Town attorney threatens editor

#MiddleburyCT #MRTC #Threats

The first of two emails sent by Robert W. Smith.

The second of two emails Robert Smith sent.  (Marjorie Needham photos)

By MARJORIE NEEDHAM

Middlebury town attorney and Republican Town Committee member Robert W. Smith sent two emails Friday, July 11, 2025, to Tom King, a police commissioner and the chair of the Middlebury Republican Town Committee, in which Smith threatened the Middlebury Bee-Intelligencer editor and publisher, Marjorie Needham, and her newspaper.

Smith’s emails suddenly appeared in an email exchange that had been limited to Needham and King and began with a July 10 inquiry to King asking for the date, time and location the Middlebury Republican Town Committee would meet to choose their slate for the November 4, 2025, election. After exchanging five emails, that matter was resolved.

Then on July 11, emails from Smith popped up in the chain at 9:47 a.m. and 3:42 p.m. The emails were from Smith to King with a copy to Needham in the first email and a copy to Middlebury Bee-Intelligencer in the second email. How Smith got into the email chain in the first place remained a mystery until Saturday morning, July 12. That’s when Needham received an email from King that started with, “My apologies for Bob’s email rant. I merely shared with him and our executive board what I had responded to your request about our upcoming meeting on Tuesday.”

The first Friday email from Smith, sent at 9:47 a.m., said (italics added for emphasis):

“She knows we don’t have a caucus. Hopefully, she is not gearing up to go after our Town Committee too. If she does, it will be a big mistake for her.”

In the second email, sent at 3:42 p.m., Smith said:

“Tom, When (sic) you post Ed’s press releases, make sure to include the email that went to Marj with the one page release that was sent to her. Let everybody see that we called Marj’s article a political hit piece. We’re taking the gloves off. btw, only the Voices and RA got both press releases. We didn’t send the two page press release to Marj. It’s time to freeze her out.”

By 4:37 p.m., when we still had not seen either the email “that went to Marj” or the one-page release “sent with it,” we sent the following message:

“Had I ever received a press release calling my July article a ‘political hit piece,’ I would have published it. It appears I was frozen out before that one page release went out because I have no record of ever receiving it.”

Shortly thereafter, an email arrived from First Selectman Edward B. St. John’s office. It said, “Please see the attached response to a political hit piece that you posted on your Bee News website and Facebook page.” Until then, Needham had thought “hit piece” referred to something in the July print issue. Instead it referred to a press release from Jennifer Mahr. Needham quickly published the press release from St. John on bee-news.com.

Please note that Mahr’s press release published on July 7, 2025, ran without a byline (By MARJORIE NEEDHAM, for example), which indicates it was not written by newspaper staff. The press release also was preceded by these words, “Middlebury Selectman Jennifer Mahr today announced her run for first selectman in the November 4, 2025, election in the following press release.”

While Mahr’s press release came in well before the two town committees were to meet and select their candidates, it was published on receipt because the original plan was to publish candidates’ press releases at no charge as they came in. Some newspapers refuse to publish candidates’ press releases, instead insisting candidates buy ads.

After Planning and Zoning Chairman Terry Smith told Needham to her face on Thursday night that he believed she had run a “hit piece” and after Robert Smith sent her the two threatening emails on Friday, the newspaper decided to stop offering to run candidates’ press releases for free once both Mahr’s press release and St. John’s rebuttal were run.

Please note the political speech in candidates’ press releases is protected speech. “The First Amendment protects the freedom to express and exchange political viewpoints and ideas, especially when discussing political issues or government policies,” per the Free Speech Center. Because of this we leave the text in political press releases as is except for minor changes such as changing a capital letter to lowercase. We would never, however, print anti-Semitic or racist text in a press release if such text were present.

I will now switch from my reporter’s voice to speaking directly to my readers as I share information about myself, the threats to my person and my newspaper, my dedication to fair and unbiased reporting, the need to preserve individual freedom of speech and freedom of the press, and my commitment to doing what I believe a small town newspaper is meant to do – keep its readers informed about local issues and actions that directly affect them.

Your editor and publisher is a 5’4” 80-year-old woman who has lived in Middlebury since 2004. I graduated from the University of Houston with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a minor in biology, and I am a member of the Society of Professional Journalists. At an age when most people are enjoying retirement, I continue to work because I feel small-town newspapers are vitally important to the communities they serve. (As an aside, anyone reading this who has newspaper experience and is interested in this newspaper is welcome to get in touch at mbisubmit@gmail.com.)

Robert Smith’s emails to me were the first threats I have received in the more than 20 years I have been part of the Middlebury Bee-Intelligencer. Not only that, I was threatened and my livelihood was threatened, not for anything I personally wrote, but for publishing text someone else wrote!

The threats to the newspaper itself were obvious, but what did, “If she does, it will be a big mistake for her” mean? That frightened me. Did it mean I needed to start watching my back? Did it mean I could be pushed from behind as I was at the top of the second-floor stairs at town hall about to descend so I would “accidentally” fall down the stairs? Did it mean my house would be set on fire while I was sleeping? Did it mean I would be driving down the road, and my brakes would go out because someone had tampered with them? Did it mean I needed to apply for a permit to carry?

Before anyone asks me why I didn’t report this to the police department, I ask you, if a member of the police commission, to which the Middlebury Police Department reports, is fully aware of the threats and says nothing to the person being threatened except to send a “My apologies for Bob’s email rant” message the following day, isn’t he condoning the threats? If so, why would I pick up the phone and call the police?

If the threats continue, I am prepared to contact the proper authorities. I also am prepared to file complaints as appropriate. I ask my readers to push for a full investigation if I am harmed in any way, even if that harm is reported as “accidental.”

Moving on to fair and unbiased reporting, all ethical journalists always keep in mind the need for fair and unbiased reporting. Depending on how strong an individual’s viewpoints are, this can be a real challenge, but it’s one we face every day. We go over what we have written to be sure no wording has crept in that reveals personal viewpoints. We also check to be sure we have presented both sides of an issue.

We are so lucky to live in the United States of America and to have the right to freely share our opinions and beliefs without fear of being thrown into prison. Mahr’s right to say what she did is protected by the U.S. Constitution. To call Mahr’s press release a hit piece is to totally ignore her constitutional rights.

We also are lucky to have freedom of the press so the content in the newspapers we read has not been made to conform to any party line. This newspaper had every right to publish Mahr’s press release, no matter how offensive it seemed to some. That right is also guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. To suggest retaliatory action towards the newspaper because of what it publishes is to attempt to stifle freedom of the press.

Those of us who believe in free speech and freedom of the press cannot remain silent when they are challenged. I have never forgotten the lesson I learned in political science 101: Freedom of speech means you have the right to free speech. However, it also means people who hold views you strongly oppose have that same right. You can’t claim that right for yourself while at the same time denying it to others.

My apologies for the length of this article, but transparency is important to me, and I feel it is the job of the Middlebury Bee-Intelligencer to let its readers know what is happening even when it seems town officials are attempting to silence the newspaper. Thanks in advance for your support.