02/27/2026
I am shocked by a post authored by Jay Markell who demanded video from me. He, nor Deb Desimone, have contacted me since the meeting held last week. (Jay didn’t even tag me in his post. Other people made me aware of it.) If either individual did actually contact me, they would know I do not have a full recording of the entire session because I did not anticipate the meeting being longer than an hour. Jay is correct that no one in the room objected to the recording. Keep in mind, public meetings can be recorded without permission.
When I spoke with Deb over the phone on February 11th, the only time we were in contact to confirm my participation, I asked if candidates unable to attend could have a statement read on their behalf. She said “no”. In my opinion, this gave an unfair advantage to those present while ignoring those who couldn't make it.
All candidates could attend the public meeting held last Friday, but all candidates were not directly invited. I know this because I spoke to the ones who were not. A matter of fact, one of those candidates who was not invited was also unaware about the meeting. I told her about it the night before the meeting. I told all these candidates who were not confirmed to be there to “just show up”.
I wanted to ensure this meeting remained as open and inclusive as possible. Since some candidates were not yet confirmed and statements weren't going to be shared for those not present, I urged them to attend. I also brought my camera equipment for an accurate record of the meeting.
The meeting happened as scheduled. Before the meeting started, Deb immediately had issue with me recording the meeting. I asked Deb if she was hosting a public meeting and she said “yes”. I proceeded to set up my camera. Deb then said I should have told her about recording the meeting and I should ask permission from the public [audience] as a courtesy. She proceeded to ask the people who were there in the room, including the general public, for permission to record. No one objected. She then asked what I planned to do with the video. I said I may use it for my own purposes.
I brought my camera for my own reference, not as a public service. I only captured a portion of the meeting because the meeting ran nearly three hours. I never promised this footage to Jay or Deb. Deb mentioned she had someone coming to record the meeting. If they wanted a full record of their meeting, they should have followed through on their own plan to record it rather than demanding my recording after the fact.
After the meeting, there was no further discussion about the recording. Deb nor Jay contacted me by email, phone, or Facebook in the following days. A few friends reached out to me earlier this week about a post from Jay demanding release of my recording.
I’m sharing all of this because I believe in transparency for what actually took place. I would have appreciated being contacted directly instead of being made aware of demands through a Facebook post. If I were contacted, Jay or Deb would have learned why I have not made the video available. It’s school vacation week. I’ve been feeling sick and been busy with all three of my kids. The last thing on my mind is an incomplete video I do not have to release. While I should not have to defend how I spend my time, I’m providing this context so the community has the full story.
The common courtesy would be to reach out directly. People know I collaborate well with others. But I do not respond to public demands, nor do I appreciate the disrespect. We are members of the same community, and I would expect more professional behavior from our representatives.
