ORLANDO, Fla. -- When you write an elected official, at the very least you hope they read your letter or email. But don't count on it. Eyewitness News discovered an Orlando City Council member who directs some of her constituent emails right to the computer trashcan.

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About a year ago, Commissioner Daisy Lynum asked the computer guys at City Hall to set up a special feature so certain people's emails never showed up in her in box. Maybe even more interesting, the sender didn't know about it until we told him.

David Van Gelder figures he's sent at least 4,000 emails to the Orlando city commissioners over the past few years.

"I want them all informed about what I think," he says. "They should be informed about what I have to say.

The community activist isn't always polite. When Commissioner Daisy Lynum criticized him, he fired back.

"I've responded sometimes saying she needs counseling," he says.

He didn't know it, but Lynum never even spotted the emails in her in box. She sent her assistant to the city's technology management office about a year ago. She wanted to put a stop to emails sent by Van Gelder.

But because the email was not technically blocked, Van Gelder didn't receive a notice that his comments went undelivered. "What do I think of a politician in general doing that? I think it's abhorrent."

Lynum's assistant sent Channel 9 a schedule that indicated she'd be at a meeting at the airport Wednesday, but she didn't show. She also didn't return our calls.

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We know she had a tough time with Van Gelder last week, when he brought a video camera to a public meeting. She also gave some insight that day into why she might not want to read emails sent by David Van Gelder, saying she doesn't trust his behavior.

Van Gelder says he's never threatened the commissioner.

The computer guys say they taught Lymum's aid how to re-direct emails, so they could have added other names to the list. We asked to see if other ones were diverted. We're still waiting for a response from the city.

And by the way, Commissioner Lynum isn't the only one who blocks some emails. A spokesman for UCF says President John Hitt blocks them when a person sends repeated emails about "non university matters." We don't know how many people are blocked.