Council Votes 4-3 to Not Release Investigation Report Based on Attorney's Advice during Special Meeting
By Jeff Toquinto on October 27, 2025
Bridgeport City Council voted unanimously this evening to forward a report on a recently completed investigation to its municipal attorney but voted 4-3 against releasing the report to the public.
The votes took place during a special meeting of Council this evening, prior to the regularly scheduled session that began at 7 p.m.
Bridgeport Mayor Robert Matheny wasted little time after convening the special meeting to make a motion on the report on the investigation by Flannery Georgalis. The heavily discussed investigation is one of two the city is involved in./Council%20Special%2010-27-25%20Meeting%20I%20Matheny.jpg)
The investigation Matheny was making a motion on is “Investigation A,” which started because of a letter Flannery Georgalis Attorney William Ihlenfeld said at the August 11 Council meeting was sent by an attorney on behalf of a former city employee raising allegations about the City of Bridgeport. Eventually, Ihlenfeld was hired by City Council after being contacted by former City Manager Pat Ford to do an internal investigation regarding the allegations.
The investigation led to a domino of issues, including Ford being relieved of his duties. Council cited Ford approving additional costs for the investigation not approved by Council, which led to a lawsuit by Ford for claiming he was wrongfully terminated.
Ford’s lawsuit said Ihlenfeld’s investigation discovered multiple things – many of which were related to the bidding process to procure /Council%20Special%2010-27-25%20Meeting%20II%20Kinney.jpg)
contractors. Those items mentioned in Ford’s lawsuit led to Investigation B, which is not complete and not part of the special Council meeting agenda.
contractors. Those items mentioned in Ford’s lawsuit led to Investigation B, which is not complete and not part of the special Council meeting agenda.
“I’ll make a motion that the report (completed by Flannery Georgalis) that we’ve come to know as report A, or Investigation A, be released on our Web site with the redaction and removal of all attachments, names, titles that specifically identify individuals, business names, section 11, which is conclusions, section 12, which is final assessment,” said Matheny.
Council member Jason Campbell seconded the motion. While that took place quickly, members then spent the next 30 minutes discussing the report.
What was agreed on is that all members want the report released. What was not agreed on is when, and even how much of the report can be released.
After Council member Don Burton asked “what’s legal’s advice,” the lengthy give and take between members began. City Attorney John Ashcom told members he had not seen the report and did not have a chance to review the report./Council%20Special%2010-27-25%20Meeting%20III%20Shuttleworth.jpg)
“That report has not been furnished to West & Jones (the law firm that Ashcom and fellow city attorney Dean Ramsey work for) at all … I don’t know what’s in it so I can’t define to you what your liability is if you do (release it).”
Prior to Ashcom’s statement, Matheny said he believed it would not hurt the city in other legal issues. Currently, the city is involved in more than one legal matter that those potentially mentioned in this report are involved in.
“I just don’t know with what I’ve made a motion to release here that it would change our position legally or would hamper us in any legal issue we have,” said Matheny, who later added it was “time to rip the band-aid off” the report and release it. “That’s my opinion.”
Matheny found support from fellow members Campbell and Chris Kinney in releasing it with the redactions. Those three voted yes, while City Record Harry M. “Hank” Murray, Don Burton, Clayton Rice, and Jaclyn Rominger voted no.
Kinney, who like the other Council members has read the report, said there was not “anything outrageous” in the report when asking for it to be released with redactions. That echoed Matheny’s comments prior to the meeting that there were “no bombshells” in the report.
However, the other four Council members were concerned with what Interim City Manager Joe Shuttleworth told the gathering. /Council%20Special%2010-27-25%20Meeting%20IV%20Rice.jpg)
Shuttleworth said he had a conversation with Tiffany R. Durst, with the Morgantown office of Pullin, Fowler, Flanagan, Brown & Poe, PLLC, who is representing Council in a lawsuit brought against the city by Ford, as well as another lawsuit brought against the city and Ford by a former employee.
Shuttleworth said he had a conversation with Tiffany R. Durst, with the Morgantown office of Pullin, Fowler, Flanagan, Brown & Poe, PLLC, who is representing Council in a lawsuit brought against the city by Ford, as well as another lawsuit brought against the city and Ford by a former employee.
“(Durst) was pretty adamant that we not release this,” said Shuttleworth. “… We all know that some of the people impacted (in the lawsuits) are discussed in these documents.”
Shuttleworth said he also had a discussion with a representative of the West Virginia Community Risk Pool, which is the city’s insurance carrier. They, too, did not want it released, the interim city manager said.
“(Our insurance carrier) verbally warned us about releasing information to the point where the CEO has called our agent that was voiced as a concern for our ability to maintain insurance with them, throughout these proceedings, and for our general liability insurance for the entire city,” said Shuttleworth. (The representative) was pretty adamant that we leave this be until the lawsuits are ended.”
Ashcom later talked on the same matter. He reiterated that the city could lose its coverage if going against their recommendations. The insurance company’s position did not sit well with Kinney or Matheny./Council%20Special%2010-27-25%20Meeting%20V%20Ashcom.jpg)
“My concern is (the insurance company) is beholden to their bottom line before they're concerned what's best for the city,” said Kinney.
Matheny added that he was “taken aback that (the insurance company) would operate in that fashion.”
As for Durst’s advice, Rice believed it should be followed. Rice said he has been in business for decades and said he has never “not followed the attorney’s advice.” He said it would not be in the best interest of the city to put them at potential financial risk by “releasing a document in the midst of litigation that could spur additional litigation” and potentially create other problems.
Most of the members said during the meeting they want to see the document released in its entirety with Campbell saying the release was owed to the citizens. Rominger even said she would like to see it released eventually with no redactions. Matheny, however, said due to the report focusing on personnel matters that the city would “never be able to release it with names and titles.”
Eventually, Matheny called for the vote on his motion where it failed 3-4. Then, Recorder Murray asked that West & Jones formally review the document and offer advice on how to proceed. That passed 7-0.
Shortly after that, Council member Chris Kinney asked that the group go into executive session to discuss how to address recommendations in the report. The group also voted to do that with Matheny saying there would be no formal action taken once out of executive session.
Editor's Note: Top photo shows Mayor Robert Matheny holding up the report on the investigation, while the second photo shows Council member Chris Kinney asking a question during tonight's meeting. In the third photo, Interim City Manager Joe Shuttleworth addresses the city's governing boyd. Photo four shows Council member Clayton Rice addressing his colleagues, while City Attoeny John Ashcom is shown below.
