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Resident files formal complaint alleging board chair failed to maintain decorum; board responds
Summary
A Derry Borough resident read a letter at the Jan. 27 board meeting alleging personal attacks and a failure by the chair to maintain order; board members and the solicitor disputed the claim and criticized social media disparagement of staff.
A Derry Borough resident, Nathan Bundy, submitted a formal complaint alleging that during a prior informational presentation several board members engaged in personal attacks and that the chair failed to restore order. The complaint was read into the Jan. 27, 2025 board meeting record by a board member and requested entry into the minutes.
The complaint stated: "I would like to formally lodge a complaint that the chair of the meeting failed to call his members into order when they began questioning the motives of a public official," and asked that the letter be included in the minutes and signed "Nathan Bundy, vice president of the Derry Borough Council," according to the reading at the meeting.
Board members and the district responded during the meeting. The board member who read Bundy's letter said he had reviewed the recording of the earlier session and found no slander or harassment, noting that the earlier discussion included an item about allowing a Sasquatch/Bigfoot character in a homecoming parade and that the remarks were pertinent to the meeting packet.
Other board members said elected officials must stand up for staff and that public meetings are open to opinion. Another board member encouraged members of the public to contact board members directly outside meetings.
The district's solicitor, who said he has served in that role for 22 years, defended the board's decorum history, calling recent meetings "professional, very collegial," and challenging attendees to identify misconduct across his tenure.
Several board members also addressed social media comments about district employees. One speaker said social media posts from a borough council member disparaged employees with derogatory terms, including calling staff "rent-a-cops," and said those comments were "uncalled for." The board discussion over the complaint and social media remarks did not result in a formal disciplinary action recorded in the meeting minutes.
The board moved on to other agenda items after the public comment and responses.
