Taking on Richmond's "axis of evil"

This past Friday, I had a particularly disturbing encounter with officer Sarah Messier. She approached me outside of the market with a list of names Isaac Cowan had given her to site with trespassing. Coincidentally, each name on the list appeared in the Seven Days article published two weeks ago about the market. I was immediately struck with the realization that Isaac had never met any of these individuals, so there was clearly an agenda being worked.

For context, it is important to note that Sarah Messier was the same officer who cited me with trespassing three weeks ago on behalf of selectboard member Mary Houle. The trespass notice was issued based on a fictional blogpost, in which I describe a rebel stronghold on an undisclosed island in the Winooski River. Conveniently, officer Messier issued this notice while the Chief was away.

When officer Messier told me that I needed to give her the contact information for the three individuals on her list, I was a bit floored. Could her impetus come from the Burlington Free Press article that came out earlier in the day pertaining to the Chief's announced resignation? She is after all, Houle's handpicked, heir apparent for interim chief. No conflict of interest there, right? Or could it have been the fact that as a police officer, Messier rarely comes face to face with a citizen determined to stand up for his rights and refuse to answer her politically driven orders. My response, in true LTCM fashion, was to flash a snarky grin, shake my head, and utter three little words: "not my job."

Not surprisingly, Messier let me get a good distance out before making sure she got the last word in; a huge tactical on her part, and one which outed the true nature of her visit. "Dan, you were given the opportunity to clear things up with Mary [Houle]." All the pieces quickly came together. This visit wasn't about Cowan at all, but the nature of her political alliance with Houle:

Earlier in the week, I had posted a scathing Front Porch Forum Post regarding Mary Houle's three-month blitz on the town's administration, in which she adeptly felled the town administrator and chair of the selectboard, and was now clawing for the chief of police (Messier's direct supervisor). If Cowan had actually intended to cite my three compatriots with trespass notices, he would have done so immediately when the article came out. Coming down the pipeline two weeks late was uncharacteristic given his impetuous nature, and the timing was too much of a coincidence. If you recall, Houle showed up with Cowan to intimidate me late on a Saturday night three weeks ago. This was just him returning the favor.

The link between Mary Houle and Isaac Cowan is obvious. Houle regularly acts on behalf of Cowan's interests during selectboard meetings, like voting "no" on the beer/wine license for my store and the aforementioned intimidation session outside my house (à la KKK, save for the sheets). Houle intends to use the police advisory board (of which Cowan is a member, along with another Cowan cohort) to effectively weaken the role of police chief through oversight and prime the position for Messier's arrival. Houle also used her position as police liaison to write an unfavorable performance review of the chief as retaliation for placing officer Messier on administrative leave. Clearly unqualified, but she has a bias, given her regular, public and vocal support for officer Messier.

Messier's role is this deranged triumvirate, is a bit…well…messier. She has a very public axe to grind with chief for placing her on administrative leave. Messier then follows up by attempting to cite trespass notice after trespass notice on behalf two corrupt individuals who have no legitimate or actionable response. Messier regularly uses her badge to convey Cowan and Houle's will, victimizing their political adversaries and perceived social threats through the simple, effective, and subtle art of police presence and intimidation. Messier is an officer far afield from the caliber of a chief.

Bottom line is this: Houle and Cowan are in favor of small government, lower taxes and disbanding Richmond's police force-yet together, they represent the most considerable drain on town resources, likely to inflict the administrative atrophy they seek. Together with officer Sarah Messier and a host of other fiendish followers, they have effectively calved an already fractured town. Get rid of Mary and Messier, Isaac looses his two insiders. With the three of them effectively pacified, the administration can start to rebuild trust within the community.

With that sentiment in mind, I again call for Mary Houle to resign her position on the selectboard immediately. I also believe that Messier should be again suspended, pending a full investigation. Finally, Cowan has no business being part of the police advisory committee and should step down. End of story.