Thibeault blasts fellow selectmen over refusal to extend email probe

From left, Selectmen, Ryan Thibeault, Andy Rawson and Mike Beaulieu during last night's heated exchange. (YouTube photo)

Editor's note: Ryan Thibeault is the Milton selectman quoted and referenced in this story. He was misidentified in earlier versions of this posting.

MILTON - Newly elected Selectman Ryan Thibeault at Monday night's selectmen's meeting called on fellow board members to let the town attorney and town administrator coordinate a second audit of town computers regarding Right to Know requests filed by former selectman Tom Gray in February.

Those RTK requests included copies of all emails between Selectmen Mike Beaulieu and Andy Rawson since Dec. 1.

When both Beaulieu and Rawson strongly opposed the reaudit, Thibeault fired back that they both had conflict of interest regarding the issue and should step aside and let the town counsel and Town Administrator Heather Thibodeau oversee re-examination of the town computers.

"I want the board to be honest, transparent and upfront about the issue," Thibeault urged.

Gray's Right to Know Requests were apparently in regard to a comment one of the other selectmen had made in February that they had decided on holding off on hiring a town offices employee until Gray left office.

Since two selectmen constitute a quorum, they are prohibited from discussing official business without due process, posting of the meeting and providing minutes on what is discussed.

Gray's Right to Know requests included all emails and phone records between the two as well as minutes of several alleged meetings. However, since no meeting minutes were found and personal email and phone records are routinely exempt from RTK requests, the only thing that could be done was an email audit on town computers.

That audit was done on March 23 with five individual computers being analyzed at a cost of $500 to the town.

But at Monday night's selectmen's meeting Thibeault voiced concerns with the integrity of the audit.

"The public needs to have faith that a professional and nonbias job was done on the audit, so I would like the board to authorize the town administrator to select a third party to reperform that audit working with the town attorney," Thibeault said.

"Who's gonna pay for it," asked Mike Beaulieu.

"Who paid for the last?" retorted Thibeault.

We haven't determined that yet," Beaulieu replied.

Thibeault added that the first audit didn't perform the task as he understood it to have been.

Beaulieu and Rawson, citing cost factors, refused to second any motion on another audit, saying the attorney was already handling it.

"I'm gonna contact the town attorney and there will be more to come," said a visibly upset Thibeault.