BAR HARBOR — Town manager Dana Reed’s recent e-mails criticizing actions of the school committee during their budgeting process this year were denounced by committee members Monday at their regular meeting.

Mr. Reed, for his part, defended his process at length, offered that he had become frustrated, and in the end apologized to the committee.

Town council chairman Ruth Eveland also was in attendance, but did not speak.

The response to Mr. Reed’s concerns was placed on the committee’s agenda after portions of the e-mails surfaced in the Mount Desert Islander late last month. In the e-mails, between Mr. Reed and warrant committee member Jake Jagel, Mr. Reed said that the committee “just blew you guys off,” and had not handled portions of their budget process well.

“The language of those e-mails was very strong, and goes to the integrity of our process, the integrity of school staff,” member Paul Murphy said. “That language, particularly being communicated to people on other boards that we’re in the middle of process with … it’s kind of insulting, and it could serve to poison the water with those other panels.”

Mr. Reed stated that he intended no offense with his language, but admitted to being frustrated that while the school budget numbers seemed to be going down, they hadn’t been delivered to the warrant committee for review.

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