A press release from the office of Greenwich Police Chief Heavey regarding Captain Mark Kordick being placed on paid administrative leave said that on Monday police administration received information from an external source indicating Kordick may have been involved in some way in the placement of “alleged fake political signs that have caused much controversy throughout Town this past week” and that Kordick confirmed a level of personal involvement.
Police said they will conduct a review to determine whether Kordick violated any department rules, regulations or policies.
“The police Administration will reserve passing judgement until all the facts are reviewed and Captain Kordick will be afforded all the due process rights in which he is entitled,” the release concluded.
On Tuesday afternoon First Selectman Peter Tesei, who also serves as the town’s Police Commissioner, said he was disheartened by Kordick’s admitted behavior.
“It is questionable actions such as this that besmirch the otherwise outstanding reputation of the Greenwich Police Department,” Tesei said. “One would expect better.”
On Monday evening Captain Kordick explained to Greenwich Free Press he had purchased the signs that said “Trump/Camillo.”
He admitted that he bought the domain FredCamillo.com, which he also put on the signs.
He said he directed FredCamillo.com to CitizensForTrump.com.
Though he did not put the signs in the ground himself, he said he first consulted the State Elections Enforcement Committee (SEEC) regarding the legality of his plan and that he was not acting in concert with any individual or campaign.
“The signs point out his hypocrisy,” Kordick said, referring to Camillo. “That’s the leader of the Republican party.”
“Each of the signs was legally placed on Town property right alongside other public political signs,” he said.
“I’m a Greenwich resident, taxpayer and registered voter. My free speech has been breached by their removal,” he continued. “I’ve never denied I did it. I have not been untruthful. I participated in it.”
RTC chair Rich DiPreta issued a statement Monday night saying, “It is deeply troubling that Mark Kordick, a registered Democrat and a captain of the Greenwich Police Department, has been identified as the individual behind the fraudulent Camillo campaign signs. I am confident that the police will conduct an exhaustive investigation to determine which laws Mr. Kordick broke, if any, regarding this incident.”
DiPreta went on to say that rather than free speech, the signs were a form of impersonation.
“These fraudulent signs were specifically designed to appear as if they were from the Camillo campaign to undermine his campaign’s message.
“If Mr. Kordick was so proud of his involvement and his right to free speech why did he do it anonymously?” DiPreta asked, going on to say that on Friday Greenwich Police advised officers that residents were indeed allowed to remove the signs because they were deemed “fraudulent.”
Indivisible Greenwich steering committee members Joanna Swomley and Nerlyn Pierson said in a statement Tuesday, “First Selectman candidate Fred Camillo belies his own campaign slogan ‘Uniting Greenwich’ and shows yet again why he should not lead this Town. He is a divider. Without a shred of evidence, immediately upon seeing the ‘Trump/Camillo’ signs, he accused Indivisible Greenwich of having planted them.”
“Now, with someone else entirely taking responsibility for the signs, the Camillo campaign still has issued no apology,” Pierson and Swomley added. “As we have said, and the evidence and facts demonstrate, Indivisible Greenwich had no knowledge of and nothing to do with the signs or the website.”
Pierson and Swomley said they wondered why are his supporters still point fingers and attempt to get reporters to ask questions about the signs?
“Is it to redirect the focus away from the recent news that the CT League of Conservation Voters just called Camillo out for misrepresenting his environmental record? That while asserting he had a 100% approval rating, in fact his lifetime rating is actually 73% and he ranks among the bottom third of state house representatives when it comes to protecting our environment? Let’s keep the focus on the issues. Rather than continue to talk about who put the signs up, why not ask, ‘Is it true that Fred Camillo is really a Trump adherent? That he misrepresented his record? That his voting record is awful on so many issues? That he was prepared to welcome Carl Higbie into our Town Hall. Because morality, ethics and transparency matter.”
In an email on Tuesday, Joe Angland the chair of the DTC said neither Captain Kordick nor his wife is a DTC member.
Angland said he didn’t know if Kordick had attended any DTC functions, and didn’t remember evenmeeting him but that many DTC functions are open to the public and are attended by Republicans and unaffiliated voters as well as Democrats.
“As Captain Kordick made clear, the DTC was not involved in the signs in any way and neither was the Oberlander/Litvack campaign,” he said.
“We recognize that Captain Kordick has the right to express his political views, including his concern about Mr. Camillo’s failure to distance himself from some of President Trump’s offensive policies,” he said. “But we believe he should have been transparent in doing so. If the signs had said ‘Vote Democrat’ because Camillo has failed to denounce President Trump, that would have been fair.”
“The fact that Mr. Camillo has not taken what should be the easy step of specifically denouncing certain Trump policies remains,” Angland added. “Voters should consider that – along with Jill Oberlander’s much more extensive experience in managing municipal affairs and her remarkable fiscal success as Chair of the BET – when deciding how to cast their votes.”
See also:
Greenwich Police Captain Admits Buying the Trump/Camillo Signs
Monday, Oct 28
Bogus Camillo/Trump Lawn Signs Whodunnit Rages in Greenwich
Friday, Oct 25, 2019