Politics & Government

Stomski: Email Was A Follow-Up on FOI Request

In a letter to Patch, Woodbury First Selectman Jerry Stomski has responded to allegations from challenger Bill Butterly that he violated Election Commission law in an email to a Republican-American reporter questioning possible Freedom of Information Act violations.

Stomski said he was following up on an FOI request against Butterly and his Board of Finance in regards to an audio recording of a meeting.

"I have a responsibility to respond to a FOI Request, and did so," he said.

"My e-mail was sent in response to Rick Harrison's additional request under the FOI during a phone conversation, in which Mr Harrison requested that the audio tape of the meeting be made part of his original FOI request. I was told that the audio tape was not going to be made available to Mr. Harrison. My email back to Mr. Harrison was in response to his additional FOI request."

Butterly said Stomski's email, which he called "another attempt to bully people who don’t agree with Jerry," was sent on a town phone using a town e-mail address:

Hey Rick:

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

Find out what's happening in Woodbury-Middleburywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

What is he hiding?

What does he not want people to hear?

Find out what's happening in Woodbury-Middleburywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

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

"I had discussed the tape in question with the town attorney and the First Selectman’s office three days before this email went out," said Butterly. "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."


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