How would you like it if the mayor of your town wrote a letter to the editor attacking you personally and revealing what he thought he had found about you by searching the voter registration list; something that was intended to discredit you but that was, in fact, not even true? It happened recently to me and I can tell you I’m more than a little annoyed.  If not strictly illegal, I would think this conduct could be considered somewhat less than ethical, and lead one to seriously question the Mayor’s suitability for public office.

It all began in the quiet little City of St. Albans when the Messenger published a story about the fact that the Vermont Natural Resource Council had filed a Notice of Appeal on behalf of the Northwest Citizens for Responsible Growth (of which I am an active member) and Hudak Farm regarding a recent  decision by the Environmental Court to uphold an Act 250 permit to locate the largest Walmart store in Vermont near Exit 20 of I-89 in the Town of St. Albans.

In the article, Mayor Manahan of St. Albans City expressed his consternation with the Appeal. Among his remarks:

They (the VNRC) haven’t received the answer they want…They are trying to represent our downtown, but they’re not trying to represent our downtown

I wrote to the paper immediately in the form of an open letter to Mayor Manahan, reminding him that the City had made the deal with the developer to drop its opposition to the project without consultation with the other interested parties, who actually are represented by the VNRC.  I reminded him that a vote had been taken to ratify the agreement at a poorly warned Special Session of the City Council before we had even been given an opportunity to read and offer an opinion with regard to the agreement.  I also asked if he was aware that the developer, JLD Properties had also filed a notice of appeal with the Vermont Supreme Court.  This means that, whether or not the VNRC chose to appeal, construction of the project would be delayed through the developer’s own decision to appeal. This is significant because the Mayor’s complaint about the VNRC filing an appeal centered on the loss of money that was to be paid to the City (through the terms of the agreement) only if the developer began “significant work” on the project prior to the end of 2011.  



The Mayor struck back almost immediately, on June 8, in his own open letter to me.  The letter began with the following:

First, let me apologize; I missed the section in the Mayors handbook that stated I must run things by Sue Prent.

It continued in that tone, with a series of distortions and sarcastic remarks, but the paragraph that left me dumbstruck was the following (his punctuation, not mine):

Unlike your self-appointment, I was elected to represent the citizens of St. Albans City, in fact just recently for the third time as Mayor.  You request the voters keep this event in mind the next time they vote, why rely on them?  I suggest that you register to vote.  After reviewing the voter checklist we were surprised by the fact that your name does not appear on it.  I would like to inform you that as a citizen of St. Albans City you are eligible to vote, however you must first register with the city clerk.  I find it ironic that you profess to the community what is good for it yet you fail to participate in the purest ingredient of the democracy we live in.

Oookay.

I replied very simply to set the record straight, addressing each of his distortions of fact and concluding with the information that I am an active voter in the City of St. Albans, registered under my maiden name.  I did not share that name in my letter.

I am still waiting for what I think is a well-deserved public apology.