Kate Fulton does not speak for me nor do I think the Advisory Committee;


Definition of “consensus” from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary

a generally accepted opinion; wide agreement

I wonder if Kate Fulton thinks a 5 for and 1 against with one absent is  wide agreement or not?

If there was not general agreement of the Advisory Committee on the subject of funding and debt for a new school, why then did the committee vote 5 to 1 in favor of sending a letter raising those very points? There are seven members on said committee with one member being absent from that meeting. Kate Fulton is the same member who objects to being marked as absent when she misses a meeting. She makes the point "I sent with regrets that I will not be at the meeting' What part of not being present at a meeting does absent not include or explain? If you are not there, you are absent. This is on the video record of Advisoryy Committee meetings.

I have to ask and will ask if Kate Fulton was at the meeting of the MFOB or not. If Kate was not present, how would she know how Julie Farrell presented herself? If Julie Farrell stated she was there as a representative of the Advisory Committee then I have a problem with that. If however, she merely stated I am also a member of the Templeton Advisory Committee, then that would simply be a factual statement.  In my opinion, Kate Fulton's letter is just pure politics, plain and simple. Any member of the community who could make time and take the trouble to attend that meeting could have done so. In my opinion, Kate Fulton is a member of the build it at all costs and the hell with the consequences, even if it puts the town in another very large financial hole. One can be in favor of the school or any project, but still question and state concerns with more debt. At some point, it has to be about can we afford it? 

Next time, if Kate Fulton wishes to address people by way of a letter to the editor of a newspaper, perhaps she does not chastise one person for misrepresentation while doing the same thing in a letter to the editor. Next time, simply sign it Kate Fulton, citizen rather than secretary, Templeton  Advisory Committee. That implies you are writing on behalf and speaking for the Committee, which there was no motion, second, nor any vote for you to do so. 


posted by Jeff Bennett

from the latest copy of the selectmen handbook.

Perhaps this needs to be read by the selectmen.


Role of the Chair:
 Being chair of the board does not mean forfeiting the right to vote or express an opinion. The chair, however, must be careful not to dominate the meeting. The powers of the chair—to prepare the agenda (see below), to call the items, and to recognize others to speak—give him or her enormous control over the way the meeting is conducted. A good chair will make the effort to ensure that the other selectmen are given an adequate chance to be heard. The greatest challenge facing a chair is keeping the discussion moving forward. A delicate balance must be established, allowing members to express their views freely, but without getting bogged down in long-winded expressions of opinion. By addressing issues one at a time, in an orderly fashion, and by steering conversation away from irrelevant subjects or personality clashes, the chair can help to build consensus within the board.

The chairman can make a motion, second, vote and express their view (s) Being chairman does not give one more power nor does it mean a chairman can make decisions on matters that belong in front of the entire board, such as having a joint meeting between two or more boards, committees or commissions. If a selectmen thinks that is up to only the chairman, I would say that selectmen has not learned much in three years.  I think if a selectmen wants a joint meeting, then they should let the board know in a public forum, such as a meeting of the board of selectmen. You do not get elected to be a go along to get along member. That is my opinion.


posted buy Jeff bennett