[G]ov. Phil Scott is backing the decision by a high-ranking administration official to have armed personnel attend a public hearing to help maintain order, a move some members of the public found intimidating.
Environmental Conservation Commissioner Emily Boedecker last week asked that two Fish and Wildlife Department game wardens attend a hearing on cleanup efforts for Lake Carmi in Franklin County, which has been closed because of a toxic blue-green algae bloom. Boedecker said she wanted the wardens because of disruptive behavior at previous meetings that affected the “tone” and kept the group from hearing from all the witnesses.
Asked if he could understand why some attending felt intimidated, Scott said: “Sure. I mean, it’s intimidation (felt) on both sides. I think we have to make sure that these meetings are safe for all involved. I would again advocate that cooler heads should prevail, we should treat each other respecting civility, and, sure, it’s going to get emotional, and this is highly charged.”
The governor said he was not advocating fighting intimidation with intimidation.
“No, not at all. We have an obligation to protect our staff and our state employees in a highly charged atmosphere. She felt it was highly charged enough so that she asked for a couple of wardens to come along to make sure it was a peaceful kind of dialogue,” Scott said.
Scott said he would “have a conversation” with Boedecker about the meeting in Franklin. He said it might make more sense in the future to cancel a meeting instead of bringing in armed personnel. The governor said he understood some citizens were uncomfortable.
“That’s not right either. I’m saying that no one should feel intimidated going to an open public meeting — either state officials or state employees or the general public,” Scott said. He said he would advocate state officials be “cautious” calling for the help of armed state personnel.
Attorney General TJ Donovan said he was concerned by news reports that some citizens felt uncomfortable with the game wardens present. The purpose of the meeting, held at a residential center for seniors, was to hear from local residents about the toxic bloom, caused by phosphorus pollution, that closed Lake Carmi to the public.
The presence of the officers, Boedecker said, made the meeting the most productive so far.
“For the last three meetings there have been a small number of participants in the meeting who’ve really dominated the conversation, and so definitely staff and a number of volunteers on the committee, they were concerned about the tone,” Boedecker said earlier this week. “And a number of other people who are community members who live there felt they couldn’t take part in the conversation, so having the wardens present — and the wardens, you know, go to Fish and Wildlife meetings and things like that — really just adds a calming effect and a reminder that it’s a public space.”
The governor said that “we have to do a better job in making sure that we take some of the anger and frustration out” of the pollution concerns surrounding Lake Carmi. Some in the public don’t think state government has done enough to control the amount of phosphorus that gets into Lake Carmi or nearby Lake Champlain. Both bodies of water are the subject of federal orders to reduce phosphorus content.
