Chief State’s Attorney Richard Colangelo Jr. of Easton has withdrawn his name from a March 1 primary to regain his seat on the Republican Town Committee, Town Clerk Christine Halloran confirmed today.
Colangelo was one of the Republicans voted off the Republican Town Committee during a shake up at the Jan. 4 caucus that replaced many longtime members with newcomers. Several of the ousted members gathered enough signatures to petition to have their names on the March 1 primary ballot.
News of Colangelo’s withdrawal from the primary comes days after the release of a 40-page investigative report into Colangelo’s questionable hiring of the daughter of the state’s former budget director.
Gov. Ned Lamont ordered an independent investigation into Colangelo’s hiring of Anastasia Diamantis as an Executive Assistant in his office in 2020 while he was seeking pay raises for his prosecutors from her father Kostantinos Diamantis, the former deputy secretary for the Office of Policy and Management.
The report led by Stanley A. Twardy Jr., a U.S. attorney and partner with the Day Pitney law firm, found the statements Colangelo, Anastasia and Kostantinos Diamantis gave to investigators about Anastasia’s hire to be conflicting and to “lack credibility.”
“I am very disturbed by the findings in Mr. Twardy’s report,” Lamont said in a statement. He has referred the report to the Office of State Ethics and the Criminal Justice Commission, which will determine what further action should be taken.
Colangelo’s attorney James Glasser said his client didn’t violate any laws when he hired Diamantis’ daughter.
“With the benefit of hindsight, Mr. Colangelo should have been more sensitive to issues relating to the appearance of a conflict of interest when making hiring decisions,” Glasser said in a statement according to the Associated Press. “Mr. Colangelo is a dedicated career prosecutor who is well-regarded by his colleagues, judges and the defense bar. It is truly unfortunate that his motives are now being impugned and his actions questioned.”
Colangelo was appointed chief state’s attorney in January 2020 to fill the remainder of then Chief State’s Attorney Kevin Kane’s term. He is also chairman of the Easton Board of Police Commissioners.
