By JIMMY LAWTON

CANTON -- County Legislator David Forsythe, R-Lisbon, says he is not comfortable discussing certain issues in executive sessions after sensitive information was apparently leaked from a recent meeting.

Forsythe initially said he would not be attending Monday’s executive session due to the alleged leak, but later attended it to discuss that issue and people related to it.

“I believe someone on the board is talking. What happens in there is supposed to stay in there. I’m not going to stick my neck out when I can’t trust people in the room,” he said. “I don’t feel comfortable.”

Forsythe challenged his fellow legislators to disclose their phone records following an April 11 executive session in which he says someone shared information, but the call was not answered during the public meeting.

“Someone from these chambers made a call to an interested person over a pretty serious personnel matter,” he said.

Legislators Kevin Acres, R-Madrid, and Joseph Timmerman, R-Potsdam, shared Forsythe’s concern and pointed to past issues where sensitive information was leaked over the course of the last two or years.

“If we can’t operate as a board and trust one another it hinders the effectiveness of this board,” he said.

Although he attended the Monday executive session, Forsythe says he intends to leave future meetings, when certain topics are discussed until something is done regarding the alleged leak.

“I’ll just step out depending on the issues,” he said.

Attorney Steven Button confirmed that legislators or department heads that leak privileged information to the public could potentially be removed from their post among other penalties.

He also suggested that the topic itself could be addressed in more detail in executive session as it pertained to particular individuals.

Forsythe confirmed that the topic was addressed during the closed-door portion of the meeting, but did not discuss specifics. He said no action was taken regarding the matter.