Letter to the Editor: Deja vu all over again

Here we go. Cindy Christiansen. Again. The streets are filled with protests in connection with the murders of people of color at the hands of the authorities, we’re in a pandemic and a recession, but, sure, as invited by the editor of the Milton Times, I’ll respond to Judith Gundersen’s screed in the June 4th edition of that newspaper. Among other outlandish statements made about me were that I brought unjustified charges against Ms. Christiansen in connection with an eavesdropping incident and that the court decided “no cause” in the matter. She is wrong on those and many other counts.

First, Ms. Christiansen was not the only person accused of eavesdropping on the non-profit board call in question. Ms. Christiansen’s good friend and fellow airplane noise collaborator eavesdropped on the call – surreptitiously calling in within a minute of Ms. Christiansen’s number and before the rest of the participants. This person owned up to her misconduct and apologized for it – in writing. Common sense tells us that the two are not unconnected.

Second, the court did not rule “no cause” in Ms. Christiansen’s case (Ms. Gundersen wasn’t in the court that day). In fact, the magistrate did not make a cause finding, but, instead, expressly cited his authority not to issue charges even if he finds cause and pointed to Ms. Christiansen’s age and lack of a criminal record in letting Ms. Christiansen off. The Milton Times knows this and should correct that at no point did the magistrate state that he found “no cause” in the case – the distinction is significant.

Third, Ms. Gundersen purports to quote a non-public town investigative report that supposedly states that the investigator “can’t conclude” that Ms. Christiansen eavesdropped on the call. Ms. Christiansen should release this non-public report for all to see so we can review this statement in full context and see the evidence upon which it is based. More significantly, however, is that Ms. Gundersen states that the non-public report’s “…sole negative finding, called ‘an untruthful statement,’ related to where the call took place.” Translated, this means that Ms. Christiansen’s alibi to the select board about why her phone number appeared on the call log of a private non-profit board meeting was a lie. Common sense tells us why those accused of crimes provide false alibis.

The Milton Times has known of Ms. Christiansen’s false alibi since March of 2019 when my lawyer provided its editor with a copy of her email to a member of the Select Board containing it. Moreover, the editor of that newspaper was in the courtroom and heard Ms. Christiansen falsely attest to the email’s contents when questioned about it. That same editor also heard two of Ms. Christiansen’s witnesses admit to destroying evidence and heard the magistrate question the truthfulness of Ms. Christiansen’s witnesses. In short, the courtroom was itself a crime scene, the Milton Times had a front row seat to those crimes and chose not to report on them. To the contrary, that newspaper misquoted and mischaracterized the magistrate’s ruling (it certainly was not an exoneration) and has provided a known liar and her misguided supporters with a platform with which to misinform the public. Whether the fact that my wife owns The Milton Scene which competes with the Milton Times has influenced editorial decisions at the newspaper is an open question.

Finally, Ms. Gundersen laments supposed opportunities lost by the untruthful Ms. Christiansen because someone allegedly made anonymous phone calls to various parties discussing Ms. Christiansen’s detrimental actions to the town. While one must consider the source of such stories and her demonstrated history of untruthfulness, I know nothing of any such calls (if they ever happened). I would, however, remind Ms. Gundersen that it is 2020 and before anyone hires anyone these days they google that person. Try googling “Cindy Christiansen Milton, MA” and see what comes up. That might explain a few things.

Now, as invited by the editor of the Milton Times, you have my response. Let’s all move on.

Contributed by Peter Dunn.