The following letter was sent by Westport resident Constance Gee to the Westport Select Board prior to Monday night's vote to promote Nicole Pearsall to the town accountant post:

To the Westport Board of Selectmen:

As a citizen of Westport, I stand in firm opposition to the appointment of Nicole Pearsall (Botelho) to Town Accountant.

It appears to be necessary to remind those recommending her appointment that she received a CWOF and 18-month probation for animal cruelty in 2017. While she pleaded guilty to having starved several animals to death, the presiding judge gave her a CWOF because she cried, saying if she was found guilty (of what was a felony) she would possibly lose her job with the Town of Westport.

This from the Boston Herald (October 15, 2015):
“Cops first entered her home to look for cats, and found the American Eskimo dog in a trash bag. The second dead American Eskimo dog was found in a closet with a choking collar wrapped around its torso and a partially consumed paperback book in its mouth, police said.

‘Malnutrition, starvation, and dehydration, are among the most painful methods of animal cruelty as described by one of the animal consultants who assisted at investigators,’ police said.”

Although her abject cruelty may not impinge on her abilities as an accountant, it defines her character and should not be overlooked. Her “house of horrors” (as it was described by those who discovered the dead animals and in the press) brought shame to our community and sorrow to our hearts.

Here is a person who, in a most cruel way, has exhibited a profound lack of ethical and moral integrity. Why would the Board choose to promote such a person to the position of Town Accountant?

I beseech the BOS to consider Ms. Pearsall’s appalling lack of empathy for the suffering of others, and to deny her this promotion.

Sincerely,
Constance Gee