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Patrols were made aware of incumbent Mayor Deirdre Dillon’s concerns and addressed them immediately, Police Chief Bryan Gurney said.
“It’s what we do for anyone upon request, whether they have a direct threat or a perceived threat,” Gurney said. “It’s the same for people who go on vacation.”
(Residents and merchants in any municipality can put their names on a list when they are away so that patrol officers can keep an eye out for anything unusual at their homes or places of business.)
It began after a mailer from mayoral challenger Richard Muti urged supporters to "send an email directly to Mayor Dillon and the council members" to let them know what they think of them.
Dillon’s “Putting Ramsey First” team said it then received a letter from a Manor Drive resident that said:
“Throughout my life, I have believed that ‘what goes around, comes around.’
“Think of my words above, think of all the lies and improper, maybe even unlawful, actions in your lives. Think of them on the day one of your children wraps a car around a tree, or your spouse gets cancer, or you lose your job or you[r] assets. Think of my words ‘what goes around, comes around.’
“Maybe none of these horrible things will happen in your lifetime – frankly, I hope they don’t – but I know deep within me, that there is a special place in hell reserved for people like you because of what you have done and what you continue to do."
Dillon and her incumbent council running mates, William Jones and Peter Kilman, were all re-elected Tuesday, besting Muti, Jason Farrar and Carolyn Johnson.
In a Facebook post before the election, the eventual victors wrote that Muti’s mailer “has already yielded its poisonous fruit, emboldening a resident to write a heinous letter fantasizing of that we and our families be stricken by tragedy, including the death of our children.”
Dillon read the letter during a public meeting Wednesday night, while telling residents about the increased police protection.
Police, in turn, began receiving calls about the situation.
Although no evidence of criminality was immediately found, patrols have been increased and “every officer is aware” of the situation, said Gurney, the chief.
“Every Ramsey resident should know that they can come to us what is a direct threat or a perceived threat and that we will treat it seriously,” he said.
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