Breezy Point Navigating Alleged Data Breach Involving City Council Member

There is a Breezy Point City Council member currently linked to an alleged data breach.

During a council meeting in late December, City Attorney Joseph Langel brought forth multiple emails reportedly consisting of private and privileged information shared with the public by council member Brad Scott.

Although Langel shared the alleged emails in question from Brad Scott with the city council a week prior to its meeting on December 20th, former Mayor Angel Zierden stated that this is not Scott’s first time being the subject of a potential data breach.

“Councilman Scott began forwarding emails in March of 2023, a couple months after taking office,” said Zierden. “It was that summer that [former City] Administrator [David] Chanski started to see these forwards on the emails. That led to our administrator knowing emails were being forwarded that were not supposed to forwarded.”

While a potential censure action for Scott did get discussed during the late-December meeting, the consensus showed an overall interest in having Scott issue an apology letter for disseminating private city council information to roughly 17 members of the public.

“With the Data [Practices] Act, which is clearly stated in the handbook that was sent to him [Scott] last year in August, you cannot send personnel data to the public,” added Zierden. “If you hold an elected official role and you send an email to a resident, only that elected official or that resident can make that data public.”

However, Scott is not a proponent writing an apology letter, as he denies the claim that he in fact released sensitive data to residents.

“I most definitely did not disseminate any information that would be classified as attorney-client privilege or personal, private information of the Data Practices Act on any city employee,” said Scott. “I firmly believe that what I shared is public information. I felt as if though the public should have a right to have access to that information.”

While Zierden and Scott have opposing stances when it comes to next steps regarding the alleged data branch, Council member Michael Moroni expressed his support for an apology letter from Scott, hoping the Breezy Point City Council can collectively move past the matter.

“Some of these [emails] contained personnel matters, health-related matters, one with a clear indication of, this is to not be passed on the public,” Moroni said. “So, therefore, a simple apology in my mind was the right way to go. Admit that we’re wrong, and let’s move on and continue running the city as best as we can do.”

Breezy Point City Council members did not discuss the alleged data breach during last week’s meeting.