New Haven Independent

“We’re Not Double-Dipping”

by Paul Bass | April 7, 2008 7:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (14)

Competitors charge that Anthony Monaco opened a sham “new” towing company next door to his original one in order to get extra city business. Monaco denied it — and said there’s more to the story.

Owners of five New Haven towing companies wrote a letter to City Hall complaining about Monaco’s new business. The city’s looking into the complaint.

The dispute offers a peek at the fiercely competitive world of city towing and the methods by which government chooses which companies get to make money off cars ticketed in tow-away zones.

The city maintains a list of approved towers. It sets up a rotation, with three companies called in per day to line up, for instance, and haul away cars parking past 4 p.m. in marked zones.

A ninth towing company was added to the list as of April 1: Anthony’s Hi-Tech of Gando Drive. It’s next door to another towing company on the list, Lombard Motors. Pictured are the two companies’ doors.

Anthony Monaco (pictured), 37, owns the property on which both companies sit. He said he also owns Lombard Motors, a repair garage and towing company.

He said his wife runs the other garage and towing company, Anthony’s High-Tech. The dealer’s or repairer’s license application for the business on file with the state Department of Motor Vehicles lists Anthony as the president.

His competitors charge that Monaco is using the two separate entities to gain an extra spot on the towing rotation.

“We are concerned about the legality and fairness of allowing one business owner, Anthony Monaco, to take two spots on the city’s rotation list,” the competitors wrote in a March 31 letter to city Corporation Counsel John Ward. The signatories were Vincent DiLauro of Columbus Auto Body, Ben Amarone of Catapano’s Auto Body, Jeff Hansen of Crown Auto, Tony Juliano of Tony’s Long Wharf, and Frank Maselli of York Service Center.

“We understand that the Chief of Police can add up to ten tow companies to the rotation list. However we question the rationale of allowing double dipping or a monopoly to occur. Other members on the rotation list have the capacity and/or ability to operate two towing companies also and we will expect to be allowed to take two spots on the rotation list if Anthony’s Hi-tech is added to the list.”

City Chief Administrative Officer Rob Smuts said his people are looking into the complaint.

“We’re going to ask corporation counsel what exactly this is: Two legitimate different businesses? Or whether it doesn’t really work that way,” Smuts said.

“It’s not really in the public interest to have a restricted group of people doing the tows. You also want to have a fair system. The system for selecting towers is potentially rife for abuse, as we’ve seen in Waterbury and Bridgeport. The original investigation of [jailed former Waterbury Mayor Phil] Giordano had to do with towing scandals.”

Interviewed in his Gando Drive office, Monaco denied the competitors’ complaints.

Which office it was took a while to explain. His office was inside the building that houses Anthony’s Hi-Tech. The wall read “Monaco Enterprises.” Monaco said Monaco Enterprises owns the real estate on which both garage/towing companies sit. He himself is in charge of the company next door, Lombard Motors, he said. The office he was sitting in is part of Anthony’s Hi-Tech, which, he said, his wife runs.

“We’re not double-dipping,” Monaco insisted. “We’re double-paying.”

Click on the play arrow to the video at the top of this story to watch his explanations evolve.

A mural in the hallway depicted the corporate tree.

A second issue involved in the dispute: When Monaco opened Anthony’s Hi-Tech in 2004, he needed special zoning permission. The city granted the permission but allowed him to stay open only from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Being on the city towing list requires being open 24 hours a day.

The 9-8 restriction had to do specifically with repairing cars with noisy equipment like impact guns, Monaco said. He said the garage shuts down by 8 but the towing business remains open around the clock.

After a while, Monaco said he needed to come clean about something — “the truthful part of the story that nobody knows.”

It turns out he and his wife are in the process of getting divorced, he said. She always worked with him on the business. He’s trying to set her up with an independent livelihood, he said.

“We are separated. It’s my heart trying to do the right thing. I’ve got to do what I’ve got to do for her to be protected,” Monaco said. “I hope these guys don’t jam me up. I’m trying to do the right thing so she can support herself.”

The idea is to set up a revenue stream (the towing) for Anthony’s Hi-Tech. She’ll run that business. He’ll run Lombard Motors.

And he’ll be right next door if she needs any help.

Previous coverage of New Haven’s towing industry:

Alvin Goes For The Chevy

Share this story

Share |

Comments

Posted by: king james V | April 7, 2008 8:21 AM

In business that is filled with scammers and secrets this guy is king rat. He should be immediately stripped of all city contracts. Jam him up.
Paul, i'd like to see you go deeper into the towing business and city hall's connection to it not that April is here and those caravans of tow trucks are starting to gang up on our neighborhood streets towing our cars at will. I think there is a lot more that needs to be told, thank you for scratching the surface.

Posted by: MORRIS COVE MF | April 7, 2008 10:08 AM

I like how he only brought out the sob story, I mean the "real explanation", at the end of the interview. When all else fails, go for the tears, right? The divorce/wife's livelihood isn't is question, just the loophole he seems to have found. If they are really divorcing, I'm sorry for them, but it doesn't give them the right to go around the law.

Posted by: DingDong | April 7, 2008 10:30 AM

I wonder if this comes as a surprise to his wife.

Posted by: write&wrong | April 7, 2008 4:06 PM

The last time I checked, my address read United States of America. if the guy wants to open 10 towing companies, so be it. More money in taxes for those trucks. More jobs for the drivers. The other tow operators should have thought of this first...what do their wives do?

Posted by: Joe | April 7, 2008 6:02 PM

Morris Cover,

"When all else fails, go for the tears, right?"

Why not? It worked for Hillary.

Posted by: Tommy Boy | April 8, 2008 8:36 AM

It takes a honest person to do things by the book. If Mr. Monaco pays his taxes and has the proper prmits and licensing with separate trucks etc, who cares who the landlord is. BOOOOOoooo paul. This is the USA right! Ar all his trucks in order and taxes are paid. I see Tonys Longwarf filled a complaint also. Didnt he make the front page of the Register a while back,getting stripped by DMV for unsafe trucks. How about doing a story on the risk of the public with maintance issues. Not one when a person who pays the price and sets up separate companies legally and benefits from the rewards of hi entrapuneal innovative nature.Kudos to you Mr.Monaco and the other towing companies "Go For The Tears" They work.Sounds like a little bit of whimpering from them.Hey Tonys Longwarf STOP PARKING IN FRONT OF THE RAMP WE CANT SEE COMING AROUND THE CORNER "THANKS"

Paul,
Seriously,You must be kidding and poor form on your part zooming in on personal photos! BBBBBOOOOOoooooo again.

Posted by: Tommy Boy | April 9, 2008 1:48 PM

I believe the city should base the towing percentage to approved companies based on the amount of taxes each company pays to the city for the property and vehicles. If one company pays more taxes for their operation they should receive a comparable percentage of the tows based on that. Why should a company that pays less taxes to my city expect to receive the same benefits as someone who has invested more in New Haven.Easy to track and reward the companies investing in the city. I am willing to bet the other complainers have less invested in my city. ....what a joke that this goes on and everyone is quick to jump on the one that pays taxes on time and does everything by the book!!! How about that paul..you have a lot of interviews to do!!

Posted by: joey | April 9, 2008 3:27 PM

Well this style of reporting is just as we see on a daily basis nothin more then agenda driven garbage! How about doing a report on the owner of that garage over ... you know the one whos owner is dating one off the police dispatchers that give out the tow request.

Posted by: veryconcerned | April 9, 2008 10:02 PM

Did anyone ask the wife, ex-wife or whatever of the owner what she thinks. He said she is the owner but has anyone seen her. Has anyone seen her at the desk working or dispatching the trucks? Wonder how she shares the key to the only lock on the door, pictured above. Hummm...... strange, different businesses same door, one lock. Come on guys there nothing strange about this he doing the right thing ya know, the right thing, yea.

Posted by: joey | April 10, 2008 10:41 AM

hey very concerned did you miss the part where he says he owns the property? does some multi family homes share the same front door lock? common you gotta do better then that.

Posted by: tomviola | April 11, 2008 4:53 PM

excuse me, but I wanted to post a 'rumour" has it comment that Lombard's/Anthony's owed personal property taxes since 2004, which if you check is true. Then the site master posts a comment re: '''''''''''''''''''''you know who, tow owner" is dating one of the tow dispatchers at the PD. How is this appropriate, and non-payment of taxes is not???

Shame on you,I dont care If I am identified or not, truth is truth, and not slander.

fem fetale JD is the one mentioned, who is also dating a member of the force, and living with another man, you make references, but no guts to name names....boo hoo, its not funny , its corrupt

all in the name of collecting taxes? or favoritism and pocketing money!

Posted by: The truth | April 12, 2008 2:39 PM

Hey this isn't new to everyone , people know that they have to pay taxes in the USA . Even for a home , you don't pay , it gets taken away from you , it's that simple . I hate paying taxes myself but which would you prefer ; staying carless or homeless ? I think Mr. Monaco and his drivers are doing an awesome job . Hey , if he's paying the taxes and all , let him be . All these other tow truck companies are jealous that they don't have what Mr. and Mrs. Monaco have . They have the best truck's , the best drivers and the cleanest tow truck company i've ever been in . Kudo's to Lombard / Anthony's High Tech . Shit , my car got towed by Lombard's for back taxes , I wasn't upset , it was my fault not their's . At least my 92 VW Beetle was towed by a nice 2008 model red truck , as suppose to a beat up old 1980 cindy lauper truck like York and Catapano's . It's the truth !!

Posted by: Nonya Business | April 13, 2008 8:51 PM

his is the most pathetic write up I have every seen about any honest business owner.Why doesnt Tonys,Catapano's,Columbus etc..etc whatever.. go buy more trucks and another building and do the same thing...bunch of cry baby's!! Oh Tom Viola I think the City Of New Haven may say that he owes taxes but we all know how computer's are not reliable these days...SHUT UP..get your facts straight maybe you should go see Paul he has the facts straight YEAH OKAY! Hey Paul can you do a interview on why Tonys longwarf does not even have a big enough parking lot to park his trucks..PATHETIC!!

Posted by: clem | April 16, 2008 11:07 AM

how they get zoning approval or board approval..did they know about it..or just find out..
new haven needs to be investigated and more then the police dept...

“We’re Not Double-Dipping”

Comments

Sorry, Comments are closed for this entry

Sections

Neighborhood News

Special Sections

Legal Notices

Some Favorite Sites

Government/ Community Links

Flyerboard

Sponsors

N.H.I. Site Design & Development

NHI Store

News Feed