‘Email-gate’ controversy in Diamondhead

A politically charged email about Mayor Tommy Schafer and several city council candidates was emailed to residents this week after a city councilman obtained a list of emails kept at city hall and used the city’s e-blast emergency and community notification system.

The email controversy, which is being dubbed “Emailgate” by some city residents, apparently began Tuesday when hundreds of people received a message from the email address “1940@gmail.com,” officials said.

The email included, among other things, a long explanation of the city’s audit controversy, unsubstantiated personal claims against Schafer, and a request for residents not to vote for several city council candidates who reportedly support Schafer.

By Wednesday morning, the email account had been deleted, officials said.

Many residents began to discuss the email on social media and many non-Diamondhead residents began saying they, too, received the email.

Diamondhead’s e-blast list is similar to the telephone alert system used in Bay St. Louis. It sends out emergency information to notify residents of upcoming events and other important city-related information.

Schafer on Wednesday said he was concerned that the city’s e-blast list was used, and he called a special meeting at 2 p.m. Friday.

Schafer, Depreo, and Councilman-At-Large Ernie Knobloch were the only ones at the meeting — along with about 100 residents. There were not enough councilmen present to make a quorum.

However, they held a townhall-style meeting to answer questions from residents.

“I don’t think our residents ever expected that they would be getting these kinds of emails when they signed up for the e-blast,” Ward 1 Councilwoman Nancy Depreo said. “This whole situation is embarrassing to our city.”

Depreo said she learned that on or about April 4, City Manager Clovis Reed asked a city employee to download the city’s email list to a thumb drive.

Reed told the Sea Coast Echo on Friday that Ward 3 Councilman Tom Sislow had asked him for the list, and he checked with city attorney Sean Tindell to see if the records were public.

“He said the records are public,” Reed said.

Tindell said Friday he was not told who was requesting the records or how they would be used. He said attorney generals’ opinions have shown that such records are public, but a records request should be made before obtaining them.

Reed said he gave Sislow the records, but he did not know what happened afterward. Attempts to reach Sislow on Friday were unsuccessful.

“All I did was provide him with the list that was requested,” Reed said. “I had nothing to do with the letter.”

On Thursday, Depreo said, Reed presented the same city employee who had downloaded the list with a public records request that was dated April 4 and signed by Sislow.

“This request had never been seen before by the employee,” Depreo said.

Reed said city councilmen do not need to file public records request, but he requested one be done as a precaution.

Knobloch, who is running against Schafer in the mayor’s race, said he had no knowledge of the email plot.

“Nobody ever dreamed of someone using that list for something like this,” Knobloch said. “I was not involved. I think it was stupid. I agree that we need to try to do something so it does not happen again.”

Mayoral candidate John Fletcher, who did not attend the meeting, said he had no knowledge of the email.

“I had nothing to do with this and I’m sure none of my supporters did either,” Fletcher said.

Hancock County Sheriff Ricky Adam said Friday that his office has received some complaints about the emails, but he has not yet taken any action.

“We will look into the other complaint just like any other complaint we receive,” he said.

Diamondhead’s next scheduled meeting on Tuesday has been changed to 9 a.m.

This story was originally published April 30, 2017 at 11:24 AM with the headline "‘Email-gate’ controversy in Diamondhead."