POWNAL — The mistaken release of several thousand unvetted municipal emails has sparked a debate about the public’s right to know versus the need to ensure personal privacy.
This southwestern Vermont town, population 3,415, received a Freedom of Information Act request this month from an individual seeking all 2019 correspondence involving Selectwoman Marlena Pellon, former colleague Jenny Dewar and former Town Administrator Michael Walker, who was dismissed by the board Dec. 9 for what members termed “aggressive and threatening behavior.”
Selectboard Chairman Bryan Harris, told the emails had been collected, was asked if the requester could have someone else pick up a computer flash drive containing them.
Harris answered affirmatively with the idea he was responding to whether a person other than the requester could take delivery of the correspondence. Instead, his “yes” was interpreted as the flash drive was ready for release, even though its contents — an estimated 1,500 emails after sorting out duplicates — had yet to be checked for any information the town legally couldn’t share.
“I should have realized we hadn’t reviewed them,” the chairman says in taking responsibility for the mistake. “Normally I’m working long days and only get a few minutes to respond to people. I’m not saying I regret information going out to the public, but there are some things under the law that shouldn’t.”
Pellon, one of the email writers, has complained to her colleagues that the unvetted emails may contain private information about workers’ compensation, disabilities or family health-related matters.
“It’s supposed to be protected,” Pellon said at a recent meeting. “That should not go out to the public.”
In response, her peers have questioned why a local leader would put anything personal into a municipal system and whether Pellon’s concern is a “diversion” from the fact the correspondence shows she often circumvented them when communicating with the recently dismissed town administrator.
“Our emails are public record,” Selectboard Vice Chairwoman Elizabeth Rowe said at the meeting. “People shouldn’t be using it for their family. It should be business.”
Local leaders don’t believe but can’t yet confirm any personal information was released. Town Agent Rebecca Dragon is investigating and will share her findings with Town Attorney Robert Fisher, who in turn will give the results to the board.
“Being it’s the holiday season, we’re not scheduled to meet again until after the first of the year,” Harris says. “As for whether that’s in open or executive session, I’ll let the lawyer make the call.”
The person requesting the emails, identified in records only as Michael Dunford, has yet to be reached by the press, as such a name doesn’t appear in Vermont searches for contact information. But anyone with social media savvy can find much of the correspondence on such Facebook group pages as “Pownal Discussions” and “Pownal Government Exposed.”
The posted emails spill with sniping and squabbling among local officials, most since departed, in a small town roiled by a large turnover of leadership. All but one of five Selectboard members have served less than a year.
In one email, Walker, hired as the town’s first-ever administrator a year ago, writes, “This place is too beautiful to worry about the inbred, knuckle-dragging, drooling, smelly, illiterate (did I forget something?) morons.”
Several other messages with a similar tone — “she is arrogant,” “he’s been awful,” “I will not work in a tiny office and be a Walmart greeter” — are summed up by one poster as: “More unsolicited emails giving personal opinions about someone else. Is this what town government is for?”
Asked to comment on the situation, Harris replied, “There’s a lot I would like to say but I’m legally not allowed to.” But the board chairman and several colleagues are pointing the public to meeting videos and the Facebook pages featuring the emails to decide for themselves.
“If you read what’s there, you’ll read what’s there,” Harris says. “It was unfortunate the emails were released inadvertently. Mistakes and accidents happen. We can’t tell you everything that was in them until we figure it out ourselves.”
Read the story on VTDigger here: Pownal’s release of unvetted emails sparks questions.