“I’m just a spic to them,” said Ricardo “Rick” Sotil, business owner and former candidate for first selectman in Suffield. “It’s okay as long as I’m washing their dishes, cutting their trees, mowing their lawns, but god-forbid I’m someone with stature in this town.”

A Cuban immigrant, Sotil refers to himself as Basque, going back to his roots in Spain. He speaks four languages: Spanish, Russian, French, and English, is a former professional Jai Alai player, and now runs several businesses – landscaping, woodworking, and hemp/CBD processing — out of a former tobacco processing warehouse in Suffield, a small, rural town made up largely of tobacco farms. 

Sotil also has ties to the Ukraine, both through his business and his wife, Valentina, a Ukrainian immigrant. Until the War in Ukraine, Sotil sent lumber to Ukraine to build and sell his tables in Europe. That has all been put on hold as the war continues. He even took in Ukrainian refugees at his home in East Granby.

He’s an interesting guy with multiple talents, particularly in woodworking, and a lot of stories to tell. He knows what he thinks, and he’s direct in saying it. 

Just as interesting is that he is currently sitting on 66 kilograms of marijuana trapped in one of his barn-style buildings that he can’t sell or even take off the property. “If I take it out of here, it becomes illegal,” Sotil said.

When Gov. Ned Lamont signed legislation in 2020 to ensure hemp farmers remained in compliance with federal laws, he, and Congressman Joe Courtney (D-CT), visited Sotil’s business for the official signing ceremony. Now, four years later, Sotil is in a legal fight with the Town of Suffield to become a micro-cultivator of marijuana under Connecticut’s legal cannabis law, and, so far, he is winning.

Sotil filed a lawsuit against the town’s Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) in April 2023, alleging the ZBA’s 4-1 denial of his request to become a micro-cultivator was “unreasonable, improper, illegal, arbitrary, capricious, contrary to law, and constitutes an abuse of discretion,” according to the court complaint.

The ZBA denied Sotil’s application on the grounds that processing marijuana in the same tobacco warehouse where he currently extracts CBD from hemp would constitute a “non-conforming use” of the property. Sotil had support from people in town who spoke publicly during his initial request to the Zoning Board, and no one voiced opposition to his application. 

But ZBA members, in casting their votes, said that there is “a clear difference between hemp and marijuana,” that the change would be an expansion of non-conforming use, and that overturning the town’s zoning board would be “taking away authority,” from that body. Only one member voted in favor of Sotil’s application; Mark Blackaby, the Republican chair of the ZBA, said there is a close relationship between hemp and marijuana production, according to meeting minutes.

“The law is clear that hemp procession and cannabis processing are separate uses of property as a result of these regulations,” the town argued in court. “Furthermore, cannabis processing was not legal at the property at the time that the property’s nonconforming use was created, so cannabis processing cannot be included in the scope of this nonconformance without expanding it.”

Suffield had also passed regulations around the growth and sale of marijuana. For one, it couldn’t be done within 200 feet of a residential area. Sotil’s shop is an industrial building located within a residentially zoned area. Secondly, one must not be able to smell marijuana from the property line – something he says is not an issue for him because he has the right equipment to prevent odor, but believes the regulation is ridiculous in a town where one can smell tobacco in the air consistently.

The court, however, disagreed with Suffield and sided with Sotil because processing hemp, “includes processing of cannabis as a necessary and unavoidable step in the process of producing hemp-based products.” 

Basically, processing marijuana involves fewer steps than processing CBD, namely lowering the THC levels of cannabis to create hemp and extract CBD. Sotil already has all the equipment, he already has the product, he’s just asking to sell a product with less processing than the one he’s already cultivating and selling.

“It’s the same plant, the same way of growth, the same everything and the town, for political reasons, shut it down,” Sotil said. “And they lost a window of opportunity here. I think I’m going to be taking them to federal court now for damages. You can’t treat my neighbors with impunity and come after me with everything you have because of politics.”

And Sotil is not asking to sell marijuana as a retailer; he doesn’t believe there should be a dispensary in Suffield. Rather he is seeking to sell it to retailers. He’s already agreed to use union labor – his zoning application was supported by Local 371 United Food and Commercial Workers Union, which represents many cannabis employees — and believes that it would be both a source of revenue for the town and would give young people looking to get into the new legalized marijuana business a way to learn and earn money. 

Under Connecticut’s legalized cannabis laws, towns could opt out of allowing cannabis to be grown or sold in their town – Suffield never opted out. But towns also get a portion of tax revenue from the marijuana business if they choose to have it. It might not be buckets of money for a micro-cultivator, but it would be something, and in a town surrounded by farms processing tobacco, Sotil sees it as an opportunity to expand into a new farming industry.

“I knew that in the future, it would grow to something more,” Sotil said of his hemp/CBD business, envisioning classes that young people could take at VoAg center “to teach kids about this entire industry. That way it would be Suffield first, we have a job for you.”

Superior Court Judge Daniel Klau overturned the ZBA’s decision in April of 2024, writing that cultivating marijuana as opposed to hemp would not “change the character of the existing nonconforming use.”

“As a matter of law, on the facts of this case, the different legal treatment of hemp and cannabis is not substantial evidence of a change in character of the use,” Klau wrote in his decision. “The court further concludes that the defendant acted unreasonably and contrary to law in voting to affirm the ZEO’s determination that Lasa could not cultivate and process cannabis on the property as a continuation of the existing nonconformity use.”

Shortly thereafter the Suffield Board of Selectmen entered executive session and, apparently, decided to appeal the court’s decision – something Sotil disputes because there was no official vote held and there is nothing in the town minutes indicating there was a vote. A few days later, the Zoning Board of Appeals entered into executive session to discuss the lawsuit with the town attorney, but no votes were taken, according to the minutes.

“The town attorney has the power to appeal the decision with the approval of the Board of Selectmen,” Sotil said. “Well, where’s the vote? There is no vote. Now, it’s a minute thing, but it happens every day here.”

But Sotil also sees the town’s efforts against him as politically motivated, pointing out years of pushback from the town under Republican administrations – largely related to the property where he operates his business — followed by years of peace and cooperation when Democrats are in charge. Sotil recounts that under the previous Democrat administration headed by former First Selectwoman Melissa Mack, he was treated “with respect.”

“She actually treated me with respect, she brought me into her office, was very happy that I was a businessman,” Sotil said. “Then she lost, and that’s when all hell started to break loose.”

In Mark Z. Danielewski’s 2000 novel House of Leaves, a family moves into a house only to discover that it is larger on the inside than it is on the outside: it might be an apt metaphor for Sotil’s property at 426 S. Grand Street in Suffield.

Built in 1925, the property consists of two warehouses that are like a maze filled with a little bit of everything: woodworking equipment and products; expensive hemp and CBD processing equipment; storage of hand-crafted tables and wooden art; offices and a full bathroom with a shower. Turn one corner and someone is grading a massive piece of wood; turn another and you’re in a hallway leading to what seems to be a forgotten attic; turn another and you’re outside – and that’s only the first floor.

Officially, the building is marked down for industrial use, but there are also significant portions that, historically, have also been classified as living space, according to Sotil’s documents – remnants of the building’s long history when it occasionally housed workers. Sotil says he had to clear out bunk beds when he first took ownership of the warehouses.

“I have 28,000 square feet of residential living here if I want. I’m way in the back, which is where there, I guess, used to be a residence, years back prior to me,” Sotil said, citing gross living area numbers. 

But Sotil’s interpretation of what can and cannot be done with his own property has come into conflict with town officials both in the distant and recent past, leading to an escalating back and forth between Sotil and the town that ultimately culminated in not only his lawsuit against Suffield, but also his 2023 bid to become first selectman.

During the October snowstorm in 2011, which left wide destruction and power outages across Connecticut, one of Sotil’s neighbors in Suffield was without electricity or a generator. Sotil had a generator on his business premises and allowed the woman and her child to stay on the premises for a few days until power returned, but that gesture earned him an inspection by the town’s fire marshal in response to a complaint that he was using the building as a residence.

Sotil admits – and admitted to inspectors – that he and his staff would occasionally sleep on the premises, and no one disputed the fact that he had opened up his facility to a neighbor without power or heat during a state disaster, but the initial inspection conducted by Suffield’s Building Inspector Edward Flanders noted 32 code violations, according to town records, including use of an extension cord and unstamped lumber, with minimum penalties of $200 each. 

Sotil claims that as he began addressing those issues, the inspectors returned continually finding more issues in the old structure and “moving the goal posts.” The last straw at that time for Sotil, however, was when the town sent a threatening letter to the owner of some land he was renting. 

“I put woodchips, I guess, on the wetlands and they sent a letter to him, a very threatening letter, that really upset him and that’s when the gloves came off,” Sotil said. He contacted his lawyer and the NAACP and sent a letter threatening to file a federal lawsuit against the town. Sotil says his attorney – at the time, Dan Livingston, who negotiates with the state on behalf of the State Employees Bargaining Agent Coalition — then called the town and the issue was over “the next day.”

Roughly a year later, the Office of the State Fire Marshal conducted an inspection of the property to “determine occupancy classification and observe any residential occupancy” at the property. Ultimately, the inspection found no residential units at the property and classified the building as “Existing Industrial and Storage use with incidental Business use,” according to the report that is, curiously, absent from the property records maintained by the Town of Suffield.

Things seemed to settle down for a while for Sotil, particularly, he says, when Melissa Mack became first selectwoman between the years of 2015 and 2021, until she was defeated by current incumbent Colin Moll. But Sotil’s decision to enter a political race as an independent, petitioning candidate in 2023 brought his property back into focus and more inspections. Despite Sotil’s experience as president of Jai Alai union, he was perhaps unprepared for small town politics.

Sotil points to several reasons for entering the political fray – the treatment of fire fighter Brian Gauthier, whom the state’s labor board determined the town retaliated against, and Suffield’s ongoing and expensive legal argument with the Hornish family over their dog that attacked and killed a woman in 2020. But for him, the deciding factor was a debate over a children’s book about pronouns in the town library, an issue that made headlines across the state.

“When they started to tell the townspeople what books you can read and can’t read, I decided to run for first selectman in town,” Sotil said, who admits he read the book but didn’t understand it. 

Regardless, he thought that books shouldn’t be “banned.” He registered as an independent candidate because, he says, he believes the town Democrats and Republicans “collude” behind the scenes – pointing out that candidates in town run unopposed by the other party, including the 2023 race for first selectman in which the Democrats didn’t nominate a candidate.

There was one problem with his desire to run for first selectman: at the time he wasn’t a resident of Suffield. His official address was his home in East Granby. So, he set up an air mattress at his business, called it home, and registered to run.

This move was quickly noticed by the town’s Registrar of Voters and Election Office, which notified the town’s building inspector that Sotil claimed to live in an industrial building, according to town inspection documents. This elicited an inspection on June 8, 2023, in which Sotil showed the inspectors around, confirmed that he was sleeping there with his wife, and had his architect and building contractor on speaker phone to answer any questions. However, the Building Inspector wasn’t buying it, and on July 13 issued a violation and order to vacate the premises pending approval of the proper permits so the building could be officially occupied. 

However, as indicated before, the warehouses at 426 S. Grand are approved for many uses – at least, according to Sotil — residential being one of them. The problem with Sotil’s original living quarters was that it wasn’t in the residential part of the warehouse. So, he simply picked up his mattress and moved it to another area.

 “They said where initially I put my sleeping quarters was wrong. As soon as they told me that was wrong, my architect confirmed it and I moved it to where I am right now, the opposite side of the building, the residential area of it,” Sotil said. “I’ve been living there ever since.”

Whether it qualifies as a legal residence, “depends on who you ask,” Sotil said. “When I announced I was running for first selectman, the fire marshal shows up and says I can’t be here because this is an industrial zone. Really? I thought I couldn’t have marijuana here because it’s a residential zone, so which one is it? It seems like they’re talking out of two sides of their face.”

According to the letter from Suffield Building Official Kimberly Rogers, however, there were no “current or previous permit applications for apartment dwelling units or any other type of Residential Group R uses for the purpose of sleeping.” 

First Selectman Moll, at least, seemed aware of the residency issue early on during a June 21 Board of Selectmen meeting during which Sotil spoke in favor of settling with the Hornish family because the cost and care of boarding their dog was costing the town over $150,000 – something the town has thus far refused to do. After he was done speaking, Moll asked Sotil to repeat his address – 426 South Grand Street – and then “welcomed him to town.”

Sotil’s application for residential occupation of a small part of the warehouse was submitted for approval in late August – just three months away from the election – and denied due to an “incomplete” application and for septic reasons, according to town records.

By October, Sotil’s residency issue made its way onto social media where it garnered hundreds of comments, mostly in the negative, regarding his run for first selectman. In a story about the library book issues by CT Mirror, Moll commented that Sotil doesn’t really live in town. Added into the social media mix was Sotil’s lawsuit against the town’s Zoning Appeals Board that had not yet been decided. 

Interestingly, one of those ZBA members offered a cautious bit of support for Sotil on social media. 

“Mr. Sotil is simply exercising a constitutional right, and should not be criticized for that action,” wrote Republican ZBA member Gerard Chase. “We live in a world with many, many, laws, to the point where even professional practitioners of the law (attorneys and judges) disagree on which law or prior court ruling prevails in a particular case. That is why you see appeals, as plaintiffs and defendants seek a higher court’s different opinion.”

Chase did hold some reservations over “slinging vague allegations,” that the ZBA’s decision would have been different under a Democrat administration. Indeed, Moll spoke in support of Sotil’s application when it initially came before the Planning and Zoning Commission in 2022, according to meeting minutes.

“Every townsperson with whom I have served has been an independent thinker who carefully considers matters that come before their board and then votes based on what they perceive to be the best balance between an individual’s request and the town’s interest, consistent with applicable law,” Chase continued.

October also saw Hartford Courant columnist Kevin Rennie rip into Moll over Suffield’s library issues, chastise town Democrats for not making a nomination, and give a paragraph of support to Sotil – “Suffield voters may want to break the mold of local politics and choose a candidate who can electrify, not alienate,” Rennie wrote.

In the end, however, Sotil was trounced by incumbent Moll in the heavily Republican leaning town: 2,472 to 971. 

Sotil is standing in an apartment in one of his warehouses, complete with kitchen, bathroom, and master bedroom. It is not yet complete; the walls do not have sheetrock and he is waiting on the building inspector to approve it so that he and his wife can live there permanently. “I find the older I get, the fewer things I need,” Sotil said. “We don’t need much room to live, just this.”

While he may have lost the first selectman’s race, he won in court shortly thereafter. Now, with the town filing an appeal, it may be even longer until Sotil can apply for his micro-cultivator license and move those 66 kilograms of marijuana.

Sotil says the town’s appeal is just another example of town politicians negotiating with other people’s money – namely the taxpayers. “It’s not their money coming out of their pocket,” Sotil said, adding that it’s his money paying for his legal fees. “If it was their money, it would have been over, we’d be working together.”

“The worst part about it is so many kids that are graduating high school or college don’t know what they want to do in life,” Sotil said. “They could have all been here working in an industry they like. They would not be allowed to smoke in here, they would not be allowed to take anything out of here, they would work, and they would make a good living wage. They want to make it a career? Fine. They want to not make it a career – come on for the summer and then leave? Fine. They’ve taken that away from them.”

Sotil is obviously frustrated, particularly at having to continue fighting in court to be able to bring a new business to Suffield, and his perception – right or wrong – that the resistance he faces over his building has the stain of politics. By his own recounting and town records, it does appear that he faces complaints and inspection issues under Republican administrations; it is also true that some Republican officials in town have supported him in his application to become a micro-cultivator, including, at first, anyway, Sotil’s political opponent.

First Selectman Moll did not respond to a request for comment, nor did the town building official to clarify some questions about Sotil’s warehouse. 

Suffield is currently awaiting a court determination on its application to appeal, which Sotil believes is just another waste of taxpayer dollars when the town could be receiving revenue through his micro-cultivation business. He also says that his first foray into small town politics with his 2023 first selectman bid may not be his last.

“I’m a social liberal, live however the hell you want in life, but when it comes outside, I’m a financial conservative. And I am thinking about running again. Just for the hell of it, because what they are doing is wrong, they should follow the rules,” Sotil said. “Love me or hate me, you’re going to know exactly where I’m coming from.” 

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