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Editorial: Falmouth resident's tactics give watchdogs a bad name
Aug 18, 2010 12:00 am
An enlightened, vigilant citizenry is one of the best watchdogs on local government. But when vigilance leads to vigilantism, things tend to get ugly.
That's the case in Falmouth, where resident Michael Doyle is on a crusade to convince people their town government is broken. Sometimes, on some issues, he may be even be right. But his approach is all wrong.
Besides using the public forums available to all citizens to raise awareness – speaking at town meetings, writing letters, buying newspaper ads – Doyle has done things that would turn off even those who share his opinions.
He verbally threatened and tried to coerce Councilor Bonny Rodden into not seeking re-election. He orchestrated an unsuccessful recall campaign against Councilor Cathy Breen using questionably obtained petition signatures. He has used the public podium at council meetings to bait, berate and abuse councilors and town employees. He once, intentionally or not, led employees at Cape Elizabeth High School to believe he was an employee of The Forecaster (he isn't) in an effort to obtain comparative information to use against the Falmouth School Department.
According to Falmouth Town Manager Nathan Poore, Doyle has made at least 18 requests for information to the town in the last six months under Maine's Freedom of Access Act. The topics range from details about a crosswalk project, to computer training received by Rodden, to utility costs at all municipal and school buildings (the latter led to a proposal from Doyle to sell services to the town). Poore estimates that reading, interpreting and responding to Doyle's e-mail messages – which are sometimes less than clearly written – has occupied at least two weeks of his time. Not to mention the time, and salaries, of other town staff.
"A lot of what he is doing is counterproductive to saving any money," Poore said.
As a result of Doyle's antics, the Town Council considered clamping down on public speech at its meetings. But councilors wisely backed down after being warned by the press and the Maine Civil Liberties Union about going down that unconstitutional path.
Now, the town may adopt a revised FOAA protocol intended to better manage Doyle's mountain of paperwork. Not surprisingly, instead of requiring town employees to cut through the e-mail haze, it includes routine – and costly – reliance on an attorney as gatekeeper. We'll be watching to make sure it doesn't penalize those who make legitimate use of the FOAA procedure.
Doyle's latest strategic move is suing the Falmouth Town Council in Small Claims Court to recover money he claims was wasted when the town assigned a police officer to attend council meetings where Doyle was expected to be present. He also wants the court to order councilors to pay $6,000 for damage allegedly done to his reputation.
Never mind the obvious questions about whether Small Claims Court is the proper venue for Doyle's action or whether his claims even have any merit. Falmouth has endured Doyle's derision of its elected officials and town employees long enough. Voters ignored his recall campaign. They re-elected Rodden. And even councilors who may share his goal of fiscal restraint shake their heads at his methods. Now it's time for Doyle to tone down his rhetoric, change his approach and stop wasting the town's time and money with a frivolous lawsuit and endless, convoluted and pointless requests for town documents.
One Falmouth resident and business owner put it this way last week: "Can I sue him for sucking up the town's resources?"
It's a good question, and one Doyle should ponder before he fires off his next e-mail.
Comments
Michael Doyle says:
Michael Doyle says:
August 23, 2010
WOW!
It took five whole days for the first idiot to post a comment. The rest of your crew must still be at summer camp learning to swim and make baskets. Does your mommy know you're playing with the computer again?
Peter DeTroy, Esq. and Ralph Dyer, Esq. were my investment advisers and we all know how that turned out. The difference between you and me is I am forced to live with the results of that and you choose to live your life as a coward. I rather be me than you because I'm not afraid to sign my name. By any chance do you work for the Forecaster too?
Michael Doyle
stonem says:
AIR CLEAR; SECURE COM ONE. GP TO TRANSMIT:
Mike sir, good work soldier. The intelligence from our operatives had not identified the conspiracy you now expose, a town council securing the control of the press and the subversion of the feeble voters. Our cause will rise to your defense and we will “stonem all” if they disagree with us. We will contact you, secret code word is STM TPTYR-1. (NOTE: DIRECTIVE 169: If someone should call you and ask your name, hang up, same should they do so on the street, just walk away as they could be from the other side. COMM Set Over and Out. (One more thing, if possible, try to make more sense to your dialogue, draw honest and reasonable conclusions, less self incriminating and less contradictory rants, and try to offer something constructive to your public communications to help our fight. Less name calling and empty threats would be good too., oh, and don’t advise anyone on investment opportunities). Forever anonymous in our struggle, Regards, OB1.
Michael Doyle says:
AN UPDATE 8-21-10
To Karen (the publisher)
Mo (the editor)
Emily (the reporter)
Thank you so much again for running the piece. I have people call me and stop me on the street and say, "Are you Mike Doyle?" When I say yes they tell me I must be getting close to something to have the Forecaster take the side of the Council like that.
It was really an unexpected bonus for you folks to take a position that will turn out, not only to be wrong but really stupid and completely devoid of any salient facts. To put yourself on the record this far out on a limb was just too funny.
Can I do anything for you folks as a way of thanking you, some donuts for the morning meeting where you make decisions to jump off the cliff?
You guys are the best,
Michael Doyle
Michael Doyle says:
Dear Unsigned Opinion Writer:
Let's start with some facts that your diatribe conveniently excludes.
1. Vigilantism is someone who ILLEGALLY punishes someone for actual or perceived offenses, or participates in a group which metes out extralegal punishment to such person. Who's been punished so far?
2. Whoever you are, when did you become the arbiter of a correct approach. Perhaps you could start by ginning up some courage and sign your piece.
3. Councilor Rodden was and is ill-equipped to sit at the Council table. My letter suggested she would be well advised not to make a fool of herself on a regular basis. Starting with the first meeting after her swearing in, she didn't know that an attachment of docs was sent to her two weeks before that meeting when she asked that the docs be sent to her. Her comment after this was pointed out to her, "Not a good night so far." Rodden's lack of basic knowledge to be a Councilor made its first of what I suspect will be many appearances over the next three years.
4. Questionably obtained signatures, hardly. An insult to each adult that knew they were one of five signatures needed to get the recall started. One person withdrew his signature before the petition was issued. We have to wonder what pressure was brought to bear on a contractor that might need to do business in this town. Look up the word retribution, it's something I heard often while gathering signatures. People wanted to sign the petition but were afraid of it.
5. If Councilors stopped lying in FOAA answers I'd welcome the opportunity to stop calling them liars. If Councilors would disclose conflicts and recuse themselves from voting on certain items I would welcome the opportunity to stop calling them, I've got mine and I'm going to make sure you don't get yours, miniature tyrants.
6. When I went to Cape to get teacher data I was asked why did I want it. I replied I was writing a piece for the Forecaster. I planned on it being a SIGNED opinion piece. When that passed from secretary to secretary to secretary to principal it morphed into I was a reporter for the Forecaster. I would have corrected it immediately had I known of their mistake. When Mo called me very irate it was the first I knew that the Cape staff thought I was a reporter. Even Mo was smart enough to float this answer. If I was pretending to be a reporter why would I use my REAL name? My reply to Mo was one word, exactly! If you follow this illogical thought process to its end, if I told the staff I drive a Honda that must also mean I either build Hondas or I own the Honda factory or both.
7. Crosswalk project, you should watch the Council meeting on the 23rd.
8. Rodden, after her disconnect on attachments asked if she would be given training at the Council retreat on emails, folders, etc. and Poore said she would be provided training. I simply wanted to know how much she was taught so we would have a base line on what she didn't know at the beginning of her training.
9. Poore and O'Shea refused to provide data on electricity use unless I was quoting a bid to get the account. I associated myself with a power provider so I could get the data to see if the town could save money.
10. I pay the hourly rate set by law to be provided data that as a citizen of Falmouth I should be entitled to receive for free. Poore is the last person in this entire town that should make any comment on saving money.
11. My "antics" are protected political free speech that makes possible all other forms of free speech including this inaccurate and unsigned opinion piece. To be clear, the Press Herald editorial was against my use of free speech and its writer Gregg Kesich admitted to me he wrote his opinion before he read the MCLU letter. Clamping down on public speech, thank God for the First Amendment and the MCLU or maybe even the writer of this unsigned opinion piece might get clamped.
12. You speculate on what is legitimate and imply that my use is not legitimate. My concern is who will be watching you to decide if your email haze is legitimate?
13. Having a police officer stand behind me within arms length was a naked attempt to intimidate me into giving up my First Amendment rights through an abuse of administrative authority. This charade was only for the Council chamber.
When I sat in the second floor conference room for 45 minutes with the whole Council there wasn't hide nor hair of a uniformed officer because there was no audience for the Council to play to. I will not submit to the tyranny of any ANTICS of any government unit.
14. Don't concern yourself with Small Claims Court. I think at some point we'll be in Superior Court to see what the definition of reasonable is. The recall failed because no one wanted their name in the Forecaster. The Forecaster might like to publish how each of us vote in general elections. How would that affect the outcomes? Just 50 votes switching from Rodden to DiBiase would have defeated Rodden. A 50 vote win is not a landslide.
15. Convoluted and pointless requests for town documents is so ridiculous that it comes under the heading of, the total tonnage of what I know that you don't know would stun a team of oxen in their tracks.
Arguing with idiots aggravates me and makes them angry.
Michael Doyle
8-25-10
Just passing along a comment repeated by several business owners that are more aware of the world around them than the "business owner who wants to know if he can sue me for sucking up the town's resources."
They want to know if I can sue him for being the dumbest SOB business owner allowed to live in Falmouth. Please call me so I can give you a quarter so you can make a down payment on a clue. The non-dummies want to know if you run your business the way certain staff management in Falmouth run a $35,000,000 business. If so, how big is your federal subsidy?
Michael Doyle