Frizzell ruling forwarded to AG's office

Selectmen Chairman Robert Frizzell

The state Attorney General’s office will review a ruling by the Lebanon Selectmen’s Office regarding its finding on the recent Rescue Department probe, but whether it will review the investigation, itself, or take any other action on the case is unclear.

Brenda Kielty, an ombudsman and assistant Attorney General, forwarded an emailed copy of Selectmen Chairman Robert Frizzell’s ruling on to Tim Feeley, another assistant Attorney General who is expected to review the ruling.

Lebanon state Rep. Bill Noon confirmed today he had requested a copy of the ruling from Lebanon Town Offices and sent it to Kielty.

Kielty told The Lebanon Voice today her specialty was Freedom of Access and didn’t think the issue fell within her purview.

Feeley was not available for comment today.

A phone call to Frizzell was not returned.

Frizzell announced earlier this month he had completed a nearly five-month investigation into allegations of unsafe SOPs (standard operating procedures) and misuse of funds within the Rescue Department and had found no evidence of wrongdoing. The grievances that led to the probe were brought forward by five former Rescue volunteers who met with Frizzell and Town Attorney Alan Shepherd at his Kennebunk office in mid-October.  

Frizzell, with advisory help from Shepard, handled the probe by himself after Shepard advised Selectwoman Karen Gerrish not to participate in light of her bitter selectman’s campaign against Cole in 2011.

Many residents have claimed that having one selectman investigate another selectman represents a conflict of interest. Selectman Jason Cole is also the assistant Rescue Chief. His wife, Samantha, is the chief.

Stu Morrison, a former Deputy Chief with the Rescue Department who was one of two who went public with their grievances, said today, “The fact that we don’t have the details of the investigation, what steps they took, that’s what’s so frustrating.”