<body><div><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=47Oa7D_1H4lGHMO00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=47Oa7D_1H4lGHMO00" width="884" height="452" >The Deep River Municipal Ethics Commission is reviewing a complaint filed by Selectwoman Cynthia Torres concerning Selectman Duane Gates' relationship with Running Brook Farms, a Killingworth-based company that has performed work for the town, and its owner, Scott Papoosha.In testimony submitted to the commission Sept. 30, Torres outlined concerns about a possible conflict of interest involving Gates' role on the Board of Selectmen and the company's business dealings with Deep River.Running Brook Farms has been involved in construction and improvement projects in town, including work at Plattwood Park. Papoosha also owns the property at 245 Kelsey Hill Road, where development of a Christmas tree production facility has drawn scrutiny from residents.Torres told the Valley Courier that she filed the complaint “after a great deal of internal deliberation on my part,” adding that she “couldn’t sit by” and felt “confident sending it to the ethics commission.”Gates did not respond to a request for comment about the complaint.Torres' complaint cites town contracts, payments and invoices involving Running Brook Farms, along with Gates' public acknowledgment of his friendship with Papoosha and volunteer activities involving him.According to the complaint, Running Brook Farms was awarded an original brush-grinding contract valued at approximately $14,900. Torres also cited subsequent billing for grinding, hauling and related Transfer Station work totaling approximately $41,800 during the first half of 2025 and $33,800 during the second half.Torres asked the commission to determine how the additional work was authorized, whether further bidding or approvals were required and whether Gates participated in those decisions.Among the documents Torres submitted for examination was a town payment to Running Brook Farms bearing Gates' signature. She acknowledged that the signature alone did not establish that Gates authorized the underlying contract or expenditure, but asked the commission to determine his role in the payment process.Torres repeatedly emphasized that the circumstances outlined in her complaint did not, by themselves, establish an ethics violation. Instead, she asked the commission to determine the nature and timing of Gates' relationship with Papoosha and his businesses, and whether that relationship conflicted with his responsibilities as a selectman.Among her questions were whether Gates was “ever employed by Mr. Papoosha, Running Brook Farms, or an affiliated entity,” and whether he received “compensation, a financial benefit, a promise of future work, or another benefit from any of those individuals or businesses.”Torres said the “evidence presented” in the complaint “warrants answers to those questions.”She concluded her complaint by writing, “The residents of Deep River deserve an answer based upon facts. So do the individuals involved. That is why I brought this complaint forward, and that is what I am asking this Commission to determine.”Gates has publicly acknowledged his friendship with Papoosha but has disputed suggestions that the relationship constitutes a conflict of interest.At a Sept. 8 Board of Selectmen meeting, before Torres filed her complaint, Gates discussed an August 2025 meeting at which the board awarded Running Brook Farms a contract for improvements at Plattwood Park. Gates had raised the issue of his relationship with the company and abstained from voting on the contract.According to the Aug. 12, 2025, meeting minutes cited in Torres' complaint, Gates abstained because of a “personal relationship with the owner of Running Brook.” The motion to award the contract passed 2-0-1.Kathryn Russell, a former member of the Board of Selectmen who served at the time, told the Valley Courier that Gates' decision to abstain followed pressure from town officials during nonpublic meetings.Russell said “there had been enough questioning” that “when he finally got to this [August 2025] meeting, he recused himself, which is appropriate.”Torres' complaint also raises questions about Gates' involvement in the Plattwood Park project after he abstained from the contract vote.She cited a July 20, 2026, invoice from engineering firm Nathan L. Jacobson &amp; Associates documenting communications involving Gates concerning the project between May 23 and June 30, 2026.Torres questioned whether Gates' subsequent involvement in project communications required additional disclosure or recusal. She acknowledged that the invoice did not establish that Gates was employed or compensated by Running Brook Farms.In her complaint, Torres also acknowledged that Gates and First Selectwoman Carol Doak-Jones had explained at the Sept. 8 meeting that Gates' involvement in the Plattwood Park project was on behalf of the town rather than Running Brook Farms.Torres maintained that the commission should determine the extent of Gates' role in administering the project after his abstention, including whether his activities required further disclosure or recusal.Deep River's Code of Ethics prohibits town officials with a financial or personal beneficial interest in a town contract from voting or otherwise participating in decisions involving that contract. The commission must determine whether the circumstances of Gates' relationship and participation fall under those provisions.At the Sept. 8 meeting, Gates said of his relationship with the company, “I don’t see a conflict of interest there.”Gates added, “Am I friends with Running Brook Farms? Absolutely.”He also acknowledged volunteering with Papoosha to cut down trees at Valley Regional High School for a ceremony held this year honoring the town's fallen World War II veterans. Gates maintained that his friendship and volunteer activities should not result in penalties or diminish his years of public service to Deep River.“I’m not going to be penalized because of who I’m friends with,” he said. “I’ve contributed almost 25 years of public service to the Town of Deep River…that’s who I represent. I’m not going to be accused of wrongdoing.”Torres, a Republican and Deputy Chief of Police in Deep River, said her complaint concerning Gates, a Democrat, was not motivated by political or partisan considerations. She connected her decision to her background in law enforcement, saying that “I would be complicit if I didn’t do something” about a possible conflict involving the public interest.“I didn't want it to be partisan. I didn't want it to create infighting in the town. This is the way that if you see something, say something, and this is what I've always done in my life.”Meanwhile, Doak-Jones raised concerns about the complaint becoming public while the commission's review was ongoing.In a Nov. 12 press release, Doak-Jones noted that the online publication Inside Investigator had published an article linking to Torres' 11-page complaint. She said the document's public release was not in compliance with the commission's procedures or Connecticut General Statutes Section 7-148h.Doak-Jones said the commission maintains that it did not publicly release the complaint and that the matter remains under review.She also emphasized that ethics complaints contain allegations, not substantiated findings, and that confidentiality requirements are intended to protect the integrity of the process and the parties involved.</div></body>

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The Deep River Municipal Ethics Commission is reviewing a complaint filed by Selectwoman Cynthia Torres concerning Selectman Duane Gates' relationship with Running Brook Farms, a Killingworth-based company that has performed work for the town, and its owner, Scott Papoosha. In testimony submitted to the commission Sept. 30, Torres outlined concerns...

Ethics Commission Reviews Complaint Against Selectman

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The Deep River Municipal Ethics Commission is reviewing a complaint filed by Selectwoman Cynthia Torres concerning Selectman Duane Gates' relationship with

Ethics Commission Reviews Complaint Against Selectman

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