As Greenwich School Board Prepares to Elect New Chair, Feud Over 2-Year Lawsuit Erupts Again

The dispute over the ongoing lawsuit against the BOE where First Selectman Fred Camillo is the plaintiff erupted publicly last week. Again.

The disagreement stemmed from the process for voting on a new member to replace Republican Karen Kowalski back in 2024 when she resigned.

It’s been more than two years since the BOE held an emergency meeting where they voted in Republican Jen Behette.

The following day the Board of Selectmen voted in a special meeting a different Republican: Paul Cappiali.

The BOE’s emergency meeting was eventually determined by the state FOIA commission to have been illegal and its actions “null and void.”

At the next school board meeting, Ms Behette was seated as a panelist on Zoom, and Mr. Cappiali, who briefly appeared as a panelist, was moved to an attendee role.

A year later, Mr. Cappiali was officially elected to the board on November 4, 2025, and was sworn in during the November 20, 2025 meeting.

This past April, Cappiali became the chair of the Republican Town Committee.

Last week, at the Thursday Selectmen meeting, Mr. Camillo said he had had positive discussions with Cappiali and acting school board chair Sophie Koven, a Democrat, on a resolution to the lawsuit.

Dr. Toni Jones presents her proposed 2027-8 Operating Budget to the Greenwich Board of Education on Nov 5, 2026. Photo: Laura Kostin

But later that day, an e-blast from Greenwich Democrats talked about the public schools superintendent’s proposed operating budget including $500,000 for attorney fees.

“Why?” they asked. “Because First Selectman Fred Camillo insists on continuing a frivolous lawsuit he began against the BOE in 2024. So, instead of an extra $500,000 to educate our kids next year, the BOE must pay its defense attorneys.”

“Mind you — that’s $500,000 on top of the $700,000 the litigation has already cost you, the Greenwich taxpayers, bringing the potential total to a staggering $1.2 million,” Democrats wrote, again referring to the lawsuit as “moot” and “a lawsuit about nothing.”

On Thursday Camillo issued a statement saying, “…the DTC’s statement is full of lies. This statement attempts to portray me as the instigator of this and it is clear that in an attempt to win partisan political points, the DTC is seeking to actively deceive Greenwich residents.”

He wrote that he had been optimistic about being “on the verge of putting this chapter behind us,” but the DTC’s “partisan attacks” were more about beginning the 2027 campaign than the best interests of the Town.

He said the DTC was undermining the efforts of Ms Koven and Mr. Cappiali.

Then, n his Friday ‘Community Connections from Fred’ e-blast, Camillo called the DTC e-blast deceitful and wrote, “DTC lies threaten disruption of BOE lawsuit agreement.”

“I remain hopeful that an agreement can be reached and approved by the full Board of Education and that this out of line behavior by the DTC does not disrupt the progress that has been made,” he wrote.

During his Friday morning live radio show on WGCH 1490am, Camillo referred to the DTC’s “outrageous lies.”

“Certainly the framework of an agreement was made,” he said. “Then we see the email that comes out once again from the DTC and they really should be ashamed of themselves.”

Though Camillo is the plaintiff in the lawsuit, he said he had been given no choice.

“They threatened, after ignoring state law, to sue us. It’s a fact. Not only did they not comply with state FOI rules, but then they threatened to sue me. What was I supposed to do, other than defend the process?”

He said his Nov 9 meeting with Koven and Cappiali was positive, but it was not about attorney fees.

“All I wanted was them to acknowledge…what happened and going forward to make sure it doesn’t happen again. That was it. The other stuff is beyond my authority right now.”

The school board has funds available to pay for legal expenses within its appropriated budget, but the Town has not released the funds.

Camillo’s attorney fees have been paid.

Friday afternoon, Ms Koven sent GFP a response, saying, the Nov 9 meeting had been a very productive conversation, and she left feeling optimistic.

“I continue to be hopeful that we can quickly arrive at a resolution to this matter. I do want to clarify that, as just one member of an eight member board, I am not in a position to commit to any agreement terms on behalf of the board, nor did I commit, verbally or in writing, to any specific terms. We discussed a framework for proceeding to a resolution and left with an agreement to continue to work together. The board will vote in public on any proposed agreement that results from that process. I certainly hope we will have the opportunity to do so in the near future.”

Also on Friday afternoon, DTC chair Christina Downey, issued a statement saying the DTC stood by their Thursday e-blast.

She wrote, “Rather than attacking the messenger, Mr. Camillo should address the undisputed facts:

Fred Camillo is the plaintiff and is responsible for bringing the case in 2024 that has resulted in a two-year legal battle. As the plaintiff, he has the unilateral ability to withdraw the case at any time, if he so chooses.
The litigation has already cost Greenwich taxpayers more than $700,000 in legal fees.
The BOE is budgeting another $500,000 for legal expenses in 2027 to defend against Camillo’s lawsuit.
The BOE vacancy at the center of this dispute was filled in the November 2025 election, yet the litigation continues, with taxpayers footing the bill.

Why would Mr. Camillo refuse to settle this case simply because of something the DTC has written? And importantly, Mr. Camillo owes Greenwich residents a clear explanation of what taxpayers stand to gain from this extended vanity lawsuit against town volunteers.”

Today, the school board is complete with 8 members – four Republicans and four Democrats – following the selection of Jonathan Katz and Jeffrey Csoka to fill the open seats created when Republicans Michael-Joseph Mercanti-Anthony and Wendy Vizzo Walsh, quit over the summer.

Dr. Mercanti-Anthony was the chair at the time he resigned, and Ms Koven who had been vice chair, became acting chair.

At their upcoming meeting on Thursday, Nov 19, the board is anticipated to select officers.

To successfully elect a chair requires 5 votes out of the 8 board members.

Tie votes, or votes of 4 to 3 with one abstention, do not satisfy the requirement.

The board is required to hold officer elections within 30 calendars days of their regular November meeting.

If a chair is not elected by the deadline, as has happened several times in the past decade, the determination is made by the Board of Selectmen (controlled by Republicans), which happened in 2024, when they voted 2-1 to select Ms Kowalski.

Officer terms are one year.

As far as the lawsuit, the CT Judicial Branch indicates date for a trial is set for August 2027.