Morristown planning director criticized for personal attacks

None of those officials chose to respond, but other people did.

“I can tell you, with absolute certainty, had I ever done anything like that, I’d be in front of the select board almost immediately. They’d be having a special meeting,” said Duncan Hastings, for more than 25 years a town and village administrator in Johnson, plus a few more years in the planning field.

Thomas, also the treasurer of the nonprofit Morristown Alliance for Commerce and Culture, returned Magoon’s membership check in December with a sharply worded note.

“You have actively and knowingly injured our downtown,” Thomas wrote.

Town administrator Dan Lindley said he doesn’t think Thomas violated any of the town’s personal conduct policies.

Hastings said that, even if it’s not in writing, it’s understood that there are certain things public officials ought not do.

“Certainly, attacking one of his constituents would be high up on the list,” Hastings said. “Certainly, in this case, the appearance is as important as” an actual conflict of interest.

Tasha Wallis, executive director of the regional planning commission, said she is “concerned” about Lindley’s comments.

“I’m pretty sure all of Todd’s discourse with Caleb was in his professional role,” Wallis said.

Thomas said “there’s no public nexus” between his official town duties and what he does for MACC, which he called “the great little downtown Morrisville nonprofit booster.” But as an official holding three job titles with one town, Thomas is interconnected with nearly all of the town’s various boards and commissions.

No one from those boards or commissions chose to comment, not a single person from the select board, the planning council or the village trustees.

Attempts to reach members of the development review board were thwarted by town officials who balked at providing contact information by press deadline.

Planning commission support

Magoon, in addition to owning Power Play Sports, chairs the Lamoille County Planning Commission board of directors. Most of those board members also declined to comment for this story, but two of them leaped to Magoon’s defense.

Hastings, the former Johnson town administrator, said Magoon had showed the note to the commission’s seven-person executive committee, but only because “he didn’t want to blindside us” if it became public.

“The first thing that struck me was how very unprofessional it was for him, as an employee of Morristown and as treasurer of MACC, and how extremely disrespectful it was to a business owner and dedicated public servant,” Hastings said this week. “In two decades of municipal work, I would have never written something like that. And if I had, it would have been on direct orders from a board or a superior.”

Brian Leven, a Stowe lawyer who is vice chairman of the planning commission board, refrained from criticizing Thomas or other town officials, but said “it just blows my mind” that someone would accuse Magoon of “injuring the downtown.”

“Caleb is the heart and soul of this board. He always knows the issues and his heart is in the right place,” Leven said. “He’s a scholar and a gentleman and a phenomenal chair. He’s a gem.”

In his note, Thomas blames Magoon for the loss of downtown designation, a community revitalization program offered through the Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development.

Thomas refused to explain his logic but Wallis said it might stem from an attempt by Morristown and Morrisville officials who once sat on the board — Thomas included — to obtain a letter of support for the downtown designation renewal.

At the time, the summer of 2016, Wallis told the Morristown reps that the renewal application was incomplete, so the commission couldn’t responsibly support it.

The commission voted 10-8 against officially supporting the renewal. Three of those voting to support it were Morristown municipal officials — Thomas, former planning council chair Paul Griswold, and economic development coordinator Tricia Follert. Follert is also the MACC president.

Many commission members said they’d back it once all the paperwork was in order, but Morristown decided soon after to quit the planning commission. Membership in a regional planning commission is a state requirement for downtown designation.

Wallis said the town could still rejoin and reapply.

“We would do everything in our power to assist in renewing their downtown designation,” she said.

Backlash from readers

Despite the silence from Morristown officials, plenty of people have weighed in about Thomas’s attacks on Magoon, both on social media and in letters to the editor. Dozens of people expressed support for Magoon, and many criticized Thomas. Here’s a sampling from last week’s posting of the story on the News & Citizen Facebook page.

• “Mr. Thomas needs to be stripped from his ‘titles!’ He is out of control!” wrote Kathy Chafee on the story’s Facebook post.

• Joni Lynn and Kevin Domina both said they were “not impressed with the town.”

• Suzy Kneeland wrote, “Hoo boy! What a nut job! Best wishes to Caleb, who seems to calmly rise above the buffoonery.”

• “Geez — great PR, Morristown! That’ll help attract new businesses to town,” Mary Collins wrote. “Caleb, I’ve always liked what you’ve done for the town. You run a good business and treat customers well. I’m sorry you’re being maligned by this one person. It’s a poor way to serve the community.”