By Ally Lanasa, Staff Writer

(Sept. 17, 2020) The ethics complaint filed against Town Councilman Zackery Tyndall earlier this months was discharged without comment last Friday by the Berlin Ethics Commission.

In a closed meeting, the commission determined that the complaint filed on Sept. 8 by Grice Street resident Carol Vaughan concerning the placement of a Tyndall campaign yard sign did not come under its jurisdiction.

“Candidate [Zackery] Tyndall’s representative posted a sign on my lawn without asking permission,” Vaughan wrote in her complaint. “I told the rep that I was supporting a different candidate.”

Tyndall said the campaign sign was intended for the neighboring homeowners, who had requested it.

“The representative was out knocking on doors on Grice Street and … knocked on Ms. Vaughan’s door,” Tyndall said. “She expressed that she was supporting another candidate … [my representative] went to the next house [and] knocked on the door. The next house said ‘We love Zack. We’ve known him forever. We’re supporting him for mayor. We’d like a sign.’”

The representative accidentally put the sign on the wrong property, believing it was the correct yard.

Tyndall said the sign was moved before he was even notified about the ethics complaint.

Tyndall said he was informed about the complaint by the press seeking comment on the ethics violation. He then contacted the town administrator for clarification.

Tyndall issued a public statement after learning about the error last Friday afternoon.

“To date, the campaign has received a request for 150 signs which have been placed across every neighborhood,” Tyndall wrote. “There was a request for a sign on Grice Street. Unfortunately, the sign was mistakenly placed on the property next to one of my supporters. It was a simple and unintentional mistake. My campaign’s supporter moved the sign, and the property owner has been sent a handwritten apology.”

Following the closed session, the Berlin Ethics Commission live-streamed the review of elected officials’ and candidates’ financial disclosure statements.

District 3 Candidate Dan Packey did not fully complete his disclosure statement and was notified of the omission.