Quiet over here - probably because it is that time of year to be getting things ready for winter.
I actually do other things besides watch and read politics, town business and the selectmen.

Watching a meeting of the Gardner City Council recently, I saw discussion where the Collins institute was brought up. Seems like that organization may not be the final/only solution after all. As one city councilor put it, "it is our job, the council and not the Collins Institute to do this."  Imagine a government entity carrying out it's responsibility or job? Since 2014, this current board of selectmen have failed to hire a full-time Town Administrator.

Perhaps this current Board of Selectmen should be less concerned with what is written here and get focused more on that task. Especially with the current interim Town Administrator looking for work in other places.

So, back a couple of weeks, there about, a strange email (in my opinion) came to light. Templeton interim Town Administrator asked a member of the Templeton Advisory Committee if they would like to serve on a search committee:

From: townadministrator [mailto:townadministrator@templeton1.org]
Sent: Tuesday, June 6, 2017 2:45 PM
To: Julie Farrell 
Cc: 'Kelli Pontbriand'
Subject: Treasurer/Collector

Good Day:

Although the By-Law amendment providing for AC members to sit on ad hoc screening committees has not yet come back formally approved by the AG’s Office,  I am confident enough that there will not be any problem with it that I would like to invite you to participate as a member of the Team to interview candidates for the position of Treasurer/Collector.

These are tentatively set for the afternoon of 06/21 or 06/22.  

Please let me know at your first convenience that I might loop you in on the process.

Many Thanks

Carter Terenzini
Interim Town Administrator
Town of Templeton


Now, I would ask you, if you were/are just a private citizen serving on no Town committees and having absolutely nothing to do with Town government, would you find it strange that a Town Administrator would ask you the above question while citing a town by-law concerning the Advisory Committee. Now set the box and look at the same question as if you do serve on the Advisory Committee. Would you think this is proper procedure and do you think this is entrapment or a strange question?

So, having been asked that question, you answer like this:

to townadministra., Kelli, MA, Selectman, Diane, Cameron, Doug, Julie 

Good evening:

Sorry for the delay in my response to your request to serve on the ad hoc screening committee to secure a treasurer collector.

I believe the proper procedure to have a member of the Advisory Committee serve on an ad hoc committee would be to go through the chairman of the Advisory Committee. Then this discussion could take place at an Advisory Committee meeting.

I thought this message had been sent to the Advisory Committee but looking back at the email thread, I realize that is incorrect.

It would be inappropriate for me to serve on any ad hoc committee as an Advisory Committee member without the knowledge, consent and vote of the Advisory Committee.

Best,,

Citizen

The response you get back: (priceless)

townadministrator 
12:51 PM (16 hours ago)

to me, Kelli, MA, Selectman, Diane, Cameron, Doug, Julie
 

Good Day:

Thanks for your follow-up but I had been asking you as an individual.  Had I been asking you to represent the AC; you are correct and I would have approached the Chair of the AC to have him (or the AC) designate someone to serve.

Many Thanks

Carter Terenzini
Interim Town Administrator

The above email thread would / could make for interesting subject for a government, political science or public administration class for some interesting discussion. Except, it is an actual email to a sitting Advisory Committee member and a very clear case of attempt (in my opinion and my thoughts) at entrapment, to make a member or entire committee look bad. Even an attempt (in my opinion and thoughts) at negating the effectiveness of the Advisory Committee.

This is why I think rather than the selectmen taking time at their last open public meeting, to talk about a post I made here, they should be looking within to ensure this kind of foolishness and serious (in my opinion and thoughts) does not happens again or continue. But, I suppose when an entity can not even follow their own basic rules, we cannot expect much from them. I hope the DLA takes a moment to think about that when they receive the above email as an example of how things go in the selectmen office and in my opinion, why Templeton's finance may not improve in the near future. They can not hire a full time Town Administrator in three years and counting. They cannot follow their own guidelines for meetings, so how can or how should the division of local services expect the selectmen to improve town finance?

posted by Jeff Bennett