A routine meeting of Norwalk’s Board of Estimation and Taxation (BET) turned controversial after members learned that the Norwalk Redevelopment Agency’s Executive Director, Brian Bidolli, has been pursuing a PhD in Germany for the past year while still on the City’s payroll as a full-time employee.
The revelation surfaced during a March 11th special meeting intended to discuss the agency’s $500,000 grant request for the upcoming fiscal year. When board member Anne Yang questioned why Bidolli was not present to defend the request, Stephen Ivan, the agency’s Director of Housing and Capital Projects, informed the board that Bidolli was out of the country.
“He has been out for about a year now,” Stephen told the board, explaining that the absence had not hindered agency functions. “I don’t have an exact return date… but he is actively working, and we haven’t had any cease-up function because of it. I just get to fill in sometimes instead of him when it’s a time difference.”
According to Ivan, Bidolli is currently in Germany pursuing a PhD at the University of Berlin. He characterized the move as beneficial to Norwalk, explaining that Bidolli is using the city as a case study for his doctoral research.
“The PhD is to facilitate Norwalk for a special taxing district using Norwalk as the case study,” Ivan stated, adding that the research involves “publishing multiple studies for Norwalk for the implementation of a special taxing district that will hopefully be able to generate additional revenue for Norwalk.”
However, board members met the explanation with confusion and frustration. Board member Troy Jellerette was quick to voice his surprise, noting that the arrangement had been kept under wraps. “This is news to me,” Jellerette remarked. “I didn’t realize he was living in Germany.”
Jellerette criticized Bidolli’s absence from the high-stakes financial meeting, emphasizing that a $500,000 taxpayer grant deserves a direct defense from agency leadership. “This is a very important meeting for us for your $550,000 [sic] grant and I’m disappointed he’s not here on the Zoom,” Jellerette said.
The skepticism extended to the practical relevance of Bidolli’s overseas studies. Board member Tom Ellis questioned how a German academic program translates to Connecticut municipal policy. “If he’s in the University of Berlin in Germany, how is that relevant to developing a special taxing district for the city of Norwalk in the United States?” Ellis asked.
In response to concerns about Bidolli’s availability, Ivan painted a picture of a tireless civil servant working across a six-hour time difference. “He is a guru and I don’t think that he sleeps,” Ivan said, insisting that Bidolli maintains “active working hours” from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Norwalk time—which would mean working until roughly 11:00 p.m. or later in Germany. Stephen clarified that the city is not paying for the degree and said that Bidolli is “giving 100% of his time to Norwalk.”
Mayor Smyth stepped in to defend the director, noting that the arrangement was not a “hidden fact” and had received official backing. “My understanding is Brian was given approval by the redevelopment authority for this program,” the Mayor said. “He has been available to me any time that I have needed to speak with him, and he and I had a Zoom meeting just yesterday.”
Inside Investigator reached out to Mayor Smyth and John Igneri, the chair of Norwalk’s Redevelopment Authority, with a series of questions regarding Bidolli’s absence. Neither responded to individual questions, but commented that the Redevelopment Authority “approved this matter in accordance with its standard operating procedures,” and “[Bidolli] remains fully engaged in agency operations.”
Mr. Bidolli also declined to answer specific questions but commented that he has continued “in-person and remote engagement as needed to support agency operations and responsibilities,” and his work “remains focused on strengthening the City’s long-term economic and fiscal position.”
Chairman Ed Abrams concluded the BET’s discussion by acknowledging the friction the revelation had caused. “I think you’ve heard enough of the comments from the board here about, not necessarily the concern, but the confusion, about how this benefits the city of Norwalk and how his time is spent,” Abrams told the agency representatives.
Following the debate during the March 11 meeting, Brian Bidolli appeared in person for the March 25 BET meeting, where the board discussed the Redevelopment Agency’s budget requests in further detail. Despite these ongoing discussions and Bidolli’s return for the proceedings, no formal decisions on the agency’s grant or the overall budget have been made. The BET commission must continue its formal deliberations before any final votes are taken to set the city’s spending for the upcoming fiscal year.
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