Terenzini tells `Rest of Story'. 

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Byline: James F. Russell

SPENCER - Town Administrator Carter Terenzini takes aim at "Maggots of Malice" in a memorandum he distributed this week to municipal employees, selectmen and colleagues.

Mr. Terenzini's memorandum, titled "The Rest of the Story," discusses an affair he had with a woman he supervised, refers to an administrator's position he applied for but did not get, and suggests that the job recruiter double-crossed him. "I have drawn the wrath of the local Maggots of Malice," the memo, dated Aug. 19, says. The memo does not identify them.

The Telegram & Gazette reported Aug. 18 that officials in Oberlin, Ohio, where Mr. Terenzini was seeking the city manager's job, removed him from consideration. Oberlin officials said the action was taken last week because Mr. Terenzini - despite being asked by the recruiter if he might be carrying negative baggage - failed to disclose the affair and the private reprimand Spencer selectmen handed him in 2005. Officials said Mr. Terenzini applied for the Oberlin job in March.

In an interview with the newspaper Aug. 17, Mr. Terenzini initially said he did not wish to comment on the Oberlin decision to drop him from consideration, where he was among eight finalists. Mr. Terenzini said it was a personnel matter, and reporting on it represented "yellow journalism."

He said he did not disclose the affair to the Ohio recruiter because "It was not requested. ... This was not asked for." 

In the Aug. 19 memo to town employees, Mr. Terenzini wrote: "For candidates like me with potential public relations issues in their careers, it is never easy to know when to bring such matters forward. ... The Recruiter, by maintaining he had asked me any such questions, despite the fact he did not, then further damaged my credibility...."

Mr. Terenzini later adds: "By this becoming such an incident in the other community, and many thanks to the local Sultans of Sensationalism, ours was forced to live through it again...."

The Spencer administrator did not return calls to his office yesterday seeking clarification of his memo. Calls placed to Joshua Kim Associates, the Ohio-based recruiter, were not immediately returned yesterday. Oberlin Councilor Anthony J. Mealy said in an interview last week that Mr. Terenzini "should have let somebody know upfront. To leave information like that out, I don't think was very fair."

Contacted last night, Spencer Selectman Peter J. Durant said Mr. Terenzini "wrote that in response to an article in the paper, and as far as I am concerned this is a closed issue and the board needs to move on with the business of running the town." Mr. Durant declined to comment on Mr. Terenzini's reference to Maggots of Malice. 

Referring to the affair, Mr. Terenzini wrote in the memo that "I do not pretend that how I deal with the issue of my original lapse in judgment is an excuse for the fact that it happened. However, the continuing pillaring (sic) some want to subject us all to is the unfortunate plight of communities and public employees when our lives are turned into pinatas for the press and others. This is the case where I have drawn the wrath of the local Maggots of Malice and the press is more than willing to release illegally obtained personnel documents supposedly sealed in fairness to the employee." 

According to the Nov. 28, 2005, minutes of an executive session, Spencer selectmen had three choices: fire Mr. Terenzini, suspend him or issue a written reprimand. Selectmen voted to privately reprimand Mr. Terenzini, "citing the board's belief that the Administrator's conduct constituted a potential violation of MGL c. 268A Standards of Conduct and was evidence of an egregious lack of good judgment on his part to the detriment to the town." Selectmen ordered him to "attend a seminar on employee harassment." 

Mr. Terenzini found himself in hot water when he applied for a job in Ashland in 2004. His resume appeared to show he had a bachelor's degree. He later wrote a letter to the chairman of the Ashland selectmen when questions were raised about his education. Mr. Terenzini wrote: "I want to correct this ... I earned an associate's degree." 

Selectman Joseph E. DeCoff II said Mr. Terenzini's memo was e-mailed to him Monday. 

"That's his spin on his poor choices," Mr. DeCoff said. "I know he is trying to leave, and I wish him the best of luck. Yesterday would not be soon enough." Mr. DeCoff said he is troubled by the administrator's reference to "Maggots of Malice" in the memo to town employees and selectmen. 

A copy of a contract shows Mr. Terenzini earns about $95,000 per year.