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June 11. 2012 10:45PM
New accusations of violations by Marlborough board filed
MARLBOROUGH — The Select Board is again being called into question for right-to-know violations by resident Loretta Simonds.
If board members are found guilty of one of the violations, involving the release of confidential documents, they must be removed from office under law, she said Monday.
“The only way they can violate their oath of office and be released by a judge is by releasing something like this,” Simonds said.
On Friday Simonds filed a petition in Cheshire County Superior Court asking the court to find the board in contempt of a court order to follow the right-to-know law, four months after Judge Phillip P. Mangones found the board guilty of numerous violations and enjoined members against making further violations.
Simonds and resident Bob Cameron filed the original petition last year.
Those violations included improperly posted meetings that included a discussion and decision to study regional resources, unlawful meetings via email, and nondisclosure of minutes or the release of only partial minutes.
These types of violations continue, Simonds said.
“They are still having meetings outside of meetings,” she said.
Additionally, the board has violated the right-to-know law in a different way, she said, by releasing non-public meeting minutes containing employee reprimands, hiring information and medical and welfare information to Simonds earlier this year.
Simonds said the town administrative assistant gave her the confidential documents when Simonds had asked for all the electronically stored public minutes, which date back to 2009.
“This time they gave me a lot, too much. Those files should have been filed away from the other files,” Simonds said. “Now I know stuff about people I don’t want to know.”
One former town employee who lives in town is outraged by the release of his private information and has grounds to sue the town, Simonds said. “I hope this is outrageous enough that people will get angry in this town and something will be done.”
On Monday, Selectman John Northcott said he was served the new petition on Friday. He declined to comment, saying the town attorney has not yet had a chance to review the petition.
What’s next: The case is scheduled to be heard in court Aug. 20.
mpierce@newstote.com
If board members are found guilty of one of the violations, involving the release of confidential documents, they must be removed from office under law, she said Monday.
“The only way they can violate their oath of office and be released by a judge is by releasing something like this,” Simonds said.
On Friday Simonds filed a petition in Cheshire County Superior Court asking the court to find the board in contempt of a court order to follow the right-to-know law, four months after Judge Phillip P. Mangones found the board guilty of numerous violations and enjoined members against making further violations.
Simonds and resident Bob Cameron filed the original petition last year.
Those violations included improperly posted meetings that included a discussion and decision to study regional resources, unlawful meetings via email, and nondisclosure of minutes or the release of only partial minutes.
These types of violations continue, Simonds said.
“They are still having meetings outside of meetings,” she said.
Additionally, the board has violated the right-to-know law in a different way, she said, by releasing non-public meeting minutes containing employee reprimands, hiring information and medical and welfare information to Simonds earlier this year.
Simonds said the town administrative assistant gave her the confidential documents when Simonds had asked for all the electronically stored public minutes, which date back to 2009.
“This time they gave me a lot, too much. Those files should have been filed away from the other files,” Simonds said. “Now I know stuff about people I don’t want to know.”
One former town employee who lives in town is outraged by the release of his private information and has grounds to sue the town, Simonds said. “I hope this is outrageous enough that people will get angry in this town and something will be done.”
On Monday, Selectman John Northcott said he was served the new petition on Friday. He declined to comment, saying the town attorney has not yet had a chance to review the petition.
What’s next: The case is scheduled to be heard in court Aug. 20.
mpierce@newstote.com