Politics & Government

Butterly: 'Stomski May Have Violated Election Commission Law'

The Woodbury first selectman race is heating up, as the candidates ramp up the rhetoric.

[Editor's note: Bill Butterly Jr., a petitioning candidate for Woodbury First Selectman, sent the following to Patch.]

Woodbury First Selectman Candidate, William J. Butterly, Jr has turned the table on First Selectman Gerald Stomski’s attempt to discredit Butterly and members of the Board of Finance for possible Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) violations

In trying to make his case, Mr. Stomski sent an email to the local reporter for the Republican-American newspaper. Mr. Butterly thought that the communication was more political than town business, but it was written on the town’s email account and sent via the town paid for iPhone at what appeared to be 19:12:42 hours, or 7pm on October 4, 2013.

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The email addressed to the town reporter for the newspaper, Rick Harrison, reads:

Hey Rick:

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Don’t you find it rather suspicious that Bill Butterly will not release the audio tape of the last BOF meeting?

What is he hiding?

What does he not want people to hear?

Perhaps you can ask him?

I find it highly suspicious when you have a tape of a public meeting and refuse to release it.

I don’t believe that this is the transparency that he is referring to if elected.

Jerry

Butterly felt that the content was more political in nature than of any subsequent town business and should not have been sent at the taxpayers’ expense. He discussed the content of the email with an attorney with the state election commission who has expressed and interest in reviewing it as it very well may have crossed the line. However, an exact determination can not be made until it is fully investigated.

“It’s but another attempt to bully people who don’t agree with Jerry” Butterly stated. “I had discussed the tape in question with the town attorney and the First Selectman’s office 3 days before this email went out. They knew that the FOIC had stated that the tape in question was the property of the clerk, and could not be FOIA requested. The clerk had already released the tape."

Recent Election Coverage

The two candidates met last week for a debate. Here are two articles:


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