Is it the entity of government or the administration of government?
I see it as the action or lack of action that gets most people to speak on the subject of government.
Why are our roads not fixed? Why are you giving out raises and then asking for an override (tax increase issue), interestingly, a prop 2 1/12 override does not automatically equal or mean a tax increase, however, it is generally perceived as such.
So, I attend a sewer commission meeting and the Town Administrator and town accountant are present. A subject is moving sewer collections from the sewer department to Town Hall. Why is the Town Collector not present? Why were the employees in the selectmen's office unaware of where the Town Administrator and Town Accountant were at that time? Some big secret meeting?
Is that how someone gets mentored and shown how the job works, by being left out of things?
Take the FY 2019 Templeton spending plan for instance; it has $65,250.00 for town administrator salary, $48,185.00 for management fellow, $13,742.00 for an administrative assistant and there is the $40,000.00 for raises included in the spending plan. (The contract for Carter Terenzini's for 16 hours per week - contract is on Town website)
In an article in the Gardner News, Templeton employee Carter Terenzini was quoted as saying Templeton is on the low end of the pay scale in the market regarding Town Administrator salary.
If the selectmen use the above available funds, there is conservatively $140,000.00 available to offer as salary for a full time T/A. That is not on the low end of things. Hubbardston, for instance pays $85,000.00. Athol Town manager in FY2018, proposed his salary at $135,000.00.
Templeton could be labeled as average or slightly above average on the pay scale for a T/A, but I do not think anyone can honestly state it is on the bottom or the low side of the market place.
I look at the Gardner News article as another piece of misinformation coming from the selectmen's office.
So lets take a look at this lovely piece of work put forth by our Town Administrator. Four lines of interest.
ReplyDelete1)Now, the Board of Selectmen have to find another solution to their town administrator problem,
2)“The community is relatively low pay for a full-time administrator,”
3)“Even with the increased budget it remains low for the marketplace.”
4)"...........there are some unsettled financial issues........"
Does anyone on the Board of Selectman notice that Carter feels absolutely free to bash the Town to cover his failings?
Carter Terenzini and our Board of Selectman lead by John Caplis both blame low taxes, low wages for the problems facing Templeton. I call Bullshit!
I say it is entirely based on piss poor management by the Town Administrator and complete lack of oversite by our Board of Selectman. Does anyone think Alan left for more money? Did Eric leave for more money?
Just look at the article in TGN. The only thing Carter could say about Eric was regarding the Meals Tax and Capital Planning which is what I would have wrote from my interactions with Eric. Nothing more from the man sitting 8 feet from him for 9 months???? How well was Eric supervised when our entire management was blindsided by him leaving.
I believe Carter had no intention of training Eric. I fully feel Eric was brought here to satisfy the MSBA and DOR need for stability and not for the purposes promoted by our Management. Now that Eric saw the writing on the wall and moved out of our toxic Town Hall our Town Administrator blames the towns financial set up for the failing and not his own poor people skills.
As Jeff mentions above. Carter and Kelli went to the Sewer meeting, why? I could see Carter and Eric(management fellow) or Carter and Cheryl(treasurer/collector) but why the Accountant to the exclusion of the other 2?
I'm concerned for the Towns future and I feel for it to improve Carter Terenzini needs to go.I personally feel John Caplis needs to go also as he seems all to willing swallow Carters nonsense.
I also feel Doug Morrison(selectman) with a sister Kelli (accountant) and wife Diane( COA director) has a serious conflict and should be removed.
Happy 4th
Just as another note. Mayor Hawke of Gardner , MA Population roughly 21,000 salary for FY 2018 was $88,650.00. Oh, His Administrative Assitant salary was $50,500 and his secretary was $45,707.
ReplyDeleteTempleton paid $65,000, Management fellow $48,000 Administrative Assistant $40,000 so as you can see Gardner spent $30,000 more than us and had a Full Time proactive Mayor. 3 extra days which at our TA's expense rate would have cost Templeton an additional $97,500 based on Carter rate to get the same coverage.
We are getting ripped off!
The advisory committee folks are the only ones with their eye on the ball. Keep their feet to the fire. Carter's goal is to force out or fire anybody who does not "tow the line" to his micromanagement style. just sayin'
ReplyDeleteSurprise Surprise, this was a known fact before he was hired and then re hired. Just Google this guy and see the trail of destruction he has left behind in every town he was involved in
ReplyDeleteThat current selectboard was well aware of his history and still hired him
It's like hiring a pedophile as a daycare teacher
Well, I am still waiting for the Att. General to come and get me ! Seems like it will be a long wait. It is time for the people in this town to wake up and smell the stench coming from our Town Hall. As long as people read the crap the Gardner News pushes out as news, and the people believe it, not much will change. We will be pushed deeper and deeper in debt with out a dam thing to show for it. Hopefully the younger people in Town will have more balls then the old people do and revolt.
DeleteAnyone want to start a petition to get rid of our TA, and I will be more than happy to help !
DeleteI'm all for that Bev. If our Board of Selectman does nothing at their next meeting regarding the TA I'm 100% behind a citizens petition to remove our TA and any members of the Board of Selectman who vote to retain our present failure.
DeleteNo more Mr. Nice Guy. Our present BOS lead by John Caplis has failed to oversee our Administration. None of the BOS members have a Management back round and appear blind to the lack of over site.
Will anyone from our BOS stand up and demand change????
There's a fine line between fishing and just standing on the shore like an idiot.
ReplyDeleteSteven Wright
Didn't it seem strange to anyone, this person who was supposed to learn the ropes was not at any meeting with the Advisory Committee and the TA. As a matter of fact, I had never been introduced to this young man, period ! The thing was, this was during budget season ! This young man invested in us by coming here with the expectation he would learn and grow in order to help us out. It should have been a win, win for everyone. We are out funds we spent while this young man sat around twiddling his thumbs, waiting for the ship to come in ! None of this is his doing. Thankfully he chose to not take our money, and do next to nothing! I wish him the best, and hope he will find what he has been looking for in a more stable setting !
Delete
ReplyDeleteDepending on my mood, I sometimes but not always refrain from pointing out what a breathtakingly insulting and patronizing ...
I don’t think today will be one of those days.
How mendacious of you Bev to write that.
Actually, Eric did do some things in his short time here, perhaps the biggest of and least mentioned was being on the capital planning committee, thus maintain a quorum and allowing the committee to conduct business. Eric did a very good job regarding the meeting / discussion on the whole cannabis / hemp situation, including keeping order with regards to one attendee. This situation gave a window's glance into the options available to Templeton, even as this one did not go as presented. Eric was present at the budget meetings where Advisory Committee (the members that made the meetings)selectmen and the T/A and I spoke with him on numerous occaisions. Very approachable guy.
ReplyDeleteJeff, I never said he wasn't all the things you say he is. None of this was his doing. It is not his failure ! This missed opportunity will hurt the community as a whole. Just who will be willing to walk in his foot steps after this failure ? No one with a half a brain ! This young man has enough sense to get out while the getting was good.
DeleteIncredulous
ReplyDeletePosting here as well as I think it’s a good response to Blog creator , Bev Bart and Bob M .
ReplyDelete“Without looking forward to an extremity of this kind (which nevertheless ought not to be entirely out of sight), the common and continual mischiefs of the spirit of party are sufficient to make it the interest and duty of a wise people to discourage and restrain it.
It serves always to distract the public councils and enfeeble the public administration. It agitates the community with ill-founded jealousies and false alarms, kindles the animosity of one part against another, foments occasionally riot and insurrection. It opens the door to foreign influence and corruption, which finds a facilitated access to the government itself through the channels of party passions. Thus the policy and the will of one country are subjected to the policy and will of another.”
GW Farewell Address
I did not mean to imply that Eric did nothing, but he could have done much more to expand his knowledge. Having this young man reminds me of how when I was a child, at Thanksgiving the kids did not get to sit at the adult table. The same applies to this situation. I do not think this young man was treated as an equal, even though he was here for a reason. No matter how you cut it, our Administration failed him miserably, and in turn failed us also. Simple as that !
DeleteWell I agree with that statement Bev to a point.
ReplyDeleteWithout the knowledge as to why from him ( Eric) then his leaving is simple conjecture.