Bristol Borough Council approved a new contract with a former councilman to maintain the fields on Jefferson Avenue and Otter Street.
The new deal with Leo Plenski, Jr is for three years with an annual fee of $12,000, the same rate as the previous deal.
The previous deal with Plenski led to two now former members of council suing the borough and individual members of council- Gregg Pezza, Louis Quattrocchi, Betty Rodriguez and Ralph DiGuiseppe who voted to approve the original contract.
The former councilmen said the the deal with Plenski Jr. should have to go through a bidding process, according to state regulations. Namely the amount and length of the contact were called into question, however last year a determination was made on the claim which, according to DiGuiseppe, clears the borough and individual members of doing anything wrong.
“We knew from the beginning when out solicitor tells us something and we had a second solicitor tell us something that we felt very confident in the way we voted on something that we were 150 percent right. Not a 100 percent right,” DiGuiseppe said.
“Nothing was done wrong” he said.
The council president continued, “Its vert easy to settle something, but when you know you’re right, its principal and we knew we were right and that’s why we’re awarding the same contract again for the same amount for the same term.”
Borough officials said the outcome of the lawsuit happened about six to eight months ago, and didn’t comment on it at the time because it wasn’t a focus of council. Since a new contract was placed on the agenda, it seemed to be the right time to bring back up.
Officials said it cost the borough’s insurance company $25,000 to fight the allegations in court.
Just before the original contact was approved con, Plenski Jr. was charged by state police for running a gambling operation out of the St. Ann’s Athletic Association in 2018. His arrest, at the time was called “coincidental” according to one publication.
Plenski Jr, eventually entered a no contest plea to his charges and completed probationary requirements in 2019.
Nobody ever came in here and apologized. No one ever came in here and said we filed a frivolous law suit, DiGuiseppe said.
Ricco and Attorney Lou Hornstine declined to respond to requests for comment for this story. The publication was unable to reach Girard.
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