Stonington — A town investigation has upheld a harassment complaint filed by Director of Public Works Barbara McKrell against Selectman Michael Spellman and recommended that he attend harassment training.

In her complaint, McKrell said that she considers Spellman’s emails, requests for information about the use of pesticides on the high school athletic fields and a request she attend a meeting to discuss “false allegations” related to the issue, 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.

In his letter to Spellman, Director of Administrative Services Vincent Pacileo said his review indicted that Spellman had acted in a manner inconsistent with the town harassment policy, specifically interfering with McKrell’s work performance.

He reminded Spellman that he is obligated to conduct himself in accordance with town policies relating to harassment and to refrain from an retaliatory actions.

Spellman responded on Thursday to Pacileo’s letter.

“With all that went on at town hall in recent years, that my asking questions on issues raised by constituents is being considered harassment, speaks volumes about the dubious nature of this complaint,” Spellman said . “I answer to the voters of Stonington, not bureaucrats at Town Hall held over from the Haberek administration. I will place my fate in the hands of Stonington’s voters. I trust their judgment as I did the Charter Revision issue I moved to the electorate to decide. Moving forward I’m a blue collar kid from Pawcatuck and I will not be bullied by a politically motivated smear campaign. We can and must do better than this in Stonington.”

His attorney Michael Lynch said Spellman denies the harassment allegations, and he did not anticipate his client would be attending any harassment training.

He pointed out that Spellman is a retired state police officer, a current Groton City police officer as well as a father and coach, and is well aware of the importance of harassing policies.

Lynch said Pacileo simply accepted the allegations presented by McKrell but “did not look at the facts.”

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 but placed the words “public works director” in the subject line.

Pacileo said he did not determine the validity of its contents as that was up to First Selectman George Crouse. He indicated Crouse did not take action on the email.

Pacileo said Spellman’s distribution of unproven assertions in June 4 and 13 emails perpetuated a narrative and contributed to a perception describing Ms. McKrell as “unprofessional and disrespectful and insulting.”

That description, however, was written not by Spellman but by school board member Alisa Morrison. She had sent an email to selectmen in May alleging McKrell had told highway department employees that she had to meet with Morrison about a field issue and “see what her problem is.”

Morrison said McKrell made other comments about her to the employees. Morrison said last week Crouse has yet to respond to her complaint about McKrell.

In a three-page email on May 28 that the town has deemed exempt from disclosure because of attorney-client privilege, Pacileo said his review indicated it is “riddled with assumptions, assertions, claims and contentions”” and “strikes an adversarial tone, at times, and provides commentary outside the reasonable bounds of cultivating a dialogue.”

He added that one can only conclude that it was authored to elicit a reaction as opposed to an effort to obtain a meaningful response.

j.wojtas@theday.com

Twitter: @joewojtas