Resident slaps councilors on wrist > Pittsfield woman says panel was rude as she spoke; members apologize

PITTSFIELD — A Pittsfield resident returned to a Town Council meeting Tuesday night, two weeks after she felt she had been treated unprofessionally and rudely by Mayor John Ring.

Two councilors formally apologized to her, saying they were sorry her first council experience had turned out so badly. And because word had spread in the community about the incident, at least five people attended Tuesday night’s meeting specifically to monitor council behavior. Following the meeting, several of the people said they will continue to watch council happenings.

Trudy Ferland had appeared before the council Sept. 5 to express her feelings on the council’s objection to the proposed school budget. She told council members that she was not there to debate the merits of the budget but rather to express her feelings as a Pittsfield taxpayer.

But while she was speaking, the mayor did not object or restrain councilors who interrupted her and asked her to defend the school budget. The mayor also did not intervene when Ferland was lectured by a member of the audience.

Upset by this lack of control, Ferland returned to the council Tuesday. “I want you to know how difficult it was for me to come before you two weeks ago,” she told councilors. “I had never attended a council meeting before and I spent hours thinking what I was going to say. I wanted to say it in a nonantagonistic way. But as I spoke, before I was even done, the council began debating me.”

“I felt I wasn’t listened to. I felt I was not even given a chance to finish what I said,” she said.

“If the council wants the public to come and speak before them, the public must know they will be treated with courtesy and respect,” said Ferland.

Two councilors, Harold “Butch” Perry and Teri Marino, expressed their apologies. “If I did not make you comfortable, I apologize. Sometimes we get emotional, but we do try to listen,” said Marino.

“You are absolutely right,” said Perry. “You weren’t allowed to finish without being interrupted. I hope the mayor learns and makes it a point of order not to allow interruptions.”

The mayor, however, defended his actions, saying, “I don’t expect my council to sit here and not respond.”

Councilor Everett Connors said, “Some people feel the council is pitted against the school. Nothing could be further from the truth. The school is a department of the town.”

The school is not a department of the town, but rather a school administrative district governed by an elected board of directors from each community within the district.

Ferland also stated that she moved to Pittsfield three years ago from Newport, solely based on the quality of SAD 53 education. “In fact, two council members moved here because of the school system. When businesses assess a community, they assess the school system. In the last three years, four programs that directly affect my children have been cut. I would ask you to think about our schools and ask you not to put a lot of emphasis on bringing the schools to their knees.

“You will be roadblocking your own plans for economic development,” she said.