Concord Mayor Issues ‘Letter Of Warning’ To ‘Agent Of Chaos’ Brown Due To City Charter, Rule Violations

CONCORD, NH — A ward councilor accused of badgering city staff, making unfounded allegations about the handling of money, invading privacy, and other issues, will not be removed from her seat by the mayor and city council after all.

Mayor Byron Champlin, instead, issued Ward 5 Concord City Councilor Stacey Brown with a “letter of warning and admonishment” on Tuesday, following threats of removal after an explosive meeting in January where he labeled her “an agent of chaos.” In the letter, Champlin said Brown’s conduct during the past several months in both meetings and via personal communications by email and social media posts, had “alarmed” and “distressed” her colleagues. The letter, which was three pages long, accused Brown of making and amplifying unfounded allegations, improperly using her position to gain access to nonpublic information, wasting resources, and abusing processes.

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Champlin said during the past few months, Brown had made several allegations and insinuations of malfeasance against city staff — either insinuating or outright alleging money was missing from the city’s recreation reserve fund when it was not. Staff presented her and the council with documentation and an explanation to answer her concerns and prove there was no missing money. But, “In spite of receiving this information,” Champlin said, “these allegations and insinuations have persisted.”

Champlin said Brown’s actions eroded public trust, calling her claims “unsupported, unfair, and harmful to the employees who carry out the day-to-day functions of our city’s government.”

Champlin also said Brown claimed Friends of the Beav, a nonprofit org supporting the city’s historic golf course and clubhouse, had failed to make a promised $25,000 donation after a photo op. The check was received that night and deposited the next day, the mayor said, “a fact that could have been easily verified,” but her comments were “reckless” and “intentionally misleading.”

Champlin said the claim damaged a valuable volunteer organization and city residents, who benefit from private fundraising.

Champlin did highlight Brown’s concerns about reserve accounts and the Trustees of the Trust Funds processes, which have since been tweaked. But, he added, “proper oversight, however, should not be confused with making baseless or unfounded allegations.”

Champlin also chastised Brown for interfering with staff and the administration, as well as overstepping her role as a councilor and mixing her roles as a citizen and councilor.

Brown, as an example, attempted to gain access to the city’s application process for employees by contacting the city vendor directly and not making it clear she was not a city employee and had no right to access the private information — a clear violation of the city’s charter and something anyone else probably would be arrested and criminally charged for attempting. Champlin also said Brown was seen on a video wearing a council badge while at a grand jury proceeding at Merrimack County Superior Court, as if she were acting in her official capacity as a councilor. Champlin also accused Brown of making direct requests of staff for records, several times, which are exempt from public disclosure.

“Such requests could be construed as an attempt to use your position to gain access to information that is not publicly available to all other citizens without going through the protocols set by the city manager,” he wrote.

The mayor said he was also concerned with the frequency, repetitiveness, and voluminous requests for information that have burdened city staff and wasted taxpayer money, which “seem to be related to personal interest or disputes you have with (others).” One, he noted, included a request for police overtime information from 12 years ago.

“It is difficult to understand how utilizing our staff’s time to retrieve and review that information is beneficial to the city,” he wrote.

Brown, Champlin wrote, also had a habit of using agenda items to provoke debate on unrelated topics. He called the practice “out of order with the proper conduct of the meeting” process. He said Brown appeared to be operating with an undisclosed personal agenda and removing consent items was “merely a tactic to allow you to address ‘your’ items even when these are not on the council’s agenda.” He added, “Such behavior is neither appropriate or productive.”

Champlin wrote if Brown did not cease the conduct immediately and if the council did not see efforts to address issues and claims raised, “we may proceed to a formal disciplinary action in the future.” He added, “I hope that we can move forward and work cooperatively for the citizens of the city of Concord.”

Brown did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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