Citing “dysfunction” in the office of Community Economic Development Authority, “public humiliation” and “defamation of my character,” CEDA member Robert Brady responded via email to a 5-0 vote on Aug. 17 asking Selectmen to remove Brady from the authority.

In the letter, which was sent on Aug. 19 to the Selectmen, Brady outlined a litany of issues he saw with the CEDA Board. He took issue with how board members handled an allegation of eavesdropping on Brady’s part that Town Administrator Derek Sullivan brought to the board’s attention in July.

The entire letter is posted at the end of this article.

“You discussed the allegations on June 21, July 12, and August 9, each time in public session without anyone from the town of Wareham ever contacting me officially to discuss the matter…It is evident to me that these allegations were concocted in retaliation for my criticism of the Community and Economic Development Authority (CEDA) Department,” Brady wrote.

According to Sullivan, Brady asked to see Acting CEDA Director Peter Sanborn on June 15 and was told he was meeting with Sullivan.

“Rather than knocking on the door to the office Mr. Brady chose to press his ear to the door and try to listen in to the meeting being held in my office,” Sullivan wrote in the memo, dated June 20.

A meeting between Sullivan, Brady, Selectmen and town attorney Richard Bowen to discuss the incident has yet to take place.

Since then, five CEDA members brought concerns regarding Brady’s alleged behavior to the attention of Selectmen. CEDA members sent letters to Selectmen saying they were uncomfortable with Brady’s alleged actions at meetings, some even saying they feared he might act out violently.

In his letter, Brady said there are many issues affecting the CEDA.

In 2014, Brady was appointed to the CEDA board by Selectmen: “Since then, I’ve concluded that the office is in constant turmoil, we are squandering grant funds and missing grant opportunities, and doing a disservice to the low- and moderate-income families of our town,” he wrote.

Brady wrote that over the past 10 years, CEDA has had numerous directors, acting directors, interim directors and consultants, “none of whom have been able to correct the management problems.”

In his letter, Brady singled out CEDA Chair Jean Connaughton who he said “stonewalled” his attempts to obtain information about CEDA’s operations.

Specifically, he said financial information is not readily available to board members.

“One problem that continues to plague our operations is that we are not being provided any information or any documentation as to our expenses/accounting. Any of what we’ve seen is fraught with errors,” he wrote.

According to Brady, one major point of contention was the Selectmen’s discussion of the alleged eavesdropping publicly.

“You and your administration erroneously chose to publicly state that I’m guilty of some wrongdoing. I contend that I’ve done absolutely nothing wrong. I was in Town hall, a public building, actually looking for the chair and vice-chair of our Board of Officers after I saw both their vehicles were in the Town Hall parking lot…At the top of the stairs behind a closed door I heard Jean Connaughton’s voice (chairman) and then Mike Fitzgerald’s (vice-chairman). I stood outside for possibly two minutes contemplating entering. At not time did I ever have my 'ear pressed' anywhere,” Brady wrote about Sullivan’s alleged eavesdropping.