There is a disturbing trend at the Public Meetings of the Town Council, in which elected officials have repeatedly opted to take time after the closure of public comment to make inaccurate statements about citizens or events in town. This is a repeated pattern of behavior in which Council members are allowed to make statements, free from public rebuttal or examination, in an attempt to control the narrative surrounding town issues.
At the most recent public meeting of the Town Council on Friday, Jan. 12, the Council Chairman made vague, non-specific complaints regarding what he felt were “inaccuracies” in a “local publication.” Notably, Chairman John Farrell appeared to use this time to deride former Town Councilor Debra Paul, as well, as opposed to limiting his remarks to the content of the paper. This does not seem to be in line with the Council’s suggested rules of order and Chairman Farrell’s own previous statements, in which it was stated that attacks on individuals were not encouraged. Most notably, Farrell did not seem eager to apologize for wasting thousands of taxpayer dollars fighting Mrs. Paul over the release of documents related to Town Manager Mike Malaguti’s frivolous actions against Mrs. Paul. Despite Chairman Farrell’s claims that certain articles were one-sided, the majority of the story he referenced was comprised of court documents, highlighting a nearly nine-month wait through the courts, where, in the end, a judge ruled that the town needed to hand over the document and also pay all attorney fees associated with it.
Farrell also made an incorrect assertion that, in his opinion, the only reason Deb Paul chose to pursue a remedy through the courts was so she could print the sexual harassment letter in the newspaper. Thankfully, the judge did not agree, clearly placing the onus for frivolous behavior on the Town Manager.
Contrary to Farrell’s assertion, the letter was NOT published in this paper, though there were links published on the website to the letter for readers to verify its content. The story that was written at the time focused on the judge’s decision.
The Chairman also made references to an investigation that the town conducted into these matters but falsely claimed that Mrs. Paul was privy to the fact that an investigation was ongoing at the time; she was not.
Chairman Farrell refused to elaborate further.
In our opinion, Farrell has used his gavel repeatedly as a shield to hide behind while he pontificates on his version of the truth.
If the town felt that articles in the paper were inaccurate, they could have taken the opportunity we provide to request a correction to be run. It is noteworthy that this paper has not received any requests regarding the story being referenced.
It is clear that as long as Mr. Farrell is sitting in the Chairman’s seat, he will continue to try and “control the narrative” without allowing folks in opposition a chance to respond.
For us, as long as we continue to publish the Londonderry Times, we will continue to give folks a voice in the “letters to the editor” section.
The editorial is in response to comments made by Chairman Farrell at the 1/12/2024 Council meeting.
It’s important to note that Councilor Farrell Chose NOT to address the other comments made during public comment. Those comments are below.
