Selectman Takes Heat For Flyer With Instagram Post

STOUGHTON, MA — The chairman of the selectmen is taking heat for allegedly making a flyer that includes an Instagram post from a sibling of a recall candidate.

During the citizen's comment portion of Tuesday's selectmen meeting, several speakers said they found flyers next to a pile of agendas. The flyer reportedly contained an Instagram post from a private account for Christine Howe's teenage sister and included a photo of Howe on SMAC and the caption “No more bully white old men who have done illegal stuff!!!”

"This is an Instagram account, it's a private account by a minor child. If this person is stalking on social media a minor child there's a problem with that, it's disgusting, it's personal. We don't do that to a minor child," Tim Howe, the father of Christine Howe said.

When Selectman Michael Sullivan asked who made the flyers, Vice-Chair Robert Cohn said he didn't know, but Selectman Robert O'Regan said he heard Sousa say he placed them there and he heard Cohn tell Sousa to take them away.

"I did and I'll admit I did say it," Cohn said.

Sousa had already left the meeting to go to work by the time citizen's comment started. A Facebook account belonging to Sousa and his wife Maria denied that the chairman placed the flyers in Town Hall, writing that any comments that Howe referred to were done by the Howe Campaign or the Howe family.

The flyer can be seen briefly as Tim Howe shows it during citizen's comment. Stoughton Patch asked members of the recall effort, including Stoughton First and the Howe Campaign to produce the flyer to confirm its contents with the understanding that it would not be posted online. Both decline the request, citing the age of the minor.

Pat Colburn, a recall supporter and regular critic of the board, said that the post was absolutely shameful.

The flyer incident is the latest in a recall race that has included twist, turns, and bizarre incidents including the appointment of two interim town manager with about 25 minutes of meeting time across three meetings dedicated to both appointments, Selectman Peter Brown resigning after a contentious moment with Colburn and then taking back his resignation, and online discussions that has brought out the worst in pro-recall and anti-recall advocates.

Christine Howe is running against Sousa in December's recall election.

Image: File Photo