Mark Thompson

31 Evergreen Terrace
Seymour, Ct 06483

February 22, 2011

Dear Editor:

On January 11, I reluctantly resigned as chair of the Board of Finance in Seymour because I was
kept in the dark by town hall staff about a complaint that had been filed with the Freedom of
Information Commission. The complaint listed me, along with the first selectman and the finance
director, as the lead respondent. Nearly three months elapsed before I accidently learned from Mr.
Frank Loda he had filed a complaint with the FOIC. To make matters worse, I specifically asked
during a recent meeting of the BOF whether there were any pending complaints before the FOIC to
which the First Selectman, Paul Roy, responded there was “nothing outstanding and everything
was fine”. Clearly, this was an attempt to deceive the board and the public.

In early February, in spite of my resignation from the board, I was to appear before the FOIC along
with the Mr. Roy and the Finance Director, Douglas Thomas to defend against the complaint. The
day before the hearing I received a telephone call; not from town counsel who was supposively
defending me, but from the complainant himself. Mr. Loda informed me he had withdrawn his
complaint since the first selectman had just accepted the terms of an agreement to settle the
dispute. Had I not received that unlikely call from the complainant, I would have driven to Hartford
only to learn the hearing had been cancelled.

Wait a minute, what agreement? How could I, as the chief respondent in the complaint, not be
informed by the first selectman or town counsel there were ongoing discussions to reach a
resolution with Mr. Loda? The answer is obvious. Had the first selectman and town counsel not
been able to reach a settlement, they would have tried to throw me under the bus and make me
personally responsible for any potential fine levied by the FOIC. How else can one explain their
unorthodox actions not to inform me about the initial complaint, and the subsequent settlement
discussions with Mr. Loda?

But wait, there’s more. The day after the hearing was to take place, I received an email from town
counsel indicating she had inadvertently sent out confidential documents pertaining to the
settlement agreement and I was to keep the details private. Apparrently, even though I was chief
respondent in the complaint, I was not suppose to see the terms of the secret agreement that was
covertly negotiated on my behalf. So much for openess, communication and cooperation.

It’s no wonder all other previously sitting members of the BOF declined to chair the group after I
resigned. No one is apparently willing to stick their head in the noose after observing how this
complaint was mishandled.

Mark Thompson
Former Chair, Board of Finance
Seymour