Lynne Klamm, who has been tapped to straighten out the Rutland office of the Department for Children and Families is married to the county’s top juvenile prosecutor, but that connection is not a conflict of interest, the state’s attorney said Monday.
In addition to being the lead juvenile prosecutor in Rutland County, Kevin Klamm last year prosecuted Sandra Eastman, the mother of a Poultney 2-year-old who died in February, on a charge of child cruelty, according to court records.
It is impossible to know whether Kevin Klamm was involved in Dezirae Sheldon’s reunification case because the name of the attorney is redacted in a damning report about that case issued a week ago.
But it was that report, which is the result of an investigation into DCF’s handling of Dezirae’s case, led state officials Friday to appoint Lynne Klamm as interim director at the Rutland DCF field office.
Dezirae’s stepfather, Dennis Duby, is charged with killing the child by crushing her skull after a judge reunited her with Eastman and Duby. Communications breakdowns between DCF social workers, the state’s attorney’s office, police and others led to a number of missteps in that case.
Both Kevin Klamm and Rutland County State’s Attorney Marc Brierre on Monday said Klamm does not have a conflict.
“We are apples and oranges, and statutorily designed that way; DCF can bring their own counsel in anytime they desire, and I am already there for the state’s attorney,” Klamm wrote in an email Monday evening. He has worked as a prosecutor for more than 25 years.
Brierre said he does not plan to make special arrangements while Lynne Klamm heads the Rutland DCF. If a concern arises, he will address it individually, he said.
“It’s not something that we’re taking any action on at this time,” Brierre said.
Living in a small state, sometimes perceived conflicts of interest are inevitable, Brierre said.
“I think many different counties have small communities. You have people in state government or private practice that have to do jobs that impact each other,” Brierre said.
Lynne Klamm until now has worked as a field services director for the Agency of Human Services in Rutland and Addison counties, according to DCF. She previously worked in the Rutland DCF office as a supervisor and district director, approximately 10 years ago, her husband said.
“The various judges who sat in family court during that period did not find it a conflict of interest, nor did the various attorneys who practiced in the court on juvenile cases,” Klamm wrote.
An online court calendar for this week showed Klamm scheduled for numerous hearings on cases involving DCF caseworkers and juveniles.
Kevin Klamm is also on the board of directors of the Child First Advocacy Center, along with the former Rutland DCF office director John Zalenski, according to the center’s website.
Before Dezirae’s case was settled, Eastman’s family started an online petition asking Klamm not to offer her a plea deal and not to allow Dezirae to be reunited with her, according to the website Change.org.
Eastman did accept a plea agreement, for a charge of medical neglect, after doctors found that both of Dezirae’s legs were broken.
Lynne Klamm did not return several phone calls and an email seeking comment for this story.
Sen. Kevin Mullin, R-Rutland, said he was skeptical at first of Klamm’s appointment, but Gov. Peter Shumlin’s office assuaged his concern after Shumlin’s attorney, Sarah London, looked into the matter.
“I’m going to take them at their word on that,” Mullin said. “They somehow figured out a way to handle this.”
A Shumlin spokeswoman defended the move in a statement Tuesday.
“Lynne herself has been a professional in this field for quite some time, has worked very productively with the Department of Children and Family Services and with those in Rutland on these issues, and has had (and will have) no involvement with the state’s investigation of the Desirae Sheldon matter,” Susan Allen wrote in an email.
Mullin said Klamm was recommended by DCF staff as the best person to be a “calming voice at the Rutland office.” Mullin is a member of a legislative committee investigating DCF and the state’s child protection system.
Rutland Mayor Chris Louras also sung the praises of Lynne Klamm.
“She understands the need to break down silos across organizations and she has been, as I said, a real good partner with the city,” he said. He said her husband’s job won’t get in the way.
“Everything I’ve seen from Lynne Klamm, the way she conducts herself, I don’t see an issue from her perspective,” he said.
