READ THE EMAILS: Correspondence Includes Examples of Disagreements Between Town Employees

Six months of emails obtained this week through a Right-to-Know request submitted to the town of Windham showed few examples of conflict between Community Development Director Laura Scott and Community Planner Elizabeth Wood.

Scott has twice in the last six months levied suspensions on Wood, her subordinate.

A one-day suspension of Wood , while a two-day suspension was in mid-June.

Email correspondence between Wood and Scott was obtained by Windham Patch for the time period of Nov. 1, 2011 to April 30, 2012.

In total, 171 messages were collected together in PDF format by Town Administrator Dave Sullivan. Some of the messages have full exchanges, while others are just part of an exchange.

According to Right-to-Know law in the state, certain personnel matters and legal correspondence must be redacted from a request, so the six months of email exchanges might not include every exchange.

Several of the emails Windham Patch did obtain come with Planning Board hearing notice and warrant article attachments sent to Scott from Wood. Summaries of Planning Board meetings are also sent to Scott from Wood. Little to no personal correspondence between the two is included in the documents.

However, there are examples in the exchanges of some disagreement between Scott and Wood.

One comes during an email chain from late December to early January. Wood sent Windham Administrative Assistant Wendi Devlin a message asking for some adjustments to the town website for Citizen's Petition no. 3 from the March ballot. That petition was related to the the Canobie Lake Watershed Protection Ordinance.

The initial email from Wood to Devlin comes on Dec. 29, 2011 at 12:46 p.m.

The follow-up from Scott, who was CC'ed on the Wood-Devlin exchange, comes about a week later:

From: Laura Scott [mailto:LScott@WindhamNewHampshire.com]
Sent: Thursday, January 05, 2012 8:01 AM
To: 'Elizabeth Wood'
Subject: RE: More to post

You said that you followed up on this and that it was completed.  This is not the case which was discovered last night at PB mtg. Take care of this

--

From: Elizabeth Wood [mailto:EWood@windhamnewhampshire.com]
Sent: Thursday, January 05, 2012 8:35 AM
To: WDevlin@WindhamNewHampshire.com
Cc: 'Laura Scott'
Subject: RE: More to post

Laura,

This item was completed, as the items were posted. After I showed you the posted maps and parcel data, you said that it was preferable that a separate link be created for each map and for an excel sheet of the parcel data. You suggested that this will make it easier for the public to find and print the items that they need. I will contact Wendi right away and request that she make these changes as soon as possible.

--

From: Laura Scott

Subject: RE: More to post
To: Elizabeth Wood

Thank you, most people only look at the first page. Also, the database was helpful for landowners to search for their address. As a pdf it doesn’t work and with 400+ parcels to have to read through it is tough. I had assumed that you would have had Wendi just move the items and keep them posted the same way as the PB version.

One message from Scott goes through Wood's weekly to-do list. There is no date listed on the subject line but Scott criticizes some of her employee's work. She also dictates tasks she needs to accomplish for the week:

Subject: Weekly to do list
Attachment(s): 0

Monday

- Give me submission schedule when done to review; do not make any folders or post until I look at it

- Distribute list of items in drawers to staff

- Complete all items on to do list since many of them have been on your list for a long time

- Do deposit

- Have accessory and seasonal list completed

Tuesday

- Assume press article is for upcoming PB mtg and Town Meeting

- Update map list once trails maps are put away and distribute to staff and update on files

- You should be able to complete to do list

- Do deposit

Wednesday

- List for PB on multi-zones should only be re: ones they are
discussing at meeting that night. Full list should be in file for items
that have already been covered

- Don’t know why fence ordinance is on your to do list

- Complete filing of PB items since your work load is light for
this day

Thursday

- I will do payroll

- All the newspapers that are on your shelf are to be read and
articles filed. I have not been doing this with the assumption
(mistaken) that you were keeping up to date on this. There have been articles in all the papers each week about TM items that I have not filed because you should have been

- The paperwork in your inboxes on your desk needs to be gone through. There are items that have been in there for over a month that you have not filed. 

- Do the article about Registry of Deeds information

Friday

- 2nd bullet should be completed early in the week because of
you light workload

- Get Multi-Zone Subcommittee to approve minutes and post/file accordingly

- Input all PB cases into MUNIS

You need to figure out how to split the multi-zone for public hearing.
Half should go on 12/21 and half on 12/28. You also need the maps for each hearing to be done so you better make sure Eric has the deadlines for this.

I will be in Wed and want to review your hearing notice for Multi-zones and kennels.

Tim will have to give you his language for Fences (if 2nd hearing is
required) and bldg v structure for 12/21 so make sure you incorporate that into you notice to send after the meeting is over.

One other exchange that sticks out initially comes from Wood to Scott in mid-January, with Sullivan CC'ed on Scott's response.

From: Elizabeth Wood [mailto:EWood@windhamnewhampshire.com]
Sent: Monday, January 09, 2012 2:04 PM
To: 'Laura Scott'
Subject: Warrant

Laura,

Dave came by today asking for the final version of the warrant. I told him he would have to wait until you returned tomorrow.

--

From: Laura Scott

Subject: RE: Warrant
Attachment(s): 0

Dave, I am sorry that Elizabeth told you that you had to wait for me to be in the office to receive a final venison of the warrant. She should have told you that it is not final yet (1) because the PB is still
holding hearings on the last 4 citizens petitions and (2) the PB has it
on their agenda for 11th to review and approval the language and order. I planned on sending it to you on Thursday when it was complete.

A good portion of the other email exchanges are strictly professional. Many show Scott offering advice or giving tips to Wood on how to conduct her job. Without any context, these read in a cordial manner.

Of the documents provided, there are only a few personal exchanges between the two employees on the public email accounts. Some show Wood requesting time off for various commitments.

There is another with Wood thanking Scott for a "Chocolate and Curry mix" on Valentine's Day, to which Scott responds that she remembered Wood had said she liked curry.

Since these emails provided by the town are only exchanges between Scott and Wood, there is no inclusion of emails sent by Scott to other parties talking about Wood and her performance or vice versa.

Text messages were also requested as part of the Right-to-Know request, but Scott is not provided with a town cell phone.

A second Right-to-Know request submitted by Selectman Ross McLeod is still pending. According to Sullivan, McLeod requested emails related to Scott and workforce housing.

McLeod publicly disparaged Scott's managerial practices during Wood's second suspension appeal hearing in June, saying that he planned on pursuing an investigation of Scott.