Resident Frustrated By Issue With Select Board Member

A Letter to the Editor from Stoneham's William Dunn:

I am writing in response to Patrick Blais’ recent series of reports in the Stoneham Independent.

I have made several attempts to reach out to Mr. Blais to correct some of the inaccurate reporting on a neighborhood situation involving Selectmen George Seibold. I have also visited with Town Administrator Pettengill after I read her inaccurate statements quoted in the January 9th story and will attempt to set the record straight hereinafter in this letter.

I have never stated either privately or publicly that I had an issue with the Stoneham Police. This statement was alleged in the Stoneham Independent and also stated publicly by Selectwoman Shelly MacNeill who conveniently tried to change the subject away from the actions of Mr. Siebold and tried to imply that I had an issue with the police. Selectwoman Colarusso picked up on the fact that MacNeill was trying to shift the discussion away from Mr. Seibold’s action alluding that I had an issue with the police and thankfully went on the record stating “Mr. Dunn never insinuated that the police acted inappropriately. He simply stated they visited him.”

TA Pettengill also alleged she conducted a thorough and complete investigation. However, neither my wife nor I, both complainants in this matter were ever questioned or even spoken to by TA Pettengill or anyone from Town Hall regarding our complaint. I would also like to state that my wife and I maintain no “longstanding feud” as incorrectly alleged in the newspaper but rather feel we have been victims of a personal vendetta from Mr. Seibold that spans over 20 years. Certain Selectmen in the paper referenced my efforts in resolving my neighborhood problem “as getting little jabs in”. I see it simply as appealing to the management board in the town and had nothing to do with town politics. I just want to get some relief.

I also wish to publicly dispute TA Pettengill’s statement as part of her investigation that Mr. Siebold was not a a member of the Board when he reported my wife and I to the Stoneham Police. The following instances were reported to the Stoneham Police from Mr. Seibold (# 1716757 and 1605390) both incidents taking place on when Mr. Siebold was a sitting Selectmen.

My wife and my fears of retribution were realized after reporting Mr. Seibold to the BOS on Dec 18th were realized during the most recent snow storm. Mr. Seibold contacted the Stoneham Police on January 21 st , 2019 alleging that my wife was shoveling snow onto the street. Mr. Seibold drove past my home and took video and photographs of my wife removing snow from her windshield with a brush, she was not shoveling snow into to street as Siebold stated to support his false report to the Police Department.

My wife was extremely upset observing Mr. Siebold from his pickup truck taking video recordings and snapshots of her. She made an effort to communicate to Mr. Seibold from the public way on Kays Road some 100 feet away from Mr. Seibold’s home begging him to leave us alone. The following day Mr. Seibold reported to the police an unsubstantiated claim stating my wife walked down the street to the location of his home. My wife approached Seibold because she was upset and made to feel uncomfortable that he would drive by our home and record her on video and take photos. Mr. Seibold stated in the newspaper that “continuous lies” have been echoed regarding the history of harassment my wife and I have had to endure, dismissing them as insignificant.

Here is an example from Police Log dated Dec. 30, 2014 from the Stoneham Independent which reads “At 1:49 pm a Kays Road resident was accused of tossing snow into the street an investigating patrolmen observed the resident actually removing snow from the public way. “ This is an example of how the police were called, came out to my home and found the exact opposite of what Mr. Seibold reported to them.

I have brought this pattern of harassment to the attention of two town administrators, one interim town administrator, and the town attorney before approaching the Select Board. My intention when bringing my complaint to the Select Board was simply to seek assistance, not to receive more harassment.

William Dunn, Kays Road