuaid said it was an ongoing investigation, therefore he could not provide details.

  7. Michael Foley

    Rick McQuaid is a stand up guy !! lets not all start throwing every one under the bus here! The Town Clerk confirmed that the Norwalk Police are involved in a ongoing investigation, and the situation happened prior to him taking over the office ! Let the Police do the investigation the facts will come out !!

  8. Bruce Kimmel

    Please correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe there are some inaccurate dates in the story. McQuaid took office in November 2011, not November 2012. Since the story does not mention when the money went missing (if in fact that’s what happened), it is unclear under whose watch it occurred. So folks should reserve judgment and not jump to blame.

    (Editor’s note: You are correct. Mr. McQuaid was sworn in in 2011. The error has been fixed as of 9:40 a.m. Wednesday. We apologize for the mistake.)

  9. Joanne Romano

    Here we go again, making accusations on something no one has knowledge of. Why not wait til the facts come out? Why not find out when and how this started and who is involved before ripping apart a good man! We all know Rick and we all know his integrity is above reproach…why in God’s name would he divulge information that is under investigation…are you kidding me now? My question is, who leaked this to the press and for what reason other than to hinder the investigation? Are you all just so ready to destroy a mans character that you have no time to wait until the investigation and the facts are out there for everyone? I agree, it is a concern for the taxpayers so why not let the police and others investigate this before jumping to conclusions? Is it so hard to understand that this was discovered by Rick who in turn brought it to the authorities to be delt with in a legal way? Witch hunts are sooo yesterday! Election season brings out the worst in people…wait til it all comes out and maybe, just maybe you all will bite your damn tongues! Sorry but this really pushes my buttons when people will go to such lengths as to destroy someones reputation for their own gains! Rick has served this town longer than most elected officials combined and now you would question his character? Sad, very very sad! Tim, have at it but stop and think before you post as some things come back to bite you in the [email protected]# when yo don’t have the facts!

  10. jlightfield

    You can’t manage what you don’t know, and if in fact an investigation has been ongoing, it only confirms that there are no good financial controls in place. Period. This is a failure of not investing in IT that would remove the antiquated paper trail in place with accounting systems in place that fail to deliver realtime transactional records.

    Time to get the IT and Finance departments into the 21st century Mr. Hamilton.

  11. Ergo

    I’m not really sure why people are so bent out of shape. If anything it’s reassuring to know that there are so many discrepencies being found and investigations are in the works. It’s about time someone said, “gee, let’s see where the money is going!”

    Life isn’t like an episode of Law and Order when a crime is committed, solved, and offender is sentenced in one hour. These things take time.

  12. Tim T

    Michael Foley
    Oh please happened before McQuaid took office? Are you saying he was asleep at the switch for almost a year and a half while this was going on. That pretty scary!!! Talk about no control of the office.
    Also you say “Let the Police do the investigation the facts will come out.”
    Now thats funny since when has the keystone cops of the NPD ever had a successful investigation.

  13. Tim T

    Ergo
    You are right crimes are not solved in an hours like law and order. Its also not months or possibly years like in Norwalk.

  14. Joanne Romano

    Tim, are you kidding now? what the hell do you think he did sat around and waited for a year? Do you think possibly it took some time to uncover the situation and more time to investigate the paper trail and other factors that led him to believe that something was rotten in Denmark, get over yourself and think again before you open mouth and insert foot, or in your case, open mouth change feet! Keep playing your politics while the rest of the world actually gets involved and actually accomplishes things!

  15. Victor Cavallo

    I’ve been following this “Tim T” sock puppet for a while and his game is nothing more than to throw anything up against the wall and see what sticks, so long as it’s anti-Republican. Reminiscent of some of the new, inexperienced and misguioded vocal democrats who happen to be in District B. Perhaps Tim T is one of them in disguise. His style of “break everything” politics won’t work, paricularly in this case.

    Truth written in stone: There isn’t a more stand-up guy with unquestionable integrity as Rick McQuaid. Everyone in town knows it. Period. End of story.

    So I dare say, absent knowledge of his true identity, miscreant sock puppets of Tim T’s ilk should be dismissed as one would dismiss rancid flatulence in still air. If Tim T comes forward and reveals his true identity, I will apologize for my assessment and, in gentlemanly fashion, say merely that I disagree with him.

  16. Tim T

    Victor
    Thank You for your post as I don’t think I have laughed so hard in quite some time..Have you considered being a stand up comic as you are very funny..As for Joanne you are just irrelevant and that what I take you as.
    Also did someone say that Rick McQuaid was not a stand up guy as I know I never said that and I don’t see that from anyone else on this thread..I would suggest Victor and Joeann that you stop putting words in others mouth.

  17. Tim T

    Also Victor your name calling of me is against the TOS and hopefully will be removed

  18. Joanne Romano

    Tim, I consider you irrelevant, unimportant, insignifant and a bully! Apparently my posts are relevent since if they weren’t, you would not respond…Go run for office and save the world please…you seem to be the all powerful OZ…. in your own mind!

  19. Tom Keegan

    As a career Police Officer (not in Norwalk) I can tell you that most thieves/embezzlers are very shrewd and clever and anyone asleep at the switch would most likely never discover the thefts which can go on for quite some time resulting in the loss of substantial amounts of money. I have known Rick McQuaid since I moved to Norwalk nearly thirty years ago. He’s a good man and should only be applauded for discovering that there were funds missing from his office. When the person responsible is identified then please, spew your venom at him or her….they are the one’s that deserve it. Not Rick McQuaid nor the people posting on this thread.

  20. Tim T

    “Apparently my posts are relevent since if they weren’t, you would not respond”.Odd Joanne as I could say the same thing about you are the one that sought out my posts time and again. I do not seek out your posts but simply respond when you post you ensconce.. But please Joanne respond as I consider you a joke and love the laugh.

  21. Tim T

    Odd how all these sites end up with first time posters agreeing with their previous post under a different name…TOO FUNNY

  22. Mark Chapman

    From the editor:
    Folks, please keep the discourse civil and focused on the story, not each other. We would prefer to not have this degenerate into something akin to The Daily Voice.

  23. Lisa Len

    Thank you Tom Keegan for your insightful and thoughtful response.

  24. Joanne Romano

    Tom, great post and so very true, unfortunately peoole read a headline and without seeking facts they choose to pick out what they want to believe. On that note I believe judgment should be reserve for the ones who have not yet been identifiedbecause of an ongoing investigation. As for me giving someone a good laugh…glad to be of service! I don’t seek out anyone in particular, just those who choose to ambush others who are not the guilty party. On that note, its been a real long day, I’m tired and what others think of me has no relevance on my life. But I will always defend those who are innocent of wrong doing and become the target of negative posts designed to malign anothers good character.

  25. Tim T

    Once again Joanne where do you see any posts from anyone that accuses anyone of wrong doing or that malign anothers good character.??? STOP PUTTING WORDS IN OTHERS MOUTHS in a lame attempt to stray from the article.

  26. Joanne Romano

    Tim, here is my last post to you because obviously you forget what you write..

    “Oh please happened before McQuaid took office? Are you saying he was asleep at the switch for almost a year and a half while this was going on. That pretty scary!!! Talk about no control of the office”

    That was from you..was it not? and if you go to other articles in other papers you will see other comments made much like this…that is the reason I wrote what I did…so on that note I believe that everyone should reserve judgment until all the facts come out.

  27. Broderick I. Sawyer

    I completely support Rick, I have known him most of my life, he is one of the most trustworthy folks I have ever known.
    To insinuate that he has done something wrong is idiotic, this man is for and has always been for Norwalk and it’s residents.
    Anyone who thinks differently either does’nt know Rick, has a political agenda or is simply a knucklehead, let the investigation be completed before passing judgement.
    Personally I wish he would run for Mayor someday, he truly cares about Norwalk.

  28. Irish Girl

    Mr. Chapman,
    Thank you for the reminder.

    Regarding the article, Mr. McQuaid is an upstanding man from what I have known of him in the community and the impatient ones should just wait until all information has been gathered; a solid case takes time.

    (Editor’s note: This comment has been edited to conform with our comment policy)

  29. Tim T

    Joanne
    Once again Joanne where do you see any posts from anyone that accuses anyone of wrong doing or that malign anothers good character.??
    The statement that you reference does not take anyones good character into question. What it simply does is point out the possibility of poor management . Let me explain to you how it works in the real world as the private sector. When in employee acts inappropriately the buck stops at the managers desk as to why control were not in place that allowed this to happen. It is not acceptable for issues to continue for months or years until brought to light. I as a taxpayer hold city managers to the same accountably. You may not and thats fine but do not attack me for having these standards. Maybe if more did Norwalk would not be the disaster that it is.

  30. oldtimer

    Jumping to conclusions may be entertaining, and arguing about opinions about people’s character passes time, but the smart thing to do is wait for the results of the police investigation. If the suspect employee has been around a while, following a paper trail to establish how much is really missing will not be easy.

  31. oldtimer

    It is pretty obvious the investigation has already progressed to the point where there is a clearly identified suspect who is being paid to stay out of the office. If they have the right suspect, it shouldn’t be much longer before we hear a lot more. The City is very cautious about firing anybody without having all the facts and may even wait for a court disposition before acting further. No union will get involved defending criminal charges and a criminal conviction will make things very simple for the City.

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