Latest Right To Know - shaking my head UPDATED 2x

The latest Right To Know involves communications between White Buffalo and MTL. What I thought I would do this time is put up the whole thing and reference page numbers as to what I noticed. Please feel free to comb the file and post the gems you found.

Page 1 archery not going well. Keith actually asked on October 7!
Page 5 deer task force with Susan Morgans? WTF?
Page 14 deer population survey We can use an aerial survey, ground count over several days which is cheaper or just wing it using Tony's beginning estimate minus the deer killed. Wow - so scientific! And sooooo accurate!
Page 21 costs will go up if only killing at night
Page 29-36 Black - Request a refund!!
Page 37 Have a private meeting with residents. No public meeting for a taxpayer funded program. Morgans said that the regulars have been making noise. Love the "transparent enough" comment.
Page 45 Anne German is volunteering her property for sharpshooting. So why was my RTK denied and I have to shell out thousands of dollars going to court? I knew it wasn't about the "safety" of the property owners. They are hiding something!
Page 54 60 residents offered their properties for archery. Sent emails to them asking about sharpshooting.

Update December 22, 2015 5:51 PM Jason Margolis sent the following email to the commissioners, Phil Weis, and Keith McGill at 4:30 PM today. It is reprinted below with his permission.

Dear Commissioners and Municipal Staff,

Recently, some emails regarding the archery and potential sharpshooting hunting were released through a RTK request.

In an email dated November 12, 2015, MTL Public Information Officer says the following:

"I am thinking that unless you need a public meeting to recruit properties, it is probably better not to have one. Things are quiet now--very little overt opposition except for the few regulars. I think if we just post the Q&A , that is probably "transparent" enough ..."

This email confirms my suspicion that the deer management decision-making process in MTL is highly suspect, and that particular individuals, funded through taxpayer dollars, are directly involved in hiding facts and truths from those very same taxpayers.

In this case, the Public Information Officer has violated the very nature of her position:

PUBLIC - Susan Morgans, rather than facilitating the distribution of facts, says she wants to keep things private and "quiet." This is to not have the public even think about the issue, as it might create additional "opposition" beyond the few "regulars."

INFORMATION - Rather than informing the public, Susan Morgans recommends that "we just post the Q&A." In so doing, she seeks to strategically limit the flow of information in a highly-controlled format. Her apparent goal is to ensure the public access as little information as possible.

OFFICER - Susan Morgans is an officer, an employee, of the people. But she shows arrogant disdain for those people who pay her salary by stating that what she proposes is "transparent enough."

Who is Susan Morgans to say how transparent government should be? How can you allow her to blatantly blind the people she is paid to serve?

If the question is, "How transparent should MTL government be?" The answer should be, AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, AND MORE SO EVERY DAY. However, your PUBLIC - INFORMATION - OFFICER - does not want to make things public, does not want to give the people necessary information so they can make their own determinations as to what is right, and has become an officer in obfuscation.

For her disregard for the public and true transparency, I ask that you hold Susan Morgans accountable for her dangerous comments. Minimally she should formally be written up and put on probation; more appropriately, she should be removed from office.

I will await to hear your response.

Dr. Jason Margolis

Update December 22, 2015 11:23 PM The response...
Note the additional people Keith McGill added to the email.

From: Keith Mcgill <kmcgill@mtlebanon.org>
Sent: Tuesday, December 22, 2015 7:47 PM
To: Dr. Jason Margolis
Cc: commission@mtlebanon.org; philip.weiss@bipc.org; Susan Morgans; Anthony DeNicola
Subject: Re: Susan Morgans

Good evening Dr Margolis,

Thank you for sharing your concerns regarding the email you referenced. Let me also assure you that I have the utmost confidence in Susan Morgans abilities and commitment to serving the residents of the municipality in her position as Public Information Officer, as well as her professionalism and commitment to transparency.

I am not aware of any "facts or truths" that are being "hidden" from the taxpayers. All program details related to the managed archery program that was approved by the Commission have been disclosed and information regarding the program is readily available on the municipal website.

Phase I of the sharpshooting contract was approved by the Commission and that contract is also posted on the municipal website as well as a copy of the special permit issued by the Game Commission and a set of Frequently Asked Questions developed by the Public Information Office working in conjunction with the contractor, White Buffalo, public safety, public works, myself and the Commission.

Phase II related to Implementation will be discussed and voted on by the Commission in January. Prior to the vote, information related to the archery program and additional information regarding the sharpshooting program will be provided to the municipality and posted to the municipal website. Dr. DeNicola will attend the January 12th discussion session to provide any requested additional information on the program and respond to questions.

I would ask that you review the information related to deer management that is posted on the municipal website and if you still have questions related to the program please email me.

Respectfully,

Keith