Do selectmen understand how the board works? Do they know their position and authority?
"How many times do I have to ask for us to meet jointly. I did not say no. The Chairman did. That's his call. I asked if I could speak about it in the last meeting and I missed my chance. I asked the TA if I could send an email and I did."
The above is part of a comment made by Ms. Brooks to a post on January 18, 2017 "Apparently the MA department of revenue . . . ."
Actually, it is not the chairman's call, it is the call of the board of selectmen, the chair only gets one vote, same as the rest of the members. The chairman gets to put items on the agenda but any member can request an item and it should be put on for discussion. It is not the call of the chairman whether the board has a joint meeting or not, rather it is a vote of the board, as in five members. I would think someone who has been a selectmen since January of 2014 would know that. Three years as a selectmen, you are not green any longer. In my opinion, this as well as other things are just more excuses as I have yet to see a vote of the board for a joint meeting of the selectmen and advisory committee.
There may have been one i missed but I do not think so. This seems to be just like the budget or spending plan of 2017, no selectmen asked for more time or more discussion on it, they just voted yes on it then a few days after the board of selectmen voted on a version for town meeting, the administrator changed it and no selectmen said anything about it at town meeting, which in my opinion, shows how little they paid attention to it in the first place.
posted by Jeff Bennett
In the military you have to do what your superior officer tells you to do. This is not the military ! This is a democracy, so Dianne, your vote means as much as anyone's else. Know your rights and stand up for them ! This is why people voted for you.
ReplyDeleteWhen will someone explain to Mr. Caplis that the chairman has no special powers. His only job is to chair the meetings and break any tie votes. Of course when he was elected he was overheard saying that he was like the Mayor of Templeton now. Why do we elect these people?
ReplyDeleteThe Town's people elected a lawyer thinking he would know the difference between right and wrong. Sometimes people get elected because of their family name, because their father was a good guy. Does that mean anything ?? Not really ! It is my opinion that if a person runs for elected office, they should have a basic knowledge of Town affairs, and if they did not know something they would go to others for knowledge. You do not need to believe everything you are told, but use their knowledge to learn.
DeleteIf you are told the Town Budget is not balanced, why on earth would you vote for it ? The mess we are in will forever have your name associated with it. Forever is a hell of a long time.
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