FOIA dispute and a council appointment draw questions about Cheshire’s relationship with Chesbrough Health District

A Cheshire resident and multiple members of the Chesbrough Health District (CHD) board used public comment on April 8 to press the Town Council for full disclosure of emails and to ask for an independent review of the appointment of a councilor to the CHD board.

David Iommi, a Cheshire resident, told the council he had filed Freedom of Information Act requests seeking email correspondence between town council members and CHD staff spanning August 2023 to November 2024. He said the town provided about 400 emails but CHD produced 1,217 emails in response to a similar request — and that some CHD emails were withheld as confidential. “I have to say that I've been very disappointed with the lack of transparency,” Iommi said.

CHD board members at the meeting said they, too, wanted clarity and stressed legal limits on what they can disclose. Sarah Montavan, who identified herself as a CHD board member, said reviewing the 1,217 emails had been time consuming and that the district had redacted material it considered confidential for legal reasons. Montavan said the CHD board had asked to meet with the town “so that we can continue to move on and just basically go from there.”

The public discussion flagged an August 29, 2024 email, referenced by Iommi, that he said showed a town councilor expected to be appointed to the CHD board prior to the council’s September 10, 2024 meeting where the appointment occurred. Iommi asked whether it was appropriate for a sitting councilor to hold a voting seat on the CHD board and requested an independent investigation of the appointment and any related correspondence.

Board of directors’ letter: Councilor Velleber read aloud a letter the council had received from CHD board members who signed as volunteers and described themselves as whistleblowers. The letter said the board had reviewed the 1,217 emails and asked to meet confidentially with the town attorney and council to show the emails and discuss concerns about “board involvement” and “lack of transparency.” The letter was signed by CHD board members including Lauren Backman, Elizabeth Normans and Sarah Montavan.

Council response and next steps: Councilors acknowledged the FOIA concerns and said they would review the requests and the possibility of an independent inquiry. Town staff did not announce a formal investigation at the April 8 meeting; rather, councilors and CHD board members said they want to meet in confidence with legal counsel to review the records that CHD characterized as confidential.

Distinguishing discussion from action: The meeting record shows the discussion remained in the public comment and council communications sections; councilors made no formal vote to open an inquiry at this meeting.

Ending: Iommi said he would follow up after receiving additional FOIA records; CHD board members asked the council to schedule a private meeting with the town attorney and produce any records the town had not already supplied under FOIA.