Last night's meeting was notable, once again, for its lack of decorum and courtesy towards long serving town officials. Town Clerk, Linda Jette, was in to give her recommendations for a new hire to replace one of her staff that has left., In the past, the proceedure was that Linda would post the job and field responses, and give the selectmen her recommendation, for then to hire, much the same as the police chief does forr his dept., remember that the town clerk does not work for the selectmen, but is an elected official, however her staff are town employees, and therefore the selectmen do the hiring.
Selectmen Chairman, Sapia, scolded Ms. Jette, on camera, regarding her posting the job, and screening candidates. He felt she should have come, hat in hand, to beg the selectmen to post, screen, and hire her staff, which is totally within their rights; However, that has not been the proceedure in the past, so why would Sapia reasonably expect her to do that now?
Wouldn't it have been better if the selectmen were going to establish a new proceedure to inform all dept. heads, town officials, and committee chairs, BEFOREHAND? Wouldn't that have been better than just waiting for someone to do it the old way, and then embarrass them on camera before the entire town? Sapia is establishing a track record for this, he also did it in 2005 with then budget committee chair Mark Acciard.
This behavior is obviously indicative of the total lack of respect the selectmen have for anyone and everyone else. They do what they want without regard for how it will affect anyone else, and offer no consideration when their hils are not adhered to. For all of selectman Sapia's incessant whining about people's disrespect towards himself, One would think he would be a little more respectful towards others, but apparently the lesson about the golden rule never stuck with him.
The deputy town clerk, if you have one, is different from other employees in the town clerk's office. The deputy clerk is hired by the town clerk with approval from the selectmen. See RSA 41:18. The BOS can only say yea or nay to the clerk's choice, and the clerk drives the hiring process.
ReplyDeleteI think the key issue in last night's meeting was that the Selectmen were surprised that the employee left, feeling they should have been notified (and they're probably right.) They discovered it when it was posted on the cable TV. However!!! Mrs. Jette HAD advised the town administrator of the pending resignation on April 30. Linda mentioned that, adding "Do I have to notify all four of you guys?"
ReplyDeleteMy question is: Why was Linda catching hell and the administrator was not? Linda did nothing wrong. The administrator is a jerk.
You are right, this is similar to what Jack and Chief did to me as budget committee chair in 2005, with one major exception...
ReplyDeleteIn 2005, the budget committee's minutes-taker was resigning because, as she said, Fred Childs mentioned that she was double-dipping by transcribing the minutes from meetings at which she worked the camera. I explained this to the committee, and informed them that I had asked the two former budcom chairmen, what had they done to get someone to take minutes? I informed the committee that they had told me that they had always simply asked people if they wanted to do it, then tried them out.
The kicker to all of this is for the three meetings in which this issue was discussed, and I asked both the people watching at home, and the committee members if they knew of anyone who would do this, Jack just sat there at the table as our selectman, ex-officio member and said nothing. Then in Nov. when I went into the selectmen's meetings to correct lies that were stated the previous week, Jack hits me with questions about circumventing the hiring practices, accusing me of breaking the law, on camera, in a public meeting, when he knew damn well, that he could have said something at any time during the process to let us know, that the selectmen preferred to do the hiring, but he didnt.
This lack of courtesy is a lion's share of the problem in Atkinson. And the article is correct, this is the actions of someone who constantly complains about disrespect on the parts of others.
This is called hypocracy.
Over the years, there was a reason why the Budget Committee never went through the Selectmen to hire a clerk; nobody wanted the job.
ReplyDeleteIt is, after all, a seasonal, part time job where the clerk is required to attend one meeting a week between September and January (excluding Thanksgiving week and Christmas....sometimes New Years and Election Day.) Total pay for the year is around $500...maybe higher now, but not a heck of a lot.
For several years, when the Committee tried unsuccessfully to find someone to do the job, I did it. Before anyone asks, I was not double-dipping because I volunteered my time with the Budget Committee. It was helpful to the Budget Committee, by the way. As the Selectmen's Assistant, I was able to hand over all the warrant articles ahead of time, enabling the BC time for adequate discussion and consideration.
This year I believe the clerk is the wife of one of the members, as she was last year. I'm also pretty sure that after the grief and agony dished out to Mark, the position was posted and there was one applicant...the member's wife.
The Selectmen need to spend more time on important matters. Their job is to manage the prudential affairs of the town while allowing their staff of department heads to do what they were appointed or elected to do. Micro-management is not in their job description.
but they seem to enjoy micro managing more than doing their job.
ReplyDeleteIT still remains that if they want to change a way of doing things, they need to let people know! If they don't then they have no reason to get mad when the person does it the way it has always been done.
ReplyDeletejust one more issue where Sapia can be a hypocrit. There have been so many.
ReplyDeleteSapia is what you get as a result of voter apathy. Once the pattern of abuse is established, it then prevents anyone without armor plated skin from running for office.
ReplyDeleteI would love to be able to move back to town and take Mark's former "official" place as "Thorn In (Fill in the blank)'s side.
I'd have to wait until the chief retired though. He may still hold a vendetta for stuff I did as a juvenile. (Mark knows some of it)
the better question is why would Jack want to snub Chuck Early as planning board member, in favor of the conservation guy, who didn't even submit an application?
ReplyDeletecould it be because Chuck is a straight shooter who has no tolerance or respect for Jack's sniveling, backstabbing, behind the scenes, machinations, and lets him know it?
A "softball" question:
ReplyDeleteBecause, Chuck voted "wrongly", according to Sapia, on the Boyle fire road/hydrant question. This is pay-back.
also because in that same issue Chuck refused, correctly, to step off the board at Jack and psuedo- lawyer Polito's request, claiming that as a firefighter, he had an interest in a hydrant being placed in town. Ridiculuos from the two men who say their is no conflict in a police chief signing a voucher to give himself a $1,300 union benefit, when the union contract excludes him.
ReplyDeletedo what they say, not what they do
Donna Sullivan - another member of the PB who voted "wrongly" on the Boyle project - was kicked off last year. Teddy's next.
ReplyDeleteSad to see Sapia's willingness to throw such a long serving town official. The man has no class at all.
ReplyDeleteMost statutory committees have legal authority to hire clerks and other staff without selectmen approval, including the conservation commission and all land use boards. But not the budget commmittee. For some reason, hiring staff is not mentioned in their powers under RSA 32:16.
ReplyDeleteDanville switched to an elected planning board 3 years ago in the aftermath of the selectmen kicking off 2 longtime members.
You are correct, Curt, however the way it had always been done in Atkinson, was the committee simply found someone who was willing to take minutes, and they were paid $400-$500/yr. to do it. The selectmen had every right to demand that they hire the clerk, however for one of their number to sit there week after week and say nothing about thier change in policy, then for that person to accuse the chairman of breaking the law in front of the entire town is beyond dispicable.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this post and the 13 responses so far, frankly I’m speechless at the hypocrisy of this bog. The Friday, May 4 “A sample of the posts we have been rejecting. Do you want to see more?” is purported to show that a “town official” posted bilge. I read that “bilge” and while what is posted is not kind to several residents, it pales in comparison to what this blog has posted previously. A recent example, the Tuesday, May 15 “Lack of Decorum once again on the part of our Selectmen” article and responses. Here is a sample that I think is equal to or worse than what this blog calls “bilge”. Publius, you are NOT fair and balanced. Shame on you!
ReplyDeleteExamples:
For all of selectman Sapia's incessant whining about people's disrespect towards himself, One would think he would be a little more respectful towards others, but apparently the lesson about the golden rule never stuck with him.
My question is: Why was Linda catching hell and the administrator was not? Linda did nothing wrong. The administrator is a jerk.
just one more issue where Sapia can be a hypocrit. There have been so many.
I'd have to wait until the chief retired though. He may still hold a vendetta for stuff I did as a juvenile. (Mark knows some of it)
Jack and psuedo- lawyer Polito's request, claiming that as a firefighter, he had an interest in a hydrant being placed in town. Ridiculuos from the two men who say their is no conflict in a police chief signing a voucher to give himself a $1,300 union benefit, when the union contract excludes him.
Sad to see Sapia's willingness to throw such a long serving town official. The man has no class at all.
interesting, you took comments from a number of different people, and choose to indict Publius with these disparate comments, these are recitations of factual events, and in one case a persons opinion. That is vastly different from one man's blatent denigration of people with whom he disagrees, said denigration not concerning those people's ideas, but childish insults about their personal lives.
ReplyDeleteanon 6:55, as you are the only reader who will recognize yourself. Because You are wrong and we will not let you use this blog to reframe the bad things you have already said. As the saying goes. Sooo Bye
ReplyDeleteTo Anonymous May 17, 2007 8:30 PM,
ReplyDeleteFortuitously for you, the Plaistow Town Crier has graciously offerred to print any rants that Atkinson residents wish to post. So, Frank, Tom, Dick...(again, I am guessing from the syntax and word usage here) if you feel that your infantile ramblings are not getting enough play on this blog, you are more than welcome to click on the link on the home page, and post there.
Too bad that you have to use your name and email address though to post there, guess you will just have to strap some on.
To Anonymous May 17, 2007 8:30 PM
ReplyDeleteFurther, your legal opinions would carry more weight if you stopped relying on Google, and instead tried Sheppard's, Black's, Lexis-Nexis, all of which you can access for free at 1 Noble dr.
Check those out, then for once, you will actually know what you are talking about. Have a nice day, I will look for you on the Town Crier.
The thing I don't understand about this site is why almost everybody, including the proprietor, posts anonymously.
ReplyDeleteHow do you expect to be taken seriously if you won't put your real name on your posts.
I realize that some people can't afford to put their names on their posts, for example town employees who depend on town jobs to put bread on the table.
But the rest of you -- what's up with this? Are you really that afraid of your selectmen and your police chief? As you (whoever) has already posted, these people don't really have very much power.
How do you do? With all discretion,anonymous is best. Please read all, inquire into Atkinson character(s). Then reach your own conclusions as to the truth printed here. You may create your own epiphany.
ReplyDeleteMr. Springer, I'll annswer your well put question,
ReplyDeleteThe last three years has seen anyone who speaks p critically of the selectmen and the chief; followed through town, issued traffic tickets by hand delivery to their home(never in person as normal) sued personally, had their business assoc. called and told that they are under investigation by the Atkinson PD, spoken derisively about at selectmen's meetings, even written about in the town report, and found themselves accused of breaking the law, on camera in selectmen's meetings.
For these reasons and many others people who have wished to speak p for a long time, back lacked the will for a protracted low intensity war, are now speaking up anonymously.
As for me I post under my own name because the government of the town I have grown up in for 40 years can not do any worse to me than they have already done.
I hope that answers your questions.