When I watched the Aug. 14 Hopkinton School Committee meeting on HCAM, I was shocked by what I heard. At the start of the meeting, around the two-minute mark, member Chris Masters was trying to connect remotely and having technical difficulties. Chair Kyla McSweeney said, “We can’t hear you, Chris.” In response, vice chair Susan Stephenson remarked, “Nor do we want to.” She then laughed, as though it were acceptable.
I rewound the video and turned on closed captioning to be sure I had heard correctly. And I had. The remark was captured on HCAM’s recording and was audible enough that it appeared in the captions for everyone to see.
This was not a slip of the tongue or a private aside. It was a demeaning comment made during an official, recorded public meeting. What makes it worse is that Chris Masters was not physically present to hear the remark or respond. It was said about him, not to him. That is more than unprofessional. It was an attempt to silence a colleague, and it was deeply disrespectful.
Even more troubling, this came from the vice chair of the School Committee. No one else on the committee spoke up to address it. That silence made it worse. Silence, in this case, became complicity.
Chris Masters is often the lone voice of dissent, the only member who does not share the political alignment of the others. His role is important because not every Hopkinton resident agrees with the majority. He represents those voters, and dismissing him is also dismissing them. Silencing a colleague is silencing the residents who elected him.
Our schools teach inclusivity. We demand it of our teachers, classrooms and students. The School Committee must hold itself to the same standard. If inclusivity is required in our schools, it must be required here, too.
This is not just about one comment. It is about culture, and culture is defined by what is tolerated. On Aug. 14, disrespect was tolerated. That cannot continue.
Susan Stephenson owes Chris Masters and the people of Hopkinton a public apology. The School Committee should also reaffirm its commitment to respectful dialogue, inclusivity and accountability.
The example the School Committee sets matters. This behavior cannot be excused or brushed aside. To ignore it would be to normalize it, and that is unacceptable.
It is time to raise the standard.
— Ashley Fogg, Hopkinton
Editor’s note: The opinions and comments expressed in letters to the editor are those of the writers and not necessarily those of the Independent. Submissions should be no more than 400 words and must include the writer’s name and contact information for verification. Letters should be relevant and not primarily for the purpose of promoting an organization or event or thanking sponsors or volunteers. Letters may be edited by the Independent staff for space, errors or clarification, and the Independent offers no guarantee that every letter will be published. For a schedule of deadlines for letters and other submissions for the print edition, click here.
Hello Mrs. Fogg,
Congratulations are in order for uncovering what is, without question, the most shocking scandal to rock this town since that time the library handed out free seeds that never sprouted, an agricultural tragedy from which many residents have never emotionally recovered. I can vouch for that. With your unparalleled investigative skills, you have managed to hear a few barely audible words of casual banter and immediately elevate them to a fullscale civic emergency. Truly, this is Pulitzer worthy.
Of course, two grown adults should never attempt to sort out a trivial matter privately. No way. This is clearly a job for the collective outrage machine. We’ve been running dangerously low on outrage lately, and you’ve generously refilled our tanks. The torches and pitchforks were starting to gather dust, and we all know how tragic that can be.
I must also salute your incredible commitment to “inclusivity”. Who could forget your support for that more qualified and experienced South Asian candidate for Select Board chair? Oh right, everyone because it didn’t happen. But let’s not allow facts to ruin a perfectly good reputation for inclusivity.
And finally, I bow to your moral authority as a Trump voter to demand respect and professionalism. Nothing says “guardian of civility” quite like voting for the man whose idea of statesmanship involves tweeting insults at everyone he disagrees with. In fact, I do not want to upset you or JD Vance by not thanking you.
Thank you yet again for deploying your world-class investigative prowess to uncover this matter and heroically alerting the town.
Respectfully,
I won’t be responding in kind to the personal attacks, sarcasm, or assumptions in your comment. Not because I lack a response, but because I believe we should hold ourselves to a higher standard of discourse, especially when engaging in matters that affect our community.
You did not address a single point from my original letter. Instead, you used it as an excuse to launch into a personal attack, making sweeping assumptions about my political beliefs, intentions, and even my voting history. None of these are things you actually know. For the record, I am not a Republican, and your attempt to assign me a political identity to discredit me is both baseless and inappropriate.
Most troubling is your accusation that my support for Mr. Herr over Mr. Mannan last year was racially motivated. That implication is deeply offensive and completely untrue. My support for Mr. Herr was based entirely on his exceptional qualifications, institutional knowledge, and long-standing service to the town. To reduce that decision to race is not only false, it is profoundly disrespectful both to me and to the seriousness of the issue.
Ironically, your comment only reinforces the concern raised in my letter. A certain political faction in town increasingly relies on intimidation, public shaming, and character assassination to silence disagreement. Disagreement is healthy. This behavior is not.
I stand by what I wrote, and I stand against the kind of personal attacks and reckless accusations you chose to make.
Hello Mrs. Fogg,
Your five-paragraph refusal to respond is truly a marvel. To both respond and not respond at the same time, this is Schrodinger’s rebuttal, and you’ve pulled it off with style.
You say I did not address your points. In fact, I did: your central complaint was about two colleagues engaging in light banter. I suggested maybe it wasn’t worth turning into the next Watergate. That’s the point. I stand by it. The rest of your response consists mostly of things you’ve decided I must have said but didn’t. It’s like you outsourced your fact-checking to Mad Libs.
As for “personal attacks,” I’m happy to lend you a dictionary so we’re aligned on definitions. I never accused you of racial bias, though if you want to argue with yourself about that, I won’t interrupt. For the record, the 2025 choice was between Mr. Clark and Mr. Mannan, but I understand: without the right prompt, even ChatGPT hallucinates.
You also accuse me of being part of a “political faction” bent on intimidation and character assassination while also getting bent out of shape about assuming your political beliefs. What is the word I am looking for? I will let you or ChatGPT take a shot.
Most importantly, I want to thank you for your tireless dedication to supplying the town with outrage. If outrage were an Olympic event, you’d already have a gold medal hanging next to your “Most Alarmed Resident” sash.
So thank you, Mrs. Fogg, for your service. Democracy depends on people willing to treat small squabbles as existential crises, and you are leading the charge.
I wasn’t aware you’d been promoted to Chief Sensitivity Officer of the town. Have you published the official standards for residents yet? I’d love a copy for my files. It sounds wonderfully woke.
This is a truly public forum. Peter Thomas and Paula aren’t here to delete my responses, so maybe save the performative outrage for your next book club. I’m not intimidated.
Respectfully,
Sravan
Boom! Nailed it 110%. I saw it and she’s clearly joking.
I agree, Beth. It seemed so to me too. You have to pay attention to it to even catch it. If Chris Masters doesn’t like it, he can approach Susan like an adult and sort it out. It should be embarrassing for anyone to make a big deal out of this.
“Schrodinger’s rebuttal” chef’s kiss for that one!
Interesting fact: Susan Stephenson won against Ashley Fogg for this position.
Ashley and her little minions have been out to get her ever since. So sorry she doesn’t have Peter Thomas to join her in her ridiculous little rants. This latest one is an example of how small she is.
They bully people and cry about being offended. So typical.
Bullies liKE AF just can’t shut their stupid mouths and get off on starting trouble out of nothing. That’s how they get the attention they so desperately yearn for. In most cases, it’s negative attention, but it doesn’t matter to people like AF. Aren’t you all just tired of her yapping mouth? It was nice when she was out of the picture for awhile, but now she’s back with a vengeance!
For someone so small, she gets quite a rise out of you people lol
Aha, got it. This is about trolling and getting a rise out of us “people”. Thanks for that insight, Nate F! The performative outrage was almost believable. “It is time to raise the standard”. LOL.
Petty & small. Is this really a real-world problem or just banter among adults as a remote meeting is getting set up. Dialing in remotely and connections can be problematic at times and think we can all relate to “we can’t hear you?”, “I can hear your dog barking, please mute”, “I see you talking but are muted” etc. This is nothing more than lighthearted foolishness as a meeting is trying to get started with some technical challenges and nothing more. Next world issue?
This isn’t a ”real world” newspaper. It’s a Hopkinton newspaper. And the occurrence referenced in this LTE may not be a real world problem (although, really it is), but it is DEFINITELY a Hopkinton problem. If you can’t see that, you haven’t been paying attention, or you’re part of the problem and you don’t want to see it (I’m looking at you, comment thread!). This town is a cesspool of partisan hacks and assassins. When Ms. Fogg ran for public office in recent years, she was wrongfully accused of all sorts heinous things (racism, homophobia, facism, hatred, etc.) and it was all politically motivated and executed… some of the worst bad actors were exposed and had to deal with the consequences and there are receipts for anyone who actually wants to go find them. But instead of recognizing how bad it had gotten, and committing to doing better, we still have elected officials making public comments demeaning the voice of another elected official who SPEAKS FOR THE TOWNSPEOPLE THAT ELECTED HIM. That’s why this matters, folks. This isn’t just between Ms. Stephenson and Mr. Masters. My hat is off to Ms. Fogg. She’s clearly one of the only people actually holding our town to the standard we deserve. If you don’t like hearing from her, then maybe join her in expecting more of our elected officials.
The irony of the sarcasm and caustic tone of the responses to this letter is almost too thick to see through. I watched all of the drama of the last several years unfold as a horrified resident, and I never once heard or read Ms. Fogg engage in behavior or words that fit the definition of “bullying”, and I defy anyone to give an example otherwise. (If Mr. Krishna’s dictionary is out on loan, maybe someone can give him a hand on the definition of bullying). The attempts to shame and silence Ms. Fogg by the commenters on this thread, on the other hand…. Why is it so threatening to expect civility and open discourse from our elected officials?
Mr/Mrs/Miss.Donkey, Hopkinton Independent is not a real world newspaper? Is Hopkinton not part of real world? Are you from a fictional world? The rest of your rant makes sense then. Did you watch the drama from your fictional world? LOL. Did Chris Masters complain to any of you about his feelings being hurt and needing your help? I am happy to help Chris if that is the case. I will go to the next School Committee meeting for this, if you all would like. We are not on the same page on the definition of words. How about this? I will bring a dictionary. You and I can sit together and discuss the words in real world Hopkinton. Are you up for that? or Are you too scared of the real world with real people? I would love civility and open discourse from Donald Trump, JD Vance and other Republicans too. Love ya!
Sravana, by your logic, Susan Stephenson must be BEGGING all of you to help her right now because you have all rallied to her apparent cries. I thought this wasn’t a big deal? The reactions say otherwise. respectfully, of course
Kara,
Thank you so much for using your real name this time. That is not my logic. I am happy to teach you how logic works. I asked a question on if Chris Masters complained to any of you. You see the “?” is called a question mark. It means I asked a question. I personally don’t think Chris Masters did that but I do not know Chris. I offered to help if that is the case. Again “if that is the case” means it is dependent on the answer to the previous question. Since you did not understand my logic, the rest of your hypothesis is moot. Anytime you need any help with logic or symbols or understanding “if”, please reach out to me. Lessons are free, for you. Nice meeting you, Kara. Respectfully yours, Sravan
Donkey, This faux paux in comparison to real world problems in this town is petty. A pizza place’s owner is in jail for sexual assault to an underage employee, a past deputy police chief in jail for raping a minor, the never ending Main Street project, property taxes about to skyrocket because of school expenses and PFAS plus not enough clean water for growing demand. These are very real world and local Hopkinton issues. An unfortunate comment picked up on a mic drop that has been exaggerated into an issue that was said without malicious intent isn’t a real world Hopkinton problem & LTE author seems to be fabricating a non-issue with a personal ax to grind.
Sravana Krishna is the definition of a bully hiding behind a keyboard. Imagine that from a 50 year old man in Hopkinton.
You will have to excuse me because it is foggy to me. Aren’t you hiding behind a keyboard, that too under a fake account? It seems to me that irony is truly dead. LOL. I literally offered to meet in person. Why are you being creepy searching about how old I am? Ewww. Why don’t you debate on the issues instead of resorting to personal attacks? I know why, because you will always lose. LOL. Love ya Nunya.
Kettle, meet pot. The internet is a beautiful thing, isn’t it? LOL. Bullies like you are what has ruined Hopkinton.
Did you meet pot or did you smoke it? LOL Your hatred for Hopkinton is disgusting. I am not surprised because apparently you hate yourself and hide your identity. All the shady characters supporting Ashley Fogg, with their fake accounts, under a letter that says “It is time to raise the standard.” is too funny. It proves my point. LOL. Keep it going!
ok, bully. Pull out your pocket dictionary. Just because something is ruined or in the process of, doesn’t mean I hate it. While you’re full of assumptions, show me where I supported Ashley. All I did was call you out for being a bully. Hopefully your kids don’t take after you. The world needs more kindness. I feel bad for anyone that has you as a parent.
I didn’t think it would be so easy. You are distancing yourself from yourself. LOL. So shady! My job is done. Stop being creepy about other people’s kids and worry about your kids who have a parent who is ashamed of herself. So sad. Yes, the world needs more kindness from bullies using fake accounts like you. Your racism and bigotry against LGBTQ+ is well known around the town. That is the peak of irony AF. LOL. I will write a LTE about your many fake accounts. Hope you run again. Thanks and Cheers!
The truth is you have no idea who I am. Even though you have an odd obsession with Ashley, I’m not her. But please continue to slander her like a bully, I hope she does something about it.
The only words in Sravana’s dictionary are “gaslighting, hypocrisy, sarcasm, delusional, antagonism, bad jokes, and obsessed with Ashley”
Hello Kara, Your logic is flawed again. It is going to be slow learning, isn’t it? I regret offering free lessons now. I did not use any of those words. Can you please tell me how those words are applicable? Do you have a dictionary handy to understand what they mean? LOL. Ashley was the one who started this LTE. So, it seems to me that as per your logic, Ashley is obsessed with Susan since Susan beat Ashley in that election. That would make sense. Likewise, it seems to me that you are obsessed with me and I feel sad that I don’t even know who you are or if your real name is even Kara. You have also achieved something remarkable by proving all those words true about your own behavior. Congrats! Cheers!
Excellent response Ashley. I must ask you Sravana ,were all of those who didn’t vote for the experienced South Asian candidate as you put it ,racially motivated? Who one votes for in this country should never be attacked or mocked by another. We have the right to vote for the candidate of our choice and not be subject to mockery or harassment. Just because you saw the candidate as more experienced and qualified that means others had to see it the same way? Wrong sir. Just reading your words it seems to me that you might have a problem with anyone not voting for a minority candidate. You also appear to have a case of Trump Derangement Syndrome.
Hello Ray, I must ask you, did you even read my response properly? If you are going to be touting your credentials as a champion of inclusivity, that question definitely arises, especially when the candidate has more experience. If you know anything about experience, there are certain objective metrics that go with it. Just reading your words, it seems to me that you might have a problem with anyone voting for a minority candidate. That is wrong sir. You appear to have Sravan Derangement Syndrome too. LOL. In any case, kudos to you for using your name.
This is why I rejected the alternative of returning to my hometown of Hopkinton to live. It once was a pretty friendly and laid back town. Now….
I have no problem at all voting for minority candidates! I have voted for many. I am from Hopkinton and now live in Lowell which as you know is a multicultural city. I am a Republican but held signs and voted for Vanna Howard when she first ran for the House. I have voted for several minorities over the years here. I don’t always vote up and down the ticket. I look at several factors before voting and make my decision. Nice try.
I had to show you how silly your comment was. Susan Stephenson is not a minority candidate either. Nice try back at you too. LOL. If you don’t live in Hopkinton, are you just trying to stir the pot here? Do better, Ray!
It is not worth responding to these keyboard warriors as they all have a very narrow view of the world.
Born and raised in Hopkinton. Still care about the town. I wasn’t speaking of Susan. I was responding to your comment to me that I might have a problem voting for a minority candidate.
That comment was to show that your comment to me doesn’t make any sense since Susan is not a minority candidate and I am supporting Susan here. Actually, nothing you said was logical. I live in Hopkinton now. I appreciate your caring for our town. Perhaps you can do it in by at least making logical arguments instead of just trolling. Cheers!
Sravana, you must be refreshing your page every 10 minutes, just waiting to pounce on the next comment. Find a new hobby or, better yet, maybe a job that actually requires your attention. Your LinkedIn claims you’re a senior-level executive, yet here you are obsessively trolling a local forum. This post alone you’ve commented 12 times. Twelve. That’s not normal engagement, that’s fixation and obsession.
You also sit on several boards in this town. Maybe it’s time to bring your unhinged behavior to the attention of the Select Board. Those who serve our town in an official capacity are held to a higher standard, and this behavior is gross, petty, and embarrassing. People do notice, and it reflects poorly on you. I won’t waste more energy here, your obsession speaks for itself. Please go touch some grass.
Hi There Mrs. F, This actually made me laugh out loud. Thank you!
Let’s break it down. First, you don’t seem to understand timestamps. You seemed to have refreshed your screen often to read and count my responses. I didn’t have to refresh a single time. You know why, I know how this website works and you apparently don’t. LOL. Second, you needed a fake account to go on a triggered rant. I understand, your pitiful comments explain a lot. Third, you still don’t understand words, that dictionary might come in handy. Anyway, here’s another comment for your running tally. I will show you how to use those words correctly.
You claim I’m “obsessive,” but here I am just replying to people who are responding to me. Just like you did right now. You don’t want me to respond? Then don’t talk to me or bully good people. Seems simple, but if you have trouble understanding it, can I ask a 3rd grader to draw pictures with crayons to explain it to you? Crying about why I am responding to you doesn’t make much sense, does it? If you play silly games, you will win silly prizes. The only person who can stop you from getting triggered is you, by not trolling.
Also, thanks for the unsolicited career advice from someone too “embarrassed” to post under their real name. You’ve got the free time to read all my comments and count them, impressive productivity.
As for your Select Board threat, sounds dramatic. If you want to bring it up at the 9/9 meeting at 6pm, I’ll be there. Need me to cheer you on so you can finally work up the courage? If gummies help, I’ll even lend you money. Just let me know. Is that what they call being a Karen? LOL. And if you’re really that desperate, you can take all my board positions if you’re qualified. Deal?
And yes, snooping on me like Detective Dogg, that’s creepy. If you want to lecture about “fixation and obsession,” start with a mirror. Every time you are on the losing side, you start looking for something to do personal attacks.
Hiding behind a fake account to troll is “gross, petty, and shameful”. I genuinely feel sorry for you that you are so uncomfortable with yourself. Sad.
The best part is the irony: you’re trying to silence me with fake outrage, while complaining about a joke that someone made. Chef’s kiss. If you think you can succeed in silencing me, you need to “touch that grass”. A fake account asking anyone to touch grass is too funny!
I do want people to notice that I will always stand with good people and take bullies to task. Thanks for that heads-up. If you would like to get the word out, please do with it with you real name. Nobody I know, who is sane, takes fake accounts seriously.
It is incredibly funny that your closing line in this letter is “It is time to raise the standard.” but your own standard is down in the basement. LOL. Thanks for helping me prove it!
So, thank you again for the entertainment. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I hope I was able to make you less foggy about these words. Please, get triggered and “unhinged” again, I could always use another laugh.
Love ya!
Here’s a thought: instead of writing a long lead blaming the whole town for a supposedly bad culture, pick up the phone or write an email to the Select Board or even (gasp!) contact the person you are upset with and have a mature, adult conversation about how it came across to you? Maybe it doesn’t stir people up, but it’s the way we used to do things, and it was a better way, in my opinion. You could even contact the person whose feelings you are concerned about to see how he reacted.
Then, if you don’t like the answers you get, write letters to both local media sources.
The town of Hopkinton is so lucky to have Mr Krishna to point out how silly and stupid they all are and generously share his dictionary collection with them.
Ashley Fogg – Thank you for speaking out on behalf of all who lack a voice and showing class. I think about the kids who watch adults in such a leadership roll and wonder what they must think. These are elected officials who ran for the job, to expect them to be respectful to their citizens, shouldn’t be too tall an order. They represent the schools, set an example.