Resident Raises Concerns Over Town Attorney Selection Process

Back in October of 2022, then First Selectman Sal Titus and then Selectman Kurt Vail voted to accept a proposal from Halloran & Sage LLP and contract with the law firm for town attorney services. This was in response to a Request for Proposals (RFP) issued by Stafford. Selectman Rick Hartenstein abstained from the vote, saying he had a conflict of interest on the matter.

Why are we reporting on this nearly three-year-old meeting? Well, because as of late, concerns have been raised by Stafford resident Henry Brooks, most recently during the public comment period at the September 3, 2025, Board of Selectmen meeting. Brooks asked First Selectman Bill Morrison about the status of his FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) request for information pertaining to the town's choice of lawyers. Morrison directed Brooks to follow up with the Town Clerk.  

Based on Brooks' comments during the meeting and past Facebook postings, which seem to have since been removed, it appears that Brooks is concerned about the familial relationship between Hartenstein, the town’s Human Resources Specialist, Diana Rose, and the town's attorney from Halloran Sage LLP. However, the Facebook post (which Stafford Free Press has screenshots of) also indicated this has something to do with a zoning-related lawsuit against another town resident, Debbie Anselmo (the case files for which are found here). The plaintiff in this case is neither Hartenstein nor Rose, who have nothing to do with zoning concerns, but is the Zoning Enforcement Officer, Andrew Marchese. The post also asked for "...a copy of All town of Stafford Ordinances..."

So, I reached out to Hartenstein, who confirmed that Attorney Ken Slater is his cousin. He also says that he removed himself from the decision process for apparent conflict of interest reasons. He told me, “It was straightforward—there were two proposals, and one of the two was retiring within a year.” The only other RFP response came from Paradiso Muska, according to Hartenstein, and as the record reflects, he abstained from the vote.

Hartenstein also confirmed that Rose is his cousin. It’s worth noting, however, that while HR is responsible for managing the hiring of town positions, the attorneys are not town employees but a contracted service provider.