Politics & Government

Highway Supe, Accusers at Odds Over Settlement Agreement

Scott King says holdouts are politically motivated, as new charge of retaliation filed against him.

East Hampton Town Superintendent of Highways Scott King, seeking re-election on Tuesday, announced this week that the in June with the State Division of Human Rights are being withdrawn.

But his accusers say otherwise.

While one of his accusers, Wallace Trotman initially signed a settlement, two others never signed it. The incumbent Democrat has called their decision part of a “political hatchet job” and called the claims against him weak.

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Irsan Bonilla and Luis Bahamondes said that after taking a good look at the settlement, they would not sign the document in its current form.

"I don't understand really good English," said Bonilla, who accused King of using racial epithets, on Thursday. Bonilla, who has been with the department for five years, said he requested an interpreter when presented with the settlement, but that no one was available. He was allowed to take the documents with him to review.

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After reviewing them, "I definitely decided, no sign," Bonilla said.

Bahamondes, a crew leader with 15 years with the town, accused King of charges of his own, namely that King talked behind his back, falsely accused him of driving a snow plow too fast and punished him by making him pick up dead animals.

He's "waiting it out" to sign. "If we sign it or don't sign it, the retaliation will be the same regardless," he said on Thursday.

But, King says he has done nothing but be "a tough boss" and has long denied usuing racial slurs. He has accused Independence Party Chairwoman Elaine Jones with meddling in the affair by keeping the two from signing, and thus giving her niece’s husband – – an upper hand in the court of public opinion.

Bonilla and Bahamandes said they were angry after learning of King's press release. Bahamaondes said he was told by the case worker from the human rights division that the settlement would be confidential (since complaining about the press release, he was told it is actually public information.) He said it is King who is using the settlement offer for political gain.

Bahamondes said the reason the workers went to Jones in the first place was because she was willing to help them after complaints they previously filed with the town's human resources department were lost. The East Hampton Town Attorney’s Office did not respond to a request for comment.

In the proposed stipulation, provided by Bonilla and Bahamandes, the defendant, which is the Town of East Hampton, "denies any and all wrongdoing." The claims would be dismissed and it would release King and the town from any liability and damages.

Trotman, a heavy equipment operator since 1999, declined to be interviewed. Through his foreman Kevin Cobb, he said he is the lone worker who signed the settlement. However, according to Cobb, he didn't read or realize what he was signing. Now, Cobb said, he is refusing to sign the final document (see above PDF).

Meanwhile, Cobb has filed his own complaint with the Division of Human Rights against King on Sept. 19. He claims King harassed him in retaliation of being a witness in one of the previous cases. He claims that on Sept. 1 he took a personal day to be with his son while his wife worked at an autistic camp. He went to an estate he manages and King showed up and took photos and videotape with his cellphone.

King said in the statement, which is also included here, that he wanted to address the accusation that he is bigoted. "Do I sometimes use intemperate language? Yes, and I apologize to those I may offend and I will try to do better. But I’m no bigot."

He said his girlfriend, Lisa Mata, with whom he lives, is Hispanic. "Her father immigrated from Mexico and her mother immigrated from Costa Rica. So I think it’s just wrong to make me out to be prejudiced or a bigot.”


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