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Selectmen read statement on social-media criticism, and issue letter defending zoning enforcement in court action
Summary
The board read a statement criticizing vitriolic social-media posts and approved posting it on the town website; the board also voted to publish a letter to the Conway Daily Sun defending a court-authorized zoning inspection and ongoing enforcement action regarding an occupied RV and a potential cesspool violation.
At the March 3 meeting, the Selectmen read a prepared statement addressing what the board described as repeated online attacks on town employees and officials and voted to post that written statement, titled "Where Were They?", to the town website.
The board then read a separate letter responding to public claims by a resident (identified in the letter as Mr. Brown) that town personnel had trespassed during zoning inspections. The letter, which the board voted to send to the Conway Daily Sun, states that the town’s zoning officer, Jonathan Smith, conducted an inspection authorized by an administrative inspection warrant issued by the district court. The read statement and the motion referenced the town’s ongoing court enforcement action and cited the town’s concern that the occupant was living in an RV without approvals and allegedly installed a cesspool that could contaminate groundwater. The read remarks referenced a Superior Court order (case number read on the record) upholding aspects of the town’s enforcement position.
Selectmen said the town attorney will attend Town Meeting to explain legal ramifications of petition warrant articles and ongoing enforcement matters. The board recorded a motion to forward the letter to the Conway Daily Sun and approved it by voice vote.
Why it matters: The statements and the letter reflect the board’s effort to publicly respond to criticism and to clarify that a court has authorized at least one inspection connected to an active enforcement case. The letters include legal citations and a phone number for residents to file complaints about ongoing zoning violations.
Ending: The board said the town attorney will be available at Town Meeting to address legal questions about warrant-article authority and enforcement procedure.
