Updated at 9:03 p.m.
In a stunning turn Monday, Mayor Miro Weinberger announced that the woman he had just named acting chief of the Burlington Police Department has been replaced — for operating a social media account under a fake name.
Deputy Chief Jan Wright informed the mayor that she had occasionally used a Facebook account under the name “Lori Spicer” and discussed the police department on the page.
The mayor’s office announced Wright was out as acting chief just hours after she was named to replace chief Brandon del Pozo, who himself resigned Monday after admitting he briefly using an anonymous Twitter account to troll a critic.
“While Deputy Chief Wright’s situation may be very different than Chief del Pozo’s, given the circumstances the department is facing, I found the failure to raise this issue with me in the lead-up to today to constitute a lapse in judgement,” Weinberger said in a statement.
The mayor said he named Deputy Chief Jon Murad to serve as the interim chief.
“Murad has confirmed explicitly to the City Attorney Eileen Blackwood and HR Director Deanna Paluba that he has never engaged in anonymous social media posting,” the mayor wrote in his statement.
He also said he’s asked Blackwood and Paluba to review the posts on the “Lori Spicer” account and report to him by week’s end if discipline could be needed.
“Deputy Chief Wright’s disclosure raises the possibility that problematic social media use is far more widespread within the department than previously understood,” Weinberger wrote.
The mayor said he’ll bring in an outside investigator and vowed that the department will adopt a social media policy.
The mayor’s office announced the news about Wright just before 7 p.m., as protesters had gathered outside of city hall and the city council prepared to meet. Among the agenda items up for discussion was del Pozo’s resignation, announced at noon Monday.
Social media posts show that “Spicer” engaged online with Charles Winkleman. He’s the same man who del Pozo trolled with his now infamous WinkleWatchers Twitter account.
In one thread, “Spicer” went after Winkleman for being “obsessed with Chief del Pozo.
“You can’t get enough of him,” she wrote. “He definitely lives rent free in your head. Seek help”
“Lol okay bro,” Winkleman responded.
During public comment at Monday’s city council meeting, Winkleman mentioned that specific post and pointed to the city’s argument that del Pozo’s bad behavior should be excused because it was related to an underlying medical condition.
“Does that sound like a deputy that cares about mental health?” he said. “I spent the last five months wondering if the police are following me, whether I am being monitored.”
Among the people “Spicer” followed on Facebook were Weinberger, Councilor Ali Dieng (D/P-Ward 7), Rep. Selene Colburn (P-Burlington) and Adam Silverman, the former Burlington Free Press reporter who is now a spokesperson for the Vermont State Police.
In April, “Spicer” wrote a recommendation for the Burlington Police Department on Facebook.
“The Chief seems to be a lot more transparent than other Chief’s in the area,” she wrote. “Seems as though the public holds the Burlington police to a much higher standard. I think that says a lot.”
Courtney Lamdin contributed reporting.
Correction, December 16, 2019: A previous version of this story misidentified the people “Spicer” follows on Facebook as her friends on the platform. And a prior version contained a misspelling of Councilor Dieng’s name.
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So who else on the police force and city government has skeletons in their own closet? This is getting better and better!
Just f-ing fire the entire BPD staff and start over. There’s probably not a worse police force in the US anyway.
Im confused about why Im showing up as a friend to Lori Spicer. I do have a pending Facebook request from her, but did not accept it. Maybe she was following me? Im curious about who else she attempted to friend and follow. It sure seems like she reached out to a lot of friends and colleagues associated with left politics in Burlington.
@NoRest- Making an assumption is within itself a fault. Because someone does something wrong doesn’t mean the mass are wrong but the complete opposite. No reason to assume that because someone serves the public that they are automatically corrupt. That would be the same in private sector that if someone in your company steals something then it would have to be assumed that everyone who works there is a thief. Not sure where you assume the idea that “Many are corrupt” when there is nothing to support the “Many” idea. People deserve the fairness to be judged on their OWN actions and not the other persons actions. Innocent until PROVEN guilty.
@Ted Miles When “misconceived notions” are well deserved, can one be skeptical enough of our public figures? Those notions you speak of are more often than not well deserved. And when someone steps into public life they’re going to have detractors. Just a fact of the business. When so many are corrupt it does become easy to assume everyone is corrupt. Maybe that’s the mistake some people are making but I can’t find fault with the assumption. Just look at the sh** show in Washington.
Nothing wrong with having a fake social media account, just look at the ones posted here that are using fake names. Sometimes it is the only way to have civic engagement with the public because they think that every city person is a liar and is always to cover up something. Hard to have civil conversation when the person on the other side already has misconceived notions on what they want the truth to be and not what it really is. Maybe if the public weren’t so nasty toward city officials they wouldn’t feel the need to have their own fake accounts.
Is this a news article or an OpEd piece? Your extraordinary bias is showing. “In perhaps the understatement of the year, he wrote, “Deputy Chief Wright’s disclosure raises the possibility that problematic social media use is far more widespread within the department than previously understood.” ” is a glaring example of this and frankly isn’t professional or responsible journalism
Has 7 Days asked Miro if he has any fake social media accounts?
WTF??? Are there any adults left in Burlington?
What a laughing stock! Headline should read “Weinberger surprised by presence of sociopaths in the Burlington Police Dept.”