At the Thursday night’s Board of Education meeting, chairman Dr. Michael-Joseph Mecanti Anthony apologized for a late start at 7:12pm, noting that the board’s 6:00pm executive session had run late.
After public comment, Dr. Mercanti-Anthony made a motion to move the action items up agenda. The motion was seconded by Paul Cappiali. Requiring a two thirds vote to pass, the motion passed.
When it came to an action item concerning a lawsuit between First Selectman Fred Camillo and the Board of Education, Mercanti-Anthony said, “I’d like to make a motion to authorize legal counsel to enter into settlement negotiations with the Town and pending litigation, Camillo versus Hirsh and the BOE.”
“We can’t talk a lot about this because, obviously, this is a litigation matter,” Mercanti-Anthony said.
All eight members of the Greenwich Board of Education voted unanimously to support Republican BOE chair Dr. Michael-Joseph Mercanti-Anthony’s motion, “to authorize legal counsel to enter into settlement negotiations with the Town and pending litigation, Camillo versus Hirsh and the BOE.” Screenshot from Zoom meeting. May 28, 2026
“I can say for purposes of clarity, the board has worked with a couple of law firms. This motion was asked for by a new firm, Pullman & Comley LLC, who is co-counsel, who is participating in negotiations with the town. Anybody who is reading the court documents will see what is being litigated and the different issues going back and forth there. We’re helping this will help bring this case to a close.”
The CT Judicial Branch website chronicles the lawsuit, which started back in 2024 when a complaint landed in superior court in Stamford, with First Selectman Fred Camillo and the Town of Greenwich listed as plaintiffs, and the Board of Education and its then four Democratic members – Karen Hirsh, Laura Kostin, Sophie Koven and Kathleen Stowe – listed individually as defendants, in addition to Republican Jen Behette, described in the complaint as “purported BOE member (via an unlawful appointment).”
The complaint alleges that BOE member defendants conspired to call an unlawful meeting on October 21, 2024 where they appointed Ms Behette to a then vacant BOE seat.
The day after the emergency meeting, the Board of Selectmen voted 2-0-1 to appoint harbor master Paul Cappiali to the same seat.
On Oct 24, 2024 Mr. Cappiali shared Republican Wendy Vizzo Walsh’s log-in link to participate by Zoom but was removed as a panelist.
The conflict over who is the legitimate appointee has pitted Democratic board members and Ms Behette against First Selectman Fred Camillo in both a CT Freedom of Information complaint and the lawsuit initiated Dec 9, 2024.
The FOI Commission officially ruled in October 2025 that the school board’s “emergency meeting” where Ms Behette was voted in as Republican member to replace the seat vacated by Karen Kowalski, who resigned due to an out-of-town move, violated FOIA regulations.
Mr. Cappiali was part of a Republican slate of candidates for BOE in November 2025.
He was officially elected to the school board on November 4, 2025, and was sworn in at a school board meeting on November 20, 2025.
Cappiali continues to serve on the school board.
Greenwich Town Clerk Jackie Budkins swears in newly elected BOE members, left to right, Bob Chaney, Dr. Michael-Joseph Mercanti-Anthony (incumbent), Paul Cappiali, Veronica Chiavaroli and Karen Krause. Nov 20, 2025
At an RTM Budget Overview Committee meeting earlier this month, vice chair Jennifer Andrews motioned to reduce the town law department budget by $300,000. While the motion failed, there was passionate discussion about the ongoing litigation between Camillo and the Board of Education. The vote was 4-8-0, with the leadership of the committee all voting in favor of the motion to reduce the budget.
BOC chair James Waters said that as of the end of March, the numbers cited in Andrews’ motion included $192,644 in legal fees from the First Selectman that have been paid out of the law department’s budget, and $304,002 in Board of Education legal fees that have been invoiced, but not paid.
“The town charter says she (town attorney) must approve legal expenditures,” Waters said.
“We could be $1 million or $1.5 million more in this lawsuit that the RTM doesn’t agree with,” Andrews said. “It keeps going and going. And to what end? Just so somebody can say I was right.”
Today, the CT Judicial Branch website indicates a pre-trial remote hearing is scheduled for June 1.
Defendants Kostin, Stowe and Behette are no longer members of the school board.
The most recent update to the court website – “Reply Memo of Law in Response to Objection to Request for Leave to File Amended Complaint” – was posted on May 22.
A trial scheduled for April 20, 2027.
Asking if there was discussion before the vote Thursday night, Mercanti-Anthony warned the board members, “You’re limited. We’re don’t want to talk about specifics.”
Democratic member of the BOE and its former chair, Karen Hirsh, a defendant in the lawsuit, said, “I’m in support of having discussion on settlements. We’ve tried to broach it before with negotiations and whatnot, so I’m happy to have this.”
Dr. Mercanti-Anthony called the vote on the motion to authorize legal counsel to enter into settlement negotiations with the Town and the pending litigation.
The motion passed unanimously 8-0.
After the vote Thursday night, former BOE member Laura Kostin, a Democrat who is also a defendant, sent comments to GFP.
“Pullman (Pullman & Comley LLC) is not the firm of record representing the Board of Education. I don’t know the terms of their engagement. It is my understanding that this firm is one acceptable to the Plaintiffs, and that is concerning,” Kostin wrote.
Further, Kostin said, “Plaintiffs should not decide counsel for the Defendants. Commentary on best practices aside, I suppose if I was suing indemnified volunteers, on an issue that became moot six months ago, I’d look to settle my way out of this, as Fred Camillo is clearly looking to do. But this litigation was filed by Fred Camillo. He’s the only one who can direct its trajectory. His attorneys, 24 hours ago served the BOE Defendants with notice of deposition. It does not appear that the First Selectman is acting in a manner that aligns with settlement.”
See also:
At RTM Budget Overview Committee, Frustration over Legal Fees Heats Up, Again
May 4, 2026
Greenwich Sues Greenwich: First Selectman Camillo vs School Board Democrats
Dec 9, 2024
Elected Officials Respond to FOI Commission Ruling on 2024 BOE Emergency Meeting
Oct 26, 2025
All eight members of the Greenwich Board of Education voted unanimously to support Republican BOE chair Dr. Michael-Joseph Mercanti-Anthony’s motion, “to authorize legal counsel to enter into settlement negotiations with the Town and pending litigation, Camillo versus Hirsh and the BOE.” Screenshot from Zoom meeting. May 28, 2026