In
the two days I have observed some things that are
disquieting.
The kindest adjective I can render regarding Tuesday
evening’s discussion around the appointments
of two applicants for Ordinance Review Committee is
embarrassing. One applicant currently occupying the
alternate’s seat was given indication from the
Manager that they would be the preferred candidate
for a full position. Since the Manager speaks on the
Council’s behalf, the applicant was likely surprised,
at best, to arrive at the Council's meeting only to
discover that their candidacy was not on the agenda,
and that the Order to appoint contained another name.
The other applicant followed what he had likely been
told was the correct procedure, having offering himself
for a public interview after having indicated his
written interest in the position, only to listen to
a protracted discussion from Council as to whether
his candidacy was legitimate.
On Wednesday morning, I discovered that a third candidate’s
ORC application had been duly sent to Town Office,
but never surfaced appropriately. As a result, his
candidacy was not even entertained.
On Thursday, at 7:15 a.m., a single digit degree morning,
remember, a citizen arrived to observe the publicized
Finance Committee meeting, only to discover that the
meeting had been changed to the next week. The kindest
adjective I can provide to describe her feelings on
the subject would be ... aggravated.
Council, on behalf of citizens and volunteers who
take the time to do their diligence, offering themselves
as a partner of the municipal process, please straighten
out the issues are that are causing these afflictions.
They are a demonstration of poor people handling skills,
not to mention embarrassing, disenfranchising, and
unnecessary.
