Sunday, July 20, 2014

Do the public's business in public

Sentinel Editorial

Alstead’s selectmen made it clear this week the town’s finances are in trouble.
Though the town has only six full-time employees, the board sent letters to all six, advising them to seriously consider alternative employment if they can. It was an unusual move that could be interpreted as either an extraordinarily generous heads-up or, more cynically, as a scare tactic aimed at voters heading into the next budget cycle.
Selectman Matthew Saxton insists the letter was meant only to give the town’s workers notice that next year’s budget may call for cuts, so they might want to jump on any employment chances that come their way. To elaborate, the board then scheduled a meeting with those employees — behind closed doors, in clear violation of the state’s open-meeting laws.
Whether the board has the right to meet privately with employees might depend on circumstances and legal interpretation. There are, of course, exceptions to the requirement that elected boards do their business in public.
The board eventually emerged from behind closed doors with a claim the private meeting was to discuss personnel issues and/or matters that could adversely affect the reputation of people not on the board. However, those exemptions are meant to protect individuals; a meeting called for the purpose of discussing the possible future employment of ALL of the town’s full-time workers would not seem to qualify.
As Rob Bertsche, general counsel to the New England Newspaper and Press Association, put it: “… the exemption upon which the selectmen rely applies only to personnel actions of specific, identified employees.

… It is not a reference to a meeting to discuss the mass possibility of not rehiring any and all public employees.”

In any case, Alstead’s board did not, as is required under state law, meet publicly first to vote on such a move, nor did it cite, until after the fact, what exemptions to the state’s open-meeting law it felt warranted the session. Pressed by a Sentinel reporter beforehand to justify closing the doors, it dismissed any need to do so.

To call the board’s actions disappointing would be underselling the importance of the public’s role in good government. Selectmen Saxton, Joel McCarty and Michael Jasmin slapped the voters and taxpayers of Alstead in the face Tuesday.

All three have been on the board for years, Saxton and McCarty for a decade or longer. Situations involving the Right-to-Know law have undoubtedly come up repeatedly during their tenures. They have no excuse for not following the law.

In closing the doors without a valid vote and without justification, they told the town’s residents: We don’t care what you think. You have no place in this discussion.

They are, of course, mistaken. The town’s residents have every right to be involved in the running of the local government, and to hear the reasoning behind such an unusual letter.

In this case, we imagine Alstead taxpayers are wondering why their town, which is not unlike many others in the region, is facing such a dire fiscal future. They might wonder how much trouble the town is in, and what steps the selectmen have taken to try to head off having to let workers go, if it comes to that. The public has the right to know why, and how, and when and who.

Civics matters. What the government is up to, at every level, matters. It’s not just a case of protecting against corruption and malfeasance, though those are certainly important. It’s also about being able to understand the decisions that are made, and to question those decisions.

The state, in enacting the Right-to-Know statute, showed agreement with these principles.
However, the law is also unwieldy. It involves suing those who break it, something that is costly in time and money, and most often yields only a stern rebuke and a warning to do better.

Because of that, legal challenges based on the statute are few these days.
And that’s led, far too frequently, to officials choosing to duck public discussion simply because they don’t want anyone listening in as they make hard choices.
Alstead’s selectmen have served the town’s interest well in the past. That doesn’t give them a pass on following the law and letting the townspeople in on their decision-making.

 

31 comments:

OFF Topic said...

Newfane VT trying to change the town charter so the selectmen appoint the TOWN CLERK and some other town positions that are voted in. Could be a good thing for towns that have a select board that believe in service instead of total employee protection.

U herd it heer said...

How is a good thing to have select net appoint friends and family who then cannot be removed, rather than letting townspeople choose?

Anonymous said...

Are the selectboard going to appoint a replacement for Ken, because if they aren't it must mean we don't need 5 to get the job done. Is it time for a warrant article for a 3 man board? Maybe its hard to find someone who will blindly follow Sherm agenda.

just ask'n said...

Anyone know why the water on rte 119, Richmond rd, tastes and smells like a swimming pool.

Fed up with nepotism said...

Maybe Smokey the Bear should run for office. He's already parked downtown all the time, and his votes to protect and serve the town's residents would be about as useful as those of the others on Select Board. He wouldn't be putting his relatives on board, either.

Anonymous said...

Next week is another 3 day work week for the chosen few, want to guess on how many will be late to work on Tuesday morning?

fingers Crossed said...

Being late to work, extending the lunch and break times, and going home when ever you get the urge are all things that are apparently okayed by the current people in power. Maybe things will change next spring, there are some good people talking about running, all we have to do is vote.

Give me a break! said...

I see Dales run a round truck is back after what, a couple of months, on a truck that had very little damage.

Anonymous said...

Just Ask'n wanted to know what happened to our water and so do I. Buying bottled water in Winchester should NOT be something that we should be doing. Water bills go up and water quality goes down, what the h---.

what happened? said...

Buying bottled water and not happy.

Anonymous said...

You people having water issues, where is this and what's going on? I didn't see anything in the paper published about this and when I asked at town hall if there were issues with the town's water I got a big nope, everything is up to state code and fine no one has reported any problems to us. Are you people on town water or wells?

Anonymous said...

I can only speak for my self, I'm on town water and its not drinkable. Don't know, but I suspect that the Richmond rd area is all the same. Doesn't the water supervisor live up that way somewhere? Its no joke.

Anonymous said...

I live in that area and have noticed nothing, still seems good to us. Are you maybe having a problem with your line from the Street to your house?

Anonymous said...

If it were just the line to the house it would have been flushed out after useage. I too have issues with foul tasting water. You must be a lucky one.

Anonymous said...

I wonder about the water at the school.

Tastee Wahtah said...

Instead of wasting your time posting and griping about it, call the water department. Sometimes they add too much chlorine. If you tell them, they will dial it back. Always works for me.

Anonymous said...

Sept. 9th is correct, Rick may have a dream job, but he is smart and ambitious, most of us wouldn't be able to pass the tests that it takes to hold his position. Maybe he should be running more then water and sewer.

Anonymous said...

If they keep looking into Dales accident, maybe Rick will be running more then water and sewer. I understand there are people out there that are looking into why legal protocol may not have been followed.

Anonymous said...

So that we all are on the same page here regarding Dale's accident in our town truck; He's driving a town vehicle after hours at night and not doing town business. So he was using it for his own personal use,is that correct? He goes off the road, wrecks the vehicle and does not call the police to report the accident, is that correct? he instead calls someone to come and get him and leaves the scene, is that correct? The next day, because the truck is wrecked, he notifies the selectmen and then a report is filed with the police in which he states he fell asleep as he was under the influence of a prescription drug he was taking. Does anyone believe that crap? Why is he still working for the town? Who's going to pay to have the vehicle repaired and why should we as citizens foot the bill? My question would also be why haven't criminal charges been levied against him for leaving the scene and causing property damage? Who's attempting to cover up this mess, they should go too.

Anonymous said...

So we are all in agreement on, I guess it really depends on what story you hear, and what you choose to believe in?
The story I heard is during the flooding and washed out roads when the road crew was working long damn hours, all day and all night he fell asleep behind the wheel on the clock. No cover up, no hiding it from anyone.
I will admit, your story sounds more dramatic and hints at everyone's favorite pastime "conspiracy theories" but mine sounds a little more reasonable and based in fact.

fed up said...

Typical business as usual for this town,just sweep it under the rug, who cares? We have no one to blame but ourselves for what goes on in this town This site has exposed more bullshyt and the lies and corruption that goes on daily, but the fools in this town refuse to vote to make the changes necessary to turn things around and make a better place for all of us. This latest fiasco is a prime example of a town in ruin governed by self serving people with their hands in the cookie jar and answer to no one and are never held accountable for the despicable things they do at our expense.

Anonymous said...

re: anonymous @ 10:41 am ..
Don't know where you heard "your story" but that is so far from the actual truth it's funny. That must be the crap that has come out of town hall in his support. Nice try in muddying the waters with another tid bit of bullshyt.

Anonymous said...

hey, I'm not muddying up any waters. That is what I heard from 2 sources. It may be true , it may not be. I cant prove my story, yet, can you prove yours? Until someone presents documentation or something that could be reasonably called facts, what are we to do or believe?
And yes, this page may uncover facts, but it gets so lost in the hearsay and hostility and word on the street that no ones knows what to believe. Very sad, because this page could do so much more.

laughing out loud said...

The minute you were told that Dale had worked, should have been a dead give a way, guy does nothing except run around and act like he knows what he's doing. Why in hell do you think we sub out so much work in this town despite spending hundreds of thousands of hard earned tax payer dollars on all the shiny new toys, a personal over equipped truck and other equipment none of the town highways employees know how to use .. Dale, work give me a break You surely don't know him like I do.

Anonymous said...

WMUR- This Morning- Walpole, Best water in NH. Were we in the competition? IF not, why not.

Anonymous said...

Pickle fest is over, beautiful day. A lot of people and organizations made a lot of money, and that's a good thing, but why are the Winchester taxpayers still funding this event when it looks like I should stand on its own? Don't know but I have an idea that the police aren't volunteers like most of the people that make this event a success.

Anonymous said...

Seriously? that's really kind of a stupid question. We subsidize it because its on the ballot and voters feel it is money well spent,and vote for it. One of the last things the town has going for itself anymore, if not the only thing. Extremely small drop in the bucket compared to the return it gives us all. If you don't like helping it, simply vote against it next march.
At least on this we have some say, we get to vote yay or nay, compared to most of the spending going on that we have no say over or we are just ignored and they spend it anyways, like new cruisers etc etc.
I'm more curious about why we are hearing so much about Thayer library and why is this all of a sudden costing tax payers? I have lived her for over 40 years and don't remember once hearing about it costing us money, how did they run it in the past, why is it costing tax payers money now? These are the questions you need to be asking, are you aware they asked for over 17K last year? the budget committee didn't give it to them, but it should still be making people ask what changed and why does this cost us all money now?
School adds over 11 million to our expenses, yet people cant be bothered to go to school board meetings or learn more about cutting cost there, and yet 4 thousands for a pickle festival bothers you.
A town hall full of full time employees and no time clock, Limited services and hours, but still, you question the pickle fest?

Anonymous said...

another stupid question---At the BOS meeting 9/17, the board authorized the landfill superintendent to work 32 hrs. a week to sell dump stickers. The stupid question is, why not use the tax collector, there is nothing pressing in the town hall this time of year that the town clerk cant handle? Heck, she can bring her book.

A Penny Saved said...

OR, another stupid question, he can work all the 32hr weeks he needs, and then take all the 16hr weeks off that would make up for the extra time. I don't think anything would change at the dump while he is gone. Just a note: I have no problem with the way the dump operates.

Anonymous said...

Not pleasant getting dump sticker by landfill super while his cigarette smoke wafts into your car and stinks it up. Smoking on the job in a public place, just sayin??

Anonymous said...

He is Winchester royalty and does what he wants, when he wants.