A member of the Mansfield Town Council has reported discrimination, obstruction and threats from town council members, the town manager and an anonymous source during the past few months.
Councilor Brian Coleman had raised concerns about his hearing disability and a lack of proper accommodations in multiple council meetings. On Dec. 11, 2023, and Jan. 8, Coleman left meetings early after saying that the provided hearing accommodations were not sufficient.
According to Ryan Aylesworth, the town manager, current accommodations include a device that transmits audio directly to Coleman through headphones and a monitor in front of Coleman that displays closed captions. Aylesworth also said that staff routinely tests the equipment to ensure it is working properly.
“Mansfield worked with professional audio and assistive listening specialists to test and balance the audio settings, clarity, and amplification in the room speakers and in the assistive listening system,” Aylesworth said in an email.
Mayor Antonia Moran included a statement at the beginning of the Jan. 8 meeting that addressed Coleman’s communications with the town manager and other town staff. She said that the communications had taken on “an insulting and combative tone.”
Coleman said that Aylesworth was not responsive to his requests, that Moran and the council used points of order to silence him in meetings and that they did not properly accommodate his hearing.
“I would like to respond to the mayor’s statement at the beginning of this meeting. It falls on the heels of some complaints and some serious accusations I’ve made of her and the town manager. I have, and I will be open and honest about this; I have accused them of obstruction and discrimination,” Coleman said.
Deputy Mayor Ben Shaiken commented that the council wanted to properly respond to his needs and was making every attempt to do so.
“What I would like to request as someone who is participating in these meetings, since we’re going on a couple months of this, is for you to inform the town staff of exactly what you need to be able to participate in the meeting and then we can work on making reasonable accommodations to make it happen,” Shaiken said.
On Feb. 13, the Connecticut Inside Investigator reported that Coleman had received an anonymous email from someone who signed the emails as “Coleman’s Handler.” The emails included threats to expose the “real reasoning” for his departure from the University of Connecticut, where he had previously worked as a building and grounds patrol officer.
It falls on the heels of some complaints and some serious accusations I’ve made of her and the town manager. I have, and I will be open and honest about this; I have accused them of obstruction and discrimination.
Brian Coleman, Mansfield Town Council member.
Coleman reported the email to the police and said in an interview with the Connecticut Inside Investigator that hostility from the anonymous emailer and other councilors was occurring because of his questioning and critiques of the council’s activities.
Aylesworth said that neither the internal efforts of the town nor the investigation by the police discovered the identity of the emailer.
“Copies of these communication were shared with CT State Police, and I directed staff in our IT Department to fully investigate the matter to determine if it was possible to identify the sender,” Aylesworth said. “Efforts to identify the source were ultimately unsuccessful, and we have no further leads to pursue at this time.”
On Feb. 16, Aylesworth inadvertently sent a text message to Coleman that was meant for the library director. The message said to tell Aylesworth if Coleman did anything to make her feel uncomfortable and ended with Aylesworth saying that the town manager could probably “bust the kneecaps” of anyone who made staff uncomfortable. Aylesworth immediately texted again, apologizing for the message and saying that it was “in jest.”
Coleman included screenshots of the messages in an email to the town council calling for Ayleworth’s termination. In the email, Coleman drew connections to other rumors that accused him of sexual harassment, calling them “vicious.” He also included a screenshot of his email to the library director, in which he said he was interested in donating to the library and requested to meet to discuss the process of doing so.
“Mr. Aylesworth says this was in jest. This is no joke! This is slander and meant to destroy my reputation and credibility,” the email said.
During the town manager’s report of the Feb. 26 town council meeting, Aylesworth opened by apologizing for the message.
“Although my intentions were benevolent, and I believe the intended recipient would have recognized the inherently jesting nature of the concluding remark, I acknowledge that it was not appropriate, even as a joke,” Aylesworth said.
Coleman said that he did not accept the apology because the text message impugned his character. Coleman proposed to remove the town manager by vote for his actions, including his failures to make appropriate hearing accommodations and promote partnerships among the council, staff and citizens. The motion failed to pass when no one seconded it.
Moran made a statement acknowledging Aylesworth’s “serious error of judgment.” She said that Coleman had also been in error in past accusations of Aylesworth and that she hoped the council could move on to their other business.
“Mr. Coleman is right to be angry. The fact that the message was mistakenly sent to Mr. Coleman is irrelevant. The message shouldn’t have been sent,” she said. “However, we believe that Mr. Aylesworth has made a serious apology and that he fully recognizes his error.”