Apparently, Folks, We have a lttle problem in town of late. Apparently warrant articles ammended on town floor were printed on the ballot incorrectly. now the ballots have to be re-printed. Furthermore, the absentee ballots have to be re-printed and re-mailed. Now this blog knows not who is responsible, for this fiasco, but the printing of the ballot is the job of the selectmen.
What about the cost? What doe sit cost to reprint the ballot, and the added mailing costs? Why haven't we heard discussion about this at selectmen's meetings? And first and foremost, how are the 19 townspeople currently serving in Afghanistan and Iraq going to get their ballots, vote and return them by March 13, only 14 days away?
Whenever a voter has been disenfranchised by a government official it is serious. Who is going to get reprimanded for this? Someone needs to take responsibility for it!
As all of us Veterans know, S.N.A.F.U. is a military acronym for Situation Normal, All F**ked Up!
It is the responsibility of the Selectmen's Office to prepare the warrant. The Selectmen then sign, thus giving it their approval. There apparently are no proof-readers in the Selectmen's Office. I suspect the mistake was found in the Town Clerk's Office, because those ladies do a super proof-reading job.
ReplyDeleteI think I heard the Selectmen say it is necessary to replace a page or two of the annual report which, fortunately, has not yet been printed yet, so there should be no additional costs. It would be nice to know how much additional cost there is for the ballot. Moreover, have the computer chips for the voting machines already been prepared, or do they also require editing?
You're right....situation is normal...just like the past couple of years.
This is a shame . Something so simple, yet is so very difficult for our three amigo's. Nice job guys!
ReplyDeleteDon't blame the Selectmen entirely...the warrant was prepared by somebody who wasn't very careful to ensure it's accuracy.
ReplyDeleteAnd don't call the Selectmen the three Amigos. THEY were funny; the Selectmen are not.
wasn't our $60,000/yr town administrator supposed to save the town time and money? Warrant articles have been late since he was hired, ballot printing and warrant printing late, is it because of him, or are the selectmen not doing their jobs?
ReplyDeleteHope the Selectmen plan to put a letter of reprimand in the file of the person who is expected to properly prepare the warrat.
ReplyDeleteI think you ought to read the RSA before you assign blame. The town clerk is responsible for preparing the ballot, not the selectmen. The selectmen are only responsible for preparing the warrant for deliberative session. Oh, and by the way, the town clerk is on vacation and can't be reached to deal with this
ReplyDeleteYou're right. The Town Clerk prepares the ballot...it's her job. But the Warrant is the responsibility of the Selectmen, and that's why it carries their signatures. The Selectmen are also responsible for the Town Report. If the Warrant appears in the Town Report, it bears their signatures and they are responsible. The Town Clerk prepares the minutes of the Deliberative Session. The Selectmen have two options in determing the correct wording for the amended warrant. They can note it themselves (or have someone there to do that) or they can contact the Town Clerk. The wisest thing to do is both, thereby ensuring the wording is correct.
ReplyDeleteSorry anonymous, what appears in the town report is actually the ballot (we are a senate bill 2 town). The sole reposnibility for the wording is the town clerk and her minutes are the lawful record. Using anything else is not legal and just begs for bigger mistakes than this one. We all know that "shit happens" and this is not the first time there has been human error. Last year the district ballot had an error. It seems like this blog blames everything on the selectmen. I'm just waiting to see how the failure of the war in Iraq is their fault :-)
ReplyDeleteExcuse me. I don't/didn't intend to blame the Selectmen for these errors. I will blame the Selectmen's office, though. To the best of my knowledge, the Selectmen don't - and probably never have - "prepared" a warrant. They approve what is handed to them. And you're right - the town clerk's records are the "legal" source. However, time is a key factor in this case. Corrections need to be made quickly so the ballots can get to the printer (1st priority) and the town report can be finalized. The Selectmen sit next to the Town Clerk at Deliberative Session. It is not - and has never been - difficult to confer with her on the proper wording at the time the article is voted on. It's worked successfully for SEVERAL, with two exceptions. The warrant had to be quickly amended to eliminate proposed zoning ordinances because of the Lewis Court Case. One other omission was a petitioned article, shortly thereafter. It would have worked this year if "someone" had bothered to consult the Town Clerk at the time. In all honesty, I blame our $60,000 Town Administrator whose job is to do everything right in order to make the Selectmen look good.
ReplyDeleteWell it looks like we have another major mistake, the vendor peyments and employee salaries are missing.
ReplyDeleteWhat has happened in the selectmen's office in the past three years? They can't seem to get this stuff right. We never had these problems with Donna Sullivan, or Elaine Woodbury, Or Jane Cole, or Vic Richards.