Old Lyme Ethics Commission Won’t Investigate Selectmen Over Beach Gathering Controversy

OLD LYME, CT – A resident who filed an ethics complaint alleging two selectmen tried to prevent a beach gathering attended by people of color disagrees with the Old Lyme Ethics Commission’s decision not to investigate. 

The complaint was filed in August by Christopher Staab, a former Republican Region 18 Board of Education member and the father of two children of color. He alleged Democratic First Selectwoman Martha Shoemaker and Selectman Jim Lampos singled out the gathering, known as the Black & Brown Experience End of Summer Beach Gathering, and sent a “profoundly unwelcoming” message by attempting to prevent it at the last minute. 

In an Oct. 7 response to Staab, Ethics Commission Chair Louis Mangano said the commission had determined it lacked jurisdiction over the matter. He noted the commission’s authority is limited to matters in the Old Lyme Code of Ethics, which, he said, are “confined to investigating and adjudicating violations of the Code of Ethics – specifically conflicts of interest, financial improprieties or the misuse of public office for personal gain.”

Staab also sent the complaint to state Sen. Martha Marx (D-New London), state Rep. Devin Carney (R-Old Lyme), the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities (CHRO) and the Connecticut Office of the Attorney General.

Staab this week voiced dismay with the Ethics Commission decision.

“Ethics, at its core, means the moral principles that govern conduct. In public service, that should include fairness, equal treatment and respect for civil rights, not just financial conflicts or personal gain,” he said. 

He said the commission’s response was “not an exoneration” and did not determine whether the conduct was appropriate or lawful. 

“Old Lyme residents deserve meaningful accountability from their selectmen and commission members,” he said.  

Mangano said the commission held a special meeting Oct. 6 to review the letter and sent Staab its decision the next day.

Staab’s complaint refers to a situation in August that caused the organizer of the gathering, who said the event had been taking place there for 20 years, to move the party to Ocean Beach Park in New London. At the time, Shoemaker and other town officials were seeking a rule change to keep the party off the beach. They cited concerns over noise and crowds.

For the past two years, the parties have included a DJ, Shoemaker said in August. 

The Sound View Commission, which also had concerns about the noise, recommended the Board of Selectmen ban DJs from the beach. 

When organizer Hillary Brown learned officials were grappling for a way to prevent the gathering, she moved the party to the New London beach and changed the name of the event to “End of Summer Beach Skip Day.” She noted in a Facebook video that her gatherings were color themed so attendees could recognize one another by their bathing suits. 

Staab, in his complaint, said the last-minute attempt to change the rules was “deeply troubling.”

“The message being sent to these families and to people of color in our community is profoundly unwelcoming,” he said. “As the father of two children of color, I have to ask: Is the message from our town leadership that my children aren’t welcome at our public beach either?”

Shoemaker and Lampos said they had not read the complaint nor were they aware of it. After being sent a copy of it, they declined to comment.

In August, Shoemaker said she had no issue with Brown or the gathering. She said the town just appreciates a “heads-up” in advance of populated gatherings and that her only concern was noise. She said she spoke with Brown and told her the group was “entirely welcome.” 

Shoemaker on Wednesday said the Soundview Commission is in the process of updating beach ordinances. 

Officials Respond

Staab’s ethics complaint was not the only one that did not yield an investigation. 

Elizabeth Benton, chief communications officer for Attorney General William Tong, said the office did not respond to the complaint.

On Sept. 14, Breanna Horton, a legislative aide for Marx, sent Staab a letter stating the matter was beyond the senator’s scope and suggested the CHRO was a more appropriate place to seek an investigation into the matter.  

Horton advised Staab to let her know if he did not hear back from the state human rights commission. 

“We can help to advocate for the importance of their review and bring this to their attention,” she said. 

In a phone call Tuesday, Michelle Dumas Keuler, legal managing director for CHRO, said the CHRO could not comment on pending complaints or investigations and would not confirm if there was an investigation into Staab’s complaint.

Carney on Wednesday said has spoken to Staab on several occasions and supports him. 

Republican Selectman John Mesham this week said he shares Staab’s concerns.

“The effort to scramble and enact a last-minute permit requirement or emergency DJ ban specifically to disrupt the ‘Black & Brown Experience End of Summer Beach Gathering’ was handled incredibly poorly,” he wrote.

Mesham added he raised concerns over the timing during the Aug. 17 selectmen’s meeting.

“Trying to pass a retroactive ordinance and telling organizers who have successfully and peacefully hosted this event for years that they ‘missed a window’ that didn’t even exist is bad governance,” he wrote. “It sent a terrible message to the public and made people feel explicitly excluded from a public town beach.”

One plan Shoemaker proposed during the August meeting was to require organizers to schedule events three weeks in advance at Sound View Beach. After pushback from Mesham, she offered to cut the window to one week.

Mesham said Shoemaker, during the August meeting, said she could not remember the name of the group or its organizer. He said Lampos said selectmen have “to do something.” 

“These actions appeared racist, which is what Chris Staab and others are outraged about,” he wrote. 

Mesham pointed to posts on social media from social justice account blm860 condemning Old Lyme Democrats and noting it was a Republican standing against what the account characterized as blatantly unfair practices.

In an Aug. 22 Facebook post, blm860 accused Old Lyme Democrats of discrimination and called for the resignation of those involved in the attempt to keep the party out of Sound View.

Mesham said public spaces should be open and fair, and rules governing them should be transparent and “established well in advance, not reactive policies deployed to shut down specific groups.” 

He said the town should do better and noted that Brown’s decision to move the gathering was a loss to the town and “a stain on our town’s reputation for hospitality.”