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Residents say an emailed threat pressured library board members; council orders investigation
Summary
Public commenters read and described an email from Andrew Breer that they call a threat to library board members tied to a pool referendum; the council instructed the town manager to investigate and several councilors said they will seek a strong public statement and possible calls for resignation.
Multiple residents used the council's public-participation period on Sept. 10 to allege that an email from Andrew Breer instructed a library board member to silence fellow board members before a public hearing on a pool referendum and that the message amounted to intimidation.
Dave Horgan, who said he obtained the email via a Freedom of Information request, read portions of the message he received and said the email told a library board member to stop others from speaking at a public hearing "that'll make it harder for the Town Council to move forward with the pools project referendum." He asked the council to postpone the referendum and investigate who prompted the message.
Beth Delbo recounted replies she saw in the chain and said the follow-up messages were "even more egregious" than the original. Quoting from the thread, she said, "you are right to interpret this as a threat — I did," and said some replies appeared to acknowledge the coercive nature of the communications. Delbo asked the council to consider whether the messages could fall under the state's coercion statute that she cited during public comment.
Other speakers urged immediate action. Several councilors said they were "appalled" by what they read, confirmed they had asked the town manager to investigate, and said Mr. Breer is allegedly out of the country, complicating immediate follow-up. Councilors spoke of the need to find both the author and anyone who directed him. At least one councilor said the council could issue a statement asking Mr. Breer to resign from appointed positions and urged the library board to consider removal if appropriate.
Town Manager Jonathan told the council he had been asked to investigate and was following up. Council members asked that any statement include explicit support for the library board and that the legal office review potential disciplinary or legal pathways before formal action.
Why it matters: Speakers tied the email to broader concerns about transparency in the pool-referendum process and said the alleged use of coercion threatens public trust in municipal decision-making. Councilors said they would pursue fact-finding before taking formal disciplinary action.
What's next: The council has instructed the town manager to investigate and council members said they will consider a written statement and possible formal requests for resignation or removal depending on findings.
