The town’s frayed relationship with the Plymouth Independent dominated Tuesday’s Select Board meeting, with some residents defending the nonprofit news organization and others backing town manager Derek Brindisi.
For about 45 minutes, comments focused on an edict issued by Brindisi in December that all appointed town officials “cease all communication with the PI,” except for public records requests.
Several Plymouth residents expressed strong feelings on the matter. Some urged the sides to work out their differences for the benefit of Plymouth and its residents. Brindisi and three of the five Select Board members also weighed in.
[Late Wednesday, Brindisi and Independent editor Mark Pothier spoke by phone for about an hour. They agreed to try to move forward, with the Independent regaining access to town officials. Both parties said they wanted to mend the relationship, while recognizing that disagreement over some issues and stories is inevitable.]
At Tuesday’s meeting, Town Meeting member Richard Serkey said he was “deeply disappointed” with Brindisi’s order and said he believes it warrants a public reprimand “at the very least.”
“The press is more than just a pesky fly that needs swatting,” he said.
“The job of journalism is to hold government officials’ feet to the fire if and when they withhold information – their readers have the right to know,” Serkey said.
Serkey said Brindisi labeling the Independent the “Plymouth Enquirer” was “beneath the status of his office.”
“It’s nothing more than a page from Donald Trump’s playbook by tagging his critics with infantile derogatory nicknames,” he said. “Truly, we’re better than that.”
Town Meeting member Steve Lydon supported Brindisi, saying he demonstrated a “lot of chutzpah” to “stand up there because it’s not right what they’re doing,” referring to the Independent.
He said he was initially “excited when the PI came in” in November 2023 but was “expecting a lot more.”
“All I’m getting is inflammatory stories that make accusations without any back-up or follow-up…they put inflammatory stories to raise funds,” Lydon said.
“It’s not the newspaper I wanted or what I expected,” he said.
After members of the public spoke, Brindisi addressed the board, defending his actions and at the same time expressing a desire to repair the relationship.
“I can say with certainty that we will work this out,” he said.
But he repeated his assertion that the PI engages in sensationalized reporting that doesn’t recognize the hard work town employees perform daily.
“This isn’t about withholding information,” he said. “I can’t say that enough.”
“It’s about setting a direction, setting up a process where we can give accurate information and accurate information is reported…not sensationalized reporting.”
He referred to a story about the town’s mandated grease trap upgrades in which two restaurant owners said they didn’t want to be named because they feared retaliation from town officials.
“If that’s true, it’s my job to discipline those employees,” said Brindisi.
Despite the issues, Brindisi said during the meeting that he’s trying to work with the PI.
“I want them to be fair. I want them to be balanced, and they must be accurate. If they’re not accurate, then we’re going to continue having problems,” he said.
Select board members Dick Quintal and Charlie Bletzer expressed similar sentiments.
“I’m not taking a stance for or against,” said Bletzer. “I just know I feel the same thing — factual information. Don’t put a headline out there to sell newspapers. Don’t sensationalize, because you’re hurting people,” he said.
(The Independent, an online-only publication, is free.)
Quintal, who is board chair, insisted the town isn’t “muzzling” anyone or withholding information.
“I wouldn’t tolerate that,” he said.
“To be quite honest with you — this is a very serious thing — up to a point,” he said.
“If they get it straight — and I hope they do —then I guess we carry on,” Quintal said. “If not, I don’t know what to tell you — what’s going to happen with that.”
“For 20 years, sitting here, dealing with the press, I never had an issue before,” he added. “I guess that puts it clean and simple.”
Vice chair Kevin Canty didn’t voice an opinion during the meeting. For months he worked behind the scenes, trying to repair the rift. That included brokering meetings at Town Hall between Independent staff members and Brindisi, along with other town officials.
Board member David Golden did not comment on the dispute.
Andrea Estes can be reached at andrea@plymouthindependent.org.