I was a bit surprised that any other member of the Templeton board of selectmen at the meeting of Wednesday, January 27, 2021 did not seem to have much to add to debate on appointments to town committees. No other member seemed prepared to challenge a point of a mention town by-law, nor what it states in selectmen operating procedures. There are more than a couple of contradictory points on how things should go. One point, it is/was a public meeting with an agenda and I have always thought and felt, there should be debate on agenda items, same as say a town meeting; that is part of the purpose of having a meeting in the first place.
No real comment on how I am interpreting a by-law or a policy. The by-law I used as a reason to question appointments in mid year could be read as annual appointments for only certain positions or boards, such as trustees, town counsel, etc. I believe selectmen need to come to meetings prepared rather than just ready to act blindly on what is put in front of them and yes, that does take some effort, but that is what it is about; putting in some work to serve and support those who elect you to do just that; look out for them. The item was an appointment to a simple committee, and it could have been completed as presented, but, I also believe we, as selectmen, should be aware, more than most, of the procedures and processes that are in place, supposedly designed and or created to ensure town business is done in the right way and keep ourselves and the town out of trouble or difficulties and I do not believe that following a process wastes anyone's time.
Trust me when I write that initially, I goofed often in regard to governance, which made me work hard and put more effort into becoming knowledgeable in governance so I would do a better job of serving the people. No intent of being perfect, just trying to be correct more than being wrong. I hope more effort is put into the work on budget and town meeting preparation than appears to be put into a couple monthly meetings.
I would hope, that rather than just stating not being ready for a challenge and then just put it off, be ready for debate and be ready to make a proposal to take action on the proposed agenda item as well as a solution to any issue so hopefully it does not present itself again. I could be wrong, as I am not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but I believe that is called learning.
Mr. Bennett,
ReplyDeleteThank you for pointing this out. I'll tell you what ticked me off last night. The Chairman!
The HCA for Sugar Grove has been available to the public since last since it was posted online on January 22, 2021. I'm sure the Chairman had access prior to this date yet He sat last night delaying the process of allowing this New business to proceed forward because He did nothing to sort out his concerns prior to last nights meeting.
He needs to check with Public Safety. He didn't do this when allowing KRO's license which has caused public safety issues. He didn't do this when trying to get Vets Parking?
He only did this on a multi million dollar project that has/had the potential to change Templeton financial future.
Our administration has slowed, stopped and virtually illuminated any benefit we could have received from these businesses because we have pushed back at every instance.
We created unenforceable HCA's trying to get every penny from these businesses and making the process as painfully long as possible while spending legal fees to do so. We sit here 4 years into our Legal marijuana boom without one operational grow facility in Templeton for at least another year.
This is why Templeton has financial issues. This is why Templeton will continue to have financial issues until we have a BOARD that is proactive rather than inactive.
Oh, Does anyone else love that one of our Selectman, Terri, voted to delay a business because Mike is to lazy to do his job prior to the meeting!
You are right about the stonewalling that was done by the Board of Selectmen Chairman and his followers. These people had plenty of time to cross all the t's and dot all of the i's. I can only imagine how the people from the marijuana business felt, not getting this agreement finalized. Does this mean the Town pays the lawyer for another meeting ? I would assume so. Being petty does nothing for our relationship with these people. Business has to be done in public not over a beer. A knowledge of the open meeting law should make this very obvious.
DeleteAs a person that has followed town politics for fifty years, I find the behavior of some current board members very troubling. It seems board members have no respect for following procedures, some that have been in place for over a hundred years. It seems like these people do not realize that other people did these jobs before them, working to build structure that allows for consistency in the operation of our government. You are absolutely right in pointing out the fact that there are set procedures and laws to follow. Last week I watched the Advisory Committee meeting. Mr.Spring was in the same position as you were last night. He pointed out the necessity of following the open meeting law. The posting of the agenda and what should be required In the Annual Town Report, was questioned. In Mr. Springs case, board members told him he was wrong. He was not wrong. We both know having a correct account of what the Committee did during the year is why the Annual Town Report is printed in the first place. Belonging to a Town Board or Committee is a responsibility a member takes on when they accept the job. It is the responsibility of each member to do the job correctly, and yes, that requires more than sitting in a seat agreeing with whatever is placed in front of you. It is time for the members of both groups to "do their jobs". It is not acceptable to make stuff up as you go along. I hope these people will remember what they do will go down in the History of this town. They should keep that in mind. Thank you for you continued battle to keep the Board of Selectmen on the right path.
ReplyDeleteWell said Bev! Almost reminds of the ole "Superior Board" days huh?
DeleteIt sure does ! Bad habits die hard !
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