Newington council asks Library Board to remove trustee after emails viewed as threatening

The Newington Town Council on Sept. 24 unanimously adopted a resolution requesting that the Library Board of Trustees remove Andrew Breer after emails sent by Breer in late August alarmed fellow trustees and senior library staff.

Town Manager Jonathan summarized an investigation he led into the emails and related Freedom of Information submissions. Jonathan told the council his interviews and review of documentary evidence were “inconclusive” about who Breer had told him allegedly pressured trustees about a pool referendum; Breer declined to identify the person he said had relayed the message. Jonathan said a town attorney advised the messages did not meet the statutory definition of coercion, though they raised serious ethical concerns.

The resolution read into the record says Breer’s Aug. 27 emails “purport[ed] to relay a message that [trustees] should not make public comment at a public hearing regarding a voter referendum” on a proposed swimming pool and “insinuated that any public comments made by trustees against the pool referendum would result in the Newington Town Council not approving a future bond referendum” for library improvements. The council said those communications created confusion and undermined public trust.

Councilors stressed the action was intended as a formal statement of the council’s view, not a direct removal: the council noted it does not have legal authority to remove Breer because he is a corporate trustee appointed under the library board’s bylaws. Several councilors said they hoped the resolution would prompt the trustees to act and restore public confidence.

One member of the public who joined the meeting remotely asked who has authority to remove Breer; councilors and the town manager clarified the removal authority rests with the Library Board of Trustees. Members of the public who spoke urged thorough fact-finding and expressed concern about the lack of clarity over Breer’s alleged source.

The council voted to waive rules to take up the item, opened the floor briefly for public comment, and then held a roll-call vote that was recorded as carrying unanimously. The resolution will be forwarded to the Library Board of Trustees for consideration at its next meeting.

Officials said follow-up steps include pressing the library board for action and continuing to seek clarity about the underlying allegations; no criminal referral was made during the council’s discussion.

Authorities cited: Connecticut General Statutes (reference to the coercion standard as part of the town manager’s consultation with counsel).