Mark Thompson — the former Board of Finance chairman who abruptly stepped down in January — said he is outraged because the town’s Finance Director has filed a Freedom of Information complaint against him.
“I believe it is wrong for staff to FOI request any member of a board or commission in the town, particularly that board which has an oversight over that department,” Thompson said to the Board of Selectmen Tuesday.
Seymour Finance Director Doug Thomas filed a complaint against Thompson with the state Freedom of Information Commission after Thompson declined to hand over a few emails related to Seymour’s annual audit.
Thompson asked the Selectmen Tuesday for guidance on whether he should release e‑mails. The Selectmen said Thompson should consult with a town attorney, because the FOI complaint was against him in his former capacity as a town volunteer.
Click play on the video at top to see the meeting where Thompson brought forward his recent concerns. Video by Frank Loda.
The Request
In an email sent Jan. 11, Thomas requested all communications e‑mails Thompson had exchanged with the town’s auditor.
The email was sent at 3:37 p.m. At a meeting four hours later, Thompson announced he was resigning from the Board of Finance, citing a lack of confidence in the town’s leadership.
In an interview Thursday, Thompson said he had turned over all but a few. The ones he withheld had to do with “concerns” he had with the town’s finance department. Thompson said he believed those communications were privileged, akin to communication between an attorney and a client.
Thompson would not elaborate on what his concerns were.
On Feb. 18, Thomas filed a Freedom of Information complaint with the state Freedom of Information Commission, asking for the remaining e‑mails to be released.
Thompson questioned why Thomas didn’t ask for the e‑mails from the auditor instead.
“In my mind, this is harassment,” Thompson said Thursday. “Why is he doing this?”
Thomas was unable to be reached for comment Thursday. Town Hall was closed. A message seeking comment was left at his home.
The Concerns
Although he wouldn’t state specifics, Thompson said his concerns were highlighted in a management letter in the town’s audit report, released in January.
The audit (click here to read a past story on the report) mentioned problems with purchase orders in town and cash accounts that did not agree with the general ledger.
First Selectman Paul Roy said, when the report first came out and again on Thursday, that the problems were minor and that were addressed.
“Those are not major issues to be concerned with,” Roy said Thursday. “They’ve being taken care of.”
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Audit Management Letter 2009 – 2010 FY
Roy said Thomas filed the FOI request and complaint as a private citizen.
“I don’t know anything about it,” Roy said. “That’s between Doug Thomas and Mark Thompson.”
FOI Push Back
Thompson said he believes Thomas’s FOI complain comes as retaliation for Thompson’s public anger over a previous FOI issue.
Thompson resigned in January after he said the town never informed him of an FOI request pending in his name. The issue prompted the town’s new FOI response policy.
Thompson, at the time of his resignation, also cited his general concerns with the way things were being run in town — including the concerns he had with the audit.
“This is a tit for tat,” Thompson said. “I took him and Paul Roy to the wood shed because they never told me about the Tri-Town Plaza FOI request.”
Thompson said he’s most concerned about an oversight board being able to have confidential conversations about the departments they oversee.
“This is all about principle,” Thompson said. “I don’t have a problem if he sees these e‑mails. I think it’s wrong. It sets a dangerous precedent.”
The Freedom of Information laws in Connecticut outline that — except in certain situations — documents and communications dealing with public business are public documents. That includes e‑mail communications between public officials about public business. Those documents, unless exempt from the law, can be requested by members of the public.
