Stonington — In the harassment complaint she has filed with the town, Director of Public Works Barbara McKrell states that she considers emails and requests for information made by Selectman Michael Spellman about the use of pesticides on the high school athletic fields to be “unwelcome conduct based on being a female Director of Public Works in a role that has been previously held by a male."

“His conduct has created a work environment that is abrasive. The previous male Public Works Director and Highway Supervisor were not held to this level of scrutiny and defamation,” she wrote. “They were both permitted to proceed with their daily work operations without the treatment that I have been receiving.”

Spellman was not in office when McKrell’s predecessor, Joe Bragaw, was the public works director, and he had been on the job as selectman for four months before McKrell fired previous highway supervisor Lou DiCesare.

McKrell wrote that the “offensive ridicule and fake allegations has created unjustified work and is interfering with my work performance.”

Spellman said Wednesday night that he could not comment on McKrell’s complaint because the town has so far refused to give him a copy.

At Wednesday night’s Board of Selectmen’s meeting, selectmen voted to release a copy of the complaint to Spellman, subject to town attorney approval.

In a June 13 email to First Selectmen George Crouse, which McKrell has used as evidence, Spellman asked numerous questions about the use of pesticides on the fields and pointed out a summer playground program for children was about to start near the fields.

He did not name or criticize McKrell in his email.

Spellman said Wednesday that is not his style to criticize an employee publicly, and if he has a criticism he would express it behind the scenes. He added he does not intend to back down on his responsibility to protect the public.

The Day had made a Freedom of Information request for the document on June 28, but the town declined to release it until Wednesday.

After McKrell filed her complaint on June 22, the town’s Director of Administrative Services Vincent Pacileo informed Spellman, Board of Education Chairman Frank Todisco, school board member Alisa Morrison and resident Cynthia DiCesare that they would need to be interviewed about the complaint. DiCesare is the wife of Lou DiCesare.

The four have said the town has refused to give them a copy of the complaint so they do not know if they are being accused of some type of wrongdoing or are witnesses.

They had all raised questions or passed on complaints they have received from residents about the use of pesticides on high school athletic fields.

At Wednesday nights selectmen’s meeting, DiCesare told selectmen she had just obtained a copy of the complaint but did not see her name mentioned in it.

“I have no idea why I’m being dragged into this. It indicates no involvement by me,” she said. “I can only assume it’s because of my questions about pesticides.”

Selectmen said Wednesday that they will hold a special meeting Monday to discuss the use of organic materials on the fields with an expert. In addition, they said organics will be used on the baseball field as a pilot project.

j.wojtas@theday.com

Twitter: @joewojtas