Brown To Mayor Champlin: My Actions Have Led To Greater Accountability And Transparency Of Taxpayer Funds

Editor's Note: Ward 5 Concord City Councilor Stacey Brown submitted the following response to Mayor Byron Champlin's letter of admonishment and has requested the city clerk include it in the public record. Concord NH Patch is publishing it in its entirety.

Honorable Mayor Byron Champlin

143 Rumford Street

Concord, NH 03301

Re: Response for Public Record

Dear Mayor Champlin:

I am writing to respond to the letter of warning that you issued to me. In that letter and in public statements you call me an “agent of chaos.” An agent of chaos is used to describe someone who challenges order and predictability. While my actions may appear disruptive to you, they have led to greater accountability and transparency of taxpayer funds.

There are many examples of actions I have taken that are well within my authority as a councilor and which are important to the city. For example, because the Beaver Meadow contribution did not come before the council for acceptance, I asked the city administration to verify receipt of the donation. When I did not receive a response, I made a second request. I made five requests to city administration before expressing my doubts publicly. On the sixth attempt, I finally received verification that the city had received the donation. This is not the only information that I have had to repeatedly request before receiving.

In my role as a city councilor, I feel that if I do not understand something, I need to at least try to figure it out. I don’t feel comfortable at City Council voting on matters that I don’t understand, which is why I ask city staff questions and seek out any additional information available. This is why I contacted CircaWorks — to find out what they did, given that they were included in a Council priority report.

One reason I ran for City Council is that I am interested in the operation of the city. I have testified before different city boards, committees, and commissions to express my concerns, ideas, and experiences. When I do testify, I always inform the board that the views stated are my own and are not representative of City Council.

With regard to pulling items from the consent agenda, I pull items if I do not understand the content of the item that I am being asked to approve particularly if it involves taxpayer funds. The public’s ability to review and understand the Council agenda is severely limited by its release one business day before the meeting. My inquiries into the trust funds and capital reserve accounts led to the discovery that over $5.4 Million was withdrawn in violation of the specific purpose for which the capital reserve accounts were created. $2.3 Million alone was withdrawn from the Recreation Reserve for the vague purpose of “budget.”

Similar to other requests I made, the city’s failure to respond caused me to make numerous requests for information pertaining to what I believe is an improper transfer of funds from city capital reserve accounts. When the city finally responded and acknowledged that it had transferred millions of dollars out of capital reserve accounts, the legal concerns I had were confirmed. Had I not been persistent in asking these questions, the issue would not have been addressed because the city failed to issue vouchers in violation of RSA 31:22 documenting the transfers. Due to the lack of any documentation, the only way possible to understand the transfers was by asking questions, and continuing to ask questions, until the city answers them.

I take my role as an elected city councilor seriously. The statute, RSA 41:9 (VI), describes a councilor’s role as establishing and maintaining appropriate internal control procedures to ensure the safeguarding of all town assets and properties. I don’t feel that I can properly execute my role and represent the interest of my constituents if I do not ask questions and involve myself in city matters. I hope, as elected officials and representatives of the public, we can move forward together to ensure transparency, accountability and good financial management for the people of Concord. We owe that to our constituents.

Respectfully,

Stacey F. Brown

City Councilor, Ward 5

Prior Coverage

• Embattled Concord Councilor Embraces ‘Agent Of Chaos’ Moniker, Claims She Disrupted ‘Illegal Acts’: Video
• Concord Mayor Issues ‘Letter Of Warning’ To ‘Agent Of Chaos’ Brown Due To City Charter, Rule Violations
• City Council To Consider Removing Ward 5 Councilor; Concord Mayor Champlin Calls Brown ‘An Agent Of Chaos’
• Concord Councilor Tries To Hijack Former Opponent’s Board Appointment
• Concord Ethics Board, Hung Up On Word Definitions, Clears Ward 5 Councilor Of Conflict

• Concord HR Director Confirms City Councilor’s Husband Earned Police Officer Detail Pay
• Concord Board Of Ethics Says Engineer Did Not Violate City Rules At February TPAC Meeting
• Concord Board Of Ethics Dismisses Most Complaints Against Councilors, Others
• Concord City Council Spat Arises Over Cop’s Wife’s Refusal To Recuse
• More Ethics Charges Filed In Concord: This Time, Against 2 City Board Volunteers
• Ethics Complaint Filed Against Ward 8 Concord City Councilor
• Ethics Complaint Filed Against Ward 5 Concord City Councilor
• Ignoring Warnings, 2 Concord City Councilors Appear To Be Violating Rules, Code Of Ethics
• A Year Later, The Concord City Council Tweaks Its Code Of Ethics
• Concord Council Rules Committee Tweaks Conflict Of Interest Ordinance
• Herschlag: When A Conflict Isn't A Conflict
• Concord City Council Ethics Update Tabled For 30 Days
• New Concord City Councilor Accused Of Vote Conflict Violation

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