Magistrates press administration over email requiring staff to report contacts with magistrates

Kenny Salzman read a June 25 communication-expectations email that instructed department heads to notify the judge and Bonnie when magistrates requested information or made negative comments, and to copy them on email or text replies. The email also requested a summary of in-person contacts and that staff record the time if a request required more than 10 minutes of work.

Magistrates pressed the author of the email for the reason it was issued and said the guidance could create a perception that staff were being asked to report on elected magistrates, potentially making departmental staff hesitant to communicate openly. "Why does the email single out negative comments by magistrates?" one magistrate asked. The judge (author of the policy) said he wanted to remain informed about staff time and significant requests and that the guidance was intended as internal communication, not to prevent staff from answering questions.

Magistrates said being left out of the original distribution and a lack of prior consultation had damaged trust. One magistrate tied the timing to earlier efforts to collect fire-department budget/testing records and said a perceived lack of transparency had "driven a wedge" between administration and some departments. The Chair urged the group to use the conversation to rebuild relationships going forward.