Pubdate: Sun, 19 Mar 2006 Source: Westerly Sun, The (RI) Copyright: 2006 The Westerly Sun Contact: http://www.thewesterlysun.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2363 Author: Eric Creamer, The Sun Staff Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?225 (Students - United States) TRI-TOWN CABLE TAPINGS UNDER FIRE HOPKINTON - Charges of improper conduct by a Cox Communications employee at a Hopkinton Town Council meeting have been leveled by Chariho School Committee Chairwoman Stephanie Brown. Brown, of Hopkinton, sent a letter on March 7 to Elizabeth Dias of Cox Communications voicing her displeasure with Daniel Davidson, a regional coordinator at the Westerly office who also serves as a cameraman recording municipal meetings. "As Chairperson of the Chariho School Committee, I was in attendance at the Hopkinton Town Council meeting (March 6). As I was exiting the Hopkinton Town Hall, I passed Mr. Davidson where he was situated with his camera," she wrote. "He stopped me, handed me a copy of the Bill of Rights, told me that he had been handing them out earlier in the night and that I 'needed to learn the Fourth Amendment.' I responded to him that if he in fact understood the law, he would know what he was talking about." Davidson couldn't be reached for comment by press time. Brown wrote in the letter, which was obtained by The Sun, that she felt Davidson was not being professional. "While it is my understanding that Mr. Davidson is a (Hopkinton) resident, it is my opinion that when he is filming a meeting, be it town or school board, he is doing so as a representative of Cox Communications, and should be doing so in a professional manner. In the past, I have witnessed his eye-rolling and condescending gestures, but after this most recent incident, I will no longer excuse his behavior." Davidson, who in fact resides in Richmond, routinely films town meetings throughout the area, including Chariho School Committee meetings and the recent District Financial Meeting in which School Committee member William Day was heard criticizing the district's hiring practices on television. Administration and Finance Director Brian Stanley, who was apparently joking, also made remarks that he paid off a former school official for employment. While most of the meeting was inaudible, their conversation was notably clear on the public access videotape, which Brown cites in another complaint to the company on March 13. In her March 13 letter, she writes that, while turning on public access at 2 a.m., she "saw two 'announcements' that addressed children to 'know their Fourth Amendment Rights,' and case law regarding same." "There was no disclaimer as to any group claiming responsibility for sponsoring such a message," she wrote. "In my mind, this can only be the work of your employee, Mr. Davidson. Clearly, Mr. Davidson has a personal agenda with our pending drug-search issue. I do not know what his motives are, but the School Committee takes its responsibility to keep our students safe and in a drug free environment extremely seriously. I for one, will not be bullied by Mr. Davidson and his use of his position within Cox Communications to further his position." Leigh Ann Woisard, a public affairs representative for Cox Communications, told The Sun on Thursday the company is taking the complaint seriously. "The policy at Cox Communications is not to discuss personnel issues, but, generally, the company does not take positions on government issues that don't affect Cox," said Woisard. "Employees are free to express views on their personal time, however, when attending a function as a Cox employee, our expectation is that they don't act in a way that would put Cox in a position on way or the other on an issue. We're proud to have dedicated staff who care about their community." Brown did not intimate she wanted any drastic action taken against Davidson by the company; she also stated that he was "entitled to his opinion and to voice his opinion" but not while on work time. She writes that her solution would be to "not allow (Davidson) to film these local meetings or, in the alternative, direct him to do so in a professional manner." In response, John Wolfe, vice president of public and government affairs for the company, wrote to Brown on Thursday echoing his colleague's comments. "Cox Communications does not take positions on local political issues that do not directly affect the company," he wrote in part of his letter. "We have re-communicated these expectations to the employee you reference in your e-mail, and my expectation is that the issues you cite will not occur in the future." Maenwhile, Marilyn Sheldon, the host of the public access show "Justice..." that airs on Channel 18, also claims unacceptable conduct by Davidson. She said in a phone interview this week that "municipal tapes he's made are not completed to the end," and charged that Davidson "edits tapes and leaves content out." During the March 6 Town Council meeting in Hopkinton, Sheldon stood up and addressed the council and the audience with comments, and Davidson told her to "please address the council." She also claimed "he placed an image of a snake ready to strike with (the words) 'Don't Tread on Me' underneath. That's a threat." That symbol, called the Gadsden Flag, was the first flag of the Marines for the Continental Navy during the Revolutionary War, according to usflag.org. Woisard said she couldn't comment on any punitive action by Cox or about Sheldon's comments "because I don't know where her comments are stemming from." - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake