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I worked in the public sector for over thirty years. I was in education and if there is any place where one is asked questions by citizens about what is happening, school systems have to be right near the top. We were required to answer those questions professionally, efficiently, and honestly. So that is what we did. Those who didn't do that or couldn't handle that didn't last long. It's public service and employees are held to a higher standard.

We stayed off social media.

When we trained new teachers, we reminded them to stay out of social media groups and to never post anything regarding students, parents, colleagues, etc. especially negative comments.

So, imagine my shock this morning when I saw this tirade by one of Oxford's recent hires, Town Planner Marilyn Williams, in a Facebook group entitled "Oxford News and Chat" this morning. It was in response to John Fairhall's recount of the town meeting on Tuesday, July 23rd. The link is here:

Oxford Citizens Voice Strong Opinions At Meeting - Easton Gazette

In that article, John references that fact that he hoped that Town Planner Williams (who he described as energetic), in order to help with a parking issue at Doc's Sunset Bar and Grill, "can move this forward if it's indeed feasible."

Apparently, this struck a nerve with Ms. Williams as she shared her displeasure on social media: (following are her words both copied and paste version and screen shot):

Energetic Marilyn Williams is gone. Last night did her in. To get the good, hardworking, energetic Marilyn Williams back, the following has to happen: The complaining has to stop. The crazy accusations have to stop. The steady stream of FOIAs and letters to the Commissioners have to stop. Citizens contacting State agencies instead of working with Town staff has to stop. The me, me, me, me, me has to stop. The grandstanding has to stop. We cannot serve the community and make positive changes because of this constant bombardment of time consuming negativity. It's your choice, folks. This is your chance to make the choice to move forward.

My jaw dropped. This woman, who has been working for the town since last March, wrote an ultimatum to the citizens of Oxford who hired her and who pay her salary that if they don't stop asking questions, she was going to stop or slow down her work. Never have I seen such threats and intimidation from a town employee to the citizens of a town.

I have met Marilyn and all of our interactions have been positive. I have heard many people in town talk about how, when she was hired, they were looking forward to working with her. I know her job is sometimes challenging. I'm not sure what triggered the above social media post this morning.

First, it's very odd when a person starts referring to themselves in the third person. Senator Bob Dole used to do that verbally and it was off putting, it's even worse in writing.

Second, I'm not sure Ms. Williams knows this, but she was hired specifically to fulfil the duties that she wants the citizens to stop asking her to do. As a town planner, one will be asked about plans submitted for permits, about possible violations on large projects, and whether or not the town is enforcing laws equally and correctly. If citizens don't get answers, they will go to other government agencies for help. It's their right as taxpayers and it's a fact of life when you work in the public sector.

What's interesting is that SHE is the one who told citizens that in order to get certain information they would have to complete a public information request. Now she's complaining? Odd.

She talks about how fulfilling citizen requests is "time consuming negativity." It's very simple. Asking questions is not negativity, it's requesting knowledge and accountability. The negativity comes from public employees who refuse to give honest and complete answers to the public. And yet, it seems that public officials view questions in this way.

One of the worst parts of this tirade is at the end. Ms. Williams puts the onus on the people of the town. "This is your chance to make the choice to move forward." It's her version of "sit down and shut up or else." Truth be told, it's both illuminating and appalling at the same time.

I'm sure Ms. Williams may have been told by someone that she is indispensable and this town can't survive without her services. Not true. While it would be difficult to get along without a planner for a week or two, there are other options the town could undertake including hiring temporary employees. And, if she is extremely unhappy working here, maybe a change is in order and better for her as well.

With all her years of experience with the public, this little town of 650 residents has sent Ms. Williams over the edge, so much so that she is attempting to intimidate and threaten them so they will stop asking for information they deserve. Is this how she did her previous job in a much larger county?

It's very sad that Ms. Williams decided to post this. From what I had heard, she had the good will of the people of this town for a very long time. My interactions with her seemed positive. Maybe that's because I didn't really ask for information from her. Because of this post, if she had any designs on being the town's interim Town Manager OR in keeping her job and the support of townspeople, they may have been dashed by a two-minute tirade on social media, something that even the most immature teenager would have known not to do. I'm all for giving people chances, but she is not a 21-year-old in her first job. She is a person experienced in the public sector.

The town nor its citizens can tolerate employees who respond this way publicly to doing their job. Sadly, that may mean looking for another town planner.

Video of Town Meeting:

Stream Video - Town Hall Streams

We asked Marilyn to respond. Here is her response:

Don't put words in my mouth, now. You don't know to what specific discussion items I was referring to. The purpose of the post was to let the citizens know why this particular staff member is, in fact, out of energy. It is highly unusual and something I have never done, but the circumstances are like no other. I thought I could make a positive difference and correct the deficiencies of the past with open communication and truth, but the items listed above prevent me from helping enact changes. Sadly, I know what I must do if I find I can no longer make a difference and reach my goals of making positive changes, serving all citizens, saving the Town money by making improvements and finding grants to better position the Town for the future, ensuring that the Town's established codes are followed, providing ways to improve communication and make the citizens part of the process, streamlining processes that are cumbersome to the citizens, ensuring that the Town properly follows Federal- and State-mandated requirements so we don't get in trouble with our State and Federal partners, while answering questions and helping to assist citizens with their individual needs - all with a positive attitude and a smile. I really enjoy my job and I love serving the citizens of this community. I have made great acquaintances, and I have enjoyed meeting so many wonderful people, including you Jan Greenhawk. I enjoy speaking with you and so many interesting people. John Fairhall opened the door and I walked through it as a last ditch effort to see if the community wants to work together to move this Town toward a more positive outcome.

SPECIAL NOTES: I am not sure about the "crazy accusations" referenced in her post. For the last seventeen months, we have asked questions about many suspicious events, most before Ms. Williams was hired.

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