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May 7, 2025

CT woman not hired as agency CFO sues over ‘sham process’

SHAHRZAD RASEKH / CT MIRROR Governor Ned Lamont (center) held a press conference announcing the retirement of Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection Commissioner James C. Rovella (left). He nominated Ronnell A. Higgins (right) to succeed Rovella.

Three years after she lost out on a state job to a candidate who’d received interview questions in advance from a friend within state government, Janet Andrews has sued the friend, the state and the agencies involved for what she described as a “sham process.”

Andrews was one of two finalists for the job of chief financial officer at the state Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection who were interviewed in May of 2022, but the job went to the other candidate, Aimee Plourde.

It was only after then-new DESPP Commissioner Rondell Higgins ordered an internal investigation in 2023 that it was revealed that Plourde had received the questions for the interview in advance from Marybeth Bonsignore, a Department of Administrative Services employee and a friend of hers at the time.

Bonsignore was on administrative leave for 13 months, still collecting her $146,000 annual salary, before formally retiring on Feb. 1.

A two-page agreement signed by Bonsignore and attorneys for the Office of Labor Relations forbids her from ever again working for the state of Connecticut.

Besides Plourde and Bonsignore, the lawsuit also names Scott DeVico, an executive assistant to then-DESPP Commissioner James Rovella, Rovella himself, and DESPP and the state Department of Administrative Services.

Hartford attorney Bernard Gaffney, who is representing Bonsignore, could not be reached for comment Tuesday. Southport attorney Tyler Balding, who is representing Devico, declined to comment Tuesday.

Richard Green, director of communications for Higgins, also declined to comment on behalf of the agency or any of its former employees Tuesday.

The lawsuit alleges that the “defendants selected Plourde, a white female, for the CFO job at DESPP instead of Andrews, a black female, even though Plourde was obviously unqualified for the job and Plaintiff was exceptionally qualified for the role.”

It also accuses Bonsignore of using Andrew’s background as a union steward against her.

Bonsignore told Rosemary Peshka, the retiring CFO who was the third person of the hiring committee, that Andrews “would not be a good fit because she used to be a union steward and still wore the union hat.”

Peshka eventually refused to sign the committee’s hiring sheet for Plourde because she felt she was not qualified, the lawsuit claims.

The lawsuit also traces the history between Bonsignore and Plourde that led to Bonsignore pushing her to Devico to get the job. 

For almost four years, from 2014- 2018, Bonsignore and Plourde worked together at DSS, with Plourde serving as Bonsignore’s supervisor, the lawsuit said. Plourde attended Bonsignore’s 50th birthday party, and Bonsginore attended Plourde’s son’s wedding.

The lawsuit alleges that Bonsignore sent Plourde a list of interview questions on April 7, 2022 from her personal email to Plourde’s personal email. Those questions were the same ones used in the interview four days later.

Despite being tipped to the questions she’d be asked, Plourde was not doing well in the interview, prompting Devico to text Bonsignore in the middle of the interview:

“I don’t think I am going to be able to justify putting Aimee ahead of (the other candidate) … She doesn’t seem to have the Core CT, procurement, etc. experience”. 

Bonsignore replied, “Oh no. If the team doesn’t feel confident in Aimee — can you tell them you want another date to discuss it — so that you don’t have to commit to recommending or not recommending anyone right now?”

Plourde remained on the job through December when Higgins became the new Commissioner and immediately questioned Plourde’s qualifications for the job.

Plourde threatened to expose Bonsignore for her improper effort to manipulate the recruitment process, which led to the state police internal affairs investigation. Plourde is not named as a defendant in the lawsuit.

The 206-page internal affairs report into how Plourde got the job concluded that several state employees colluded to hire her. Plourde acknowledged to investigators she was friends with Bonsignore and that Bonsignore, days before Plourde’s interview, had sent Plourde the questions she was later asked in her interview.

Investigators sustained three charges against Bonsignore including “fraud or collusion in connection with any examination or appointment in the classified service.” 

They also sustained four charges against Plourde, who resigned in June 2024 after the internal affairs investigation was completed. She was earning about $140,000.

The investigation also sustained two charges against Devico for “misleading investigators during his interview” and for “conduct unbecoming a DESPP employee” for texting Bonsignore updates during Plourde’s interview. 

A charge that Devico failed to perform his duties in his position as a hiring manager was not sustained.

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