02.27.12
E-mail conversations between Coughlin/Carr/DeCaprio
An interesting E-mail exchange about DeCaprio and his hedge fund, January 2012.
From: Mike Coughlin [mailto:mcoughlin@townofcohasset.org]Sent: Tuesday, January 17, 2012 6:35 PMTo: ‘ted.carr@townofcohasset.org‘; ‘Mark Brennan Cc: ‘Jen Oram’
Subject: FW: Aquarion Water
Since your name and that of the BOS will be on the concession agreement–seems to be when two Massachusetts towns are buying back their water department back from Aquarion we should proceed cautiously with selling our water company to them… In a sense– this deal is probably “hotwired” to Aquarion… so we need to do due diligence and not simply discount this as Peter is.
Mike
—–Original Message—–
From: Peter DeCaprio [mailto:pdecaprio@crowpointpartners.com]Sent: Tuesday, January 17, 2012 5:41 PMTo: Mike Coughlin
Cc: ted.carr@townofcohasset.org; ‘Mark Brennan’;paul.carlson@townofcohasset.org
Subject: RE: Aquarion Water
so what? is that relevant to us? Is your point that Hingham’s
administrator asks for stupid things or spends money unwisely?
________________________________________
From: Mike Coughlin [mcoughlin@townofcohasset.org]
Sent: Tuesday, January 17, 2012 5:28 PM
To: Peter DeCaprio
Cc: ted.carr@townofcohasset.org; ‘Mark Brennan’;paul.carlson@townofcohasset.org
Subject: Aquarion Water
Just as a heads up-the Hingham Town Administrator called to inform us that tonight the Hingham Board of Selectmen will be asking a special town meeting for legal dollars and consultant monies to look into the possibility of buying Aquarion.
Also-A judge cleared the way for the Town of Oxford to buy out Aquarion in that municipality.
From: Mike Coughlin [mailto:mcoughlin@townofcohasset.org]
Sent: Saturday, January 28, 2012 11:13 AM
To: ‘ted.carr@townofcohasset.org‘
Subject: RE: Water
Thanks Ted, I am truly sorry I am making your job more frustrating but this will help.
Mike
From: Ted Carr – Cohasset Board of Selectman [mailto:ted.carr@townofcohasset.org]
Sent: Friday, January 27, 2012 5:22 PM
To: Mike Caughlin (sic)
Subject: Re: Water
I would like to see the law opinion. I agree you are correct this is not the way to do these things.
I support you and the teams opinion on this.
Please send me everything you have on this.
to reach Ted Carr for Town of Cohasset Business via phone please call 617-283-7075
From: “Mike Coughlin” <mcoughlin@townofcohasset.org>
Date: Fri, 27 Jan 2012 15:54:10 -0500
To: <ted.carr@townofcohasset.org>
Subject: Water
Ted,
Sorry to bother you but in the past three weeks—Mark Brennan has been “uninvited to meetings”. I have not been invited to meetings. Peter retains his personal lawyer as the new “counsel” to the water company. His attorney then rights a legal opinion stating there is no joint management.
Peter wants a concession agreement at all costs. Lou Ross and Paul Derenis have told me that Peter has actionable conflict interests given the investment portfolio of his hedge fund. (tinytownunleashed put this in bold)
Aquarion is a likely bidder and other towns are dumping the company. How is the town going to get control of this?
Mike
Ted Carr Blocks Ethics Investigation
From: “Mike Coughlin” <mcoughlin@townofcohasset.org>
Subject: FW: Town Manager Act Corrected
Date: February 13, 2012 8:34:13 AM EST
To: “‘Tanna Kasperowicz’” <tinytown@comcast.net>
Ethics opinion was blocked
From: Mike Coughlin [mailto:mcoughlin@townofcohasset.org]
Sent: Friday, February 10, 2012 3:24 PM
To: ‘dlouison@lccplaw.com‘
Subject: FW: Town Manager Act Corrected
E-mail exchange with Town Attorney indicating that the Chair of the BOS blocked the legal opinion I had requested concerning ethics
From: Mike Coughlin [mailto:mcoughlin@townofcohasset.org]
Sent: Monday, February 06, 2012 5:50 PM
To: ‘PDeRensis@aol.com‘
Cc: ‘lross@dwboston.com‘
Subject: RE: Town Manager Act Corrected
Paul,
I understand Ted’s instructions but I have a independent role—albeit at my own risk—to perform as Town Manager and Chief Procurement Officer. In my other town’s – even in instances where my position and that of the Chairman of the Boards was at odds—my access to the town attorney was never blocked.
I feel that something is definitely wrong here and if I can not call upon the Town Attorney for advice—my only option is to contact the state ethics commission directly. I am prepared to do this if necessary but It also does not bode well for the future relationship between the Town Attorney and the Town Manager.
Best,
Mike
From: PDeRensis@aol.com [mailto:PDeRensis@aol.com]
Sent: Monday, February 06, 2012 5:00 PM
To: mcoughlin@townofcohasset.org
Subject: Re: Town Manager Act Corrected
Please call Lou Ross on that subject matter, we received an email from Ted Carr to not issue anything on this. I thought you and Ted had talked, please coordinate between you and Ted what it is we are supposed to do here on that subject. Lou can fill you in further. I can send you a copy of the Carr instructions:.
peter decaprio Said:
February 27, 2012 at 4:22 PM
Tanna:
I don’t have a hedge fund. We haven’t since February 2011, and from 2009 to February 2011 we had no outside money in it – it was just the partner’s capital. I know in your heart of hearts you are desperate for a smoking gun, but you won’t find one, and neither will any state authority, because no conflict exists now or ever has. You have been told this repeatedly, yet it never seems to register. You now seem venal, mean-spirited and bordering on unhinged. Is that any way for the editor of a well-respected neighborhood blog to come across to the general public? What will your seven readers say?
This is precisely the same tack Karen took in Bear Hill when she filed an ethics complaint. And most correctly, the nice gentleman from the state that called me then told me that alas, this kind of petty, sleazy attack tactic was all too common in small towns. And here I was thinking that Cohasset was unique and special.
By the way, are these emails coming from the computer that Mike took illegally from his office against the express wishes of town authorities and the law? And which employees exactly helped him with the heist? Your seven readers? I know! I’ll call the state ethics commission!!! After all, this is a legitimate issue.
peter decaprio Said:
February 27, 2012 at 4:31 PM
Tanna: You should post this email, where Mike expresses his interest, as late as December 13th, in making the concession contract a reality. What happened after the 13th? Did he have some bad clams at Constantine’s? I know it was my sister’s birthday and he didn’t get an invite to her party, but he can’t be mad about that, can he?
From: Mike Coughlin [mailto:mcoughlin@townofcohasset.org]
Sent: Tuesday, December 13, 2011 4:06 PM
To: Peter DeCaprio
Subject: RE:
Thanks Peter,
Despite our differences I am committed to making this concession agreement a reality. My only concern is to have a fall back position in place to plan for the worst case scenario.
I will send you a copy of my op ed for Friday’s Mariner which underscores my commitment on the concession agreement.
Hope to see you on December 19th.
Mike
Tanna K Said:
February 27, 2012 at 8:32 PM
Peter – you are too funny.
Now I am the editor of a well-respected neighborhood blog?
Sorry. I don’t have time to play with you today.
When you get your letter from ethics, clearing your bad name,
send a copy to me and we’ll run it on the front page.
waterlogged Said:
February 27, 2012 at 10:27 PM
Re: DeCaprio quote: “By the way, are these emails coming from the computer that Mike took illegally from his office against the express wishes of town authorities and the law? And which employees exactly helped him with the heist? Your seven readers? I know! I’ll call the state ethics commission!!! After all, this is a legitimate issue.”
Gee, what could happen to Mike Coughlin …. could he get fired???????
peter decaprio Said:
February 28, 2012 at 2:42 PM
Thank you very much for posting this email string. Previously, when I read Mike’s complaint to the IG, I had dismissed it as the ravings of a four-times disgraced town manager. My nonchalance caused me to miss something very significant that I now just noticed.
From Mr. Taxpayers-Are-My-Friend’s email to Ted Carr:
“Since your name and that of the BOS will be on the concession agreement–seems to be when two Massachusetts towns are buying back their water department back from Aquarion we should proceed cautiously with selling our water company to them…”
As you know, Mr. Coughlin proclaimed, almost habitually, that he was the Chief Financial Officer of the town. He also used to demand that he control the water company. Don’t you think that the CFO of the town and the co-head of the water company should at least be mildly cognizant of our bond covenants and operations? Those covenants PROHIBIT the sale of the water company until the debt is completely paid off. I know this because I actually do the work required and I was calling First Southwest back in April asking that very question. I know this because bond counsel guided us very carefully and was equally clear that our covenants prohibit any change of control until debt is paid off, which means not for the next 20 years. Additionally, because I actually did my job, we found out that we can’t even defease our debt, let alone pay it off early, so in no circumstance could we even consider a sale of the water company.
But you know that because I sent you an email on December 3rd that explained the same thing. Indeed, I even included the information in the editorial I wrote for the Gazette. So, the question for you all and the rest of the town is simple: how could the town’s CFO miss something so obvious so late in the game? If one is to claim hegemony over the operations of a department, shouldn’t that over-reacher at least understand some pretty basic facts?
A charitable interpretation of Mr. Coughlin’s misinformed views would be sheer incompetence. An accurate interpretation would be some bad form of advanced sociopathology. How can you claim to be the CFO and the Head of the Water Company and miss something so obvious? How bad at your job can you be?
So, when people want to know what the nature of our debate was with Mr. Coughlin it is simply this: competence vs. incompetence. The cost of incompetence is severe for small town’s such as ours. God bless the Selectmen.
Mary A. Parsons Said:
February 28, 2012 at 8:02 PM
Peter please list what makes you competent to award a ten year contract ( I know I read where you said it was a 20yr. but I don’t have time right now look it up; therefore a vote at town meeting is needed). You keep evading questions about water.
peter decaprio Said:
February 29, 2012 at 10:38 AM
what makes me competent Mary? The same thing that makes any commissioner, past and present. The same thing that makes any member of the Concom competent to grant a permit; any member of the ZBA to rule on a zoning issue; any member of the Recreation Department to administer that budget; any sewer commissioner competent to award their contract.
Anything else?
Mary A. Parsons Said:
February 29, 2012 at 3:45 PM
In other words NOTHING!