MOOREcol.021705. . . . . .31 Hed : For the bored Board The tide is turning By BOB MOORE This column attempts to clear up the confusion over the selectmen's sudden 18-month extension of Town Manager George King's contract on Thursday, Feb. 10 - a week ago. This column's not about King and his $129,000 salary. It's about the Board of Selectmen : its 4-1 subservience to King and, most of all, its failure to lead the town and set policy for the manager. Bluntly, the board sits; King sets. The manager is within his rights. He has four "yes votes," and is not afraid to take the initiative. Since his appointment in 1999, he has brought order - however achieved - to a town that was "disorderly." On the other hand, the board at its infrequent meetings - only seven since last September - has done little to keep up with a heavy workload. That's been noticed by a usually passive public and the unrest has given life to a growing desire for shakeup of the 4-1 board at the April 5 election. Then last week the major four [Murphy, Sisitsky, Hopkins, Ross] stepped in and, at a closed meeting, amended [again] King's contract 18 months [until Dec. 31, 2007] lest he be wooed away by another town which he said had made him an offer. This unexpected move jolted residents and touched off immediate confusion. So much, that we began to hear: It's time for a city; that would "solve it all." Quick, do something! Look around! Which way to turn? Well, on April 5, a little more than a month away, is Election Day. Three serious candidates, pledged to make a change, are running : FinCom member Dennis Giombetti; Town Meeting Member Ellen LaRose and ex-Rep. John Stasik who served 10 years on the Planning Board. Uh, WHAT IS NORMAL? - This board rolls blandly along. I sometime wonder if the members have any idea of how the public sees them? At a last moment they act to make sure that what they've done is normal. That "do it and move on" attitude prevails. "Astonishing" was the mildest reaction I heard last week. The remark came from a town meeting member who listens and raises questions. Another persistent reader called me : "Wow, these people act like they're on Beacon Hill. The pols in there could come out here and learn a few things." Is the board aware of how it's taken "out here"? I think we'll see some reminder come April 5. I've never seen so many so determined. Well, two members of the 4-1 majority - Chris Ross and Esther Hopkins - have backed out. Change personnel, not the system. That leaves Kate Murphy and Charlie Sisitsky alone. Murphy is looking to be named chairman. She's already said [in The Boston Globe] that the 4-1 system is working perfectly. How's that again? As one observer would say that should make things "interesting" next month WHAT'S UP ? - That's the picture. As to the confusion, it abounds. To recap Feb. 3, King informed the board he'd twice been offered a similar job at an unnamed community for an undisclosed salary and conditions. But he preferred to remain here. What happened that day. King said that afternoon he'd received the offer again. He conferred with Town Counsel Chris Petrini, a close friend. What followed was a statement to be shown to the board for its signature. It praised his service. The wording was similar to the press release handed out the next morning by Chairman Ross. The result : The 4-1 board acted to lock in the King contract before it lost its majority. No action by the new board can change that, and King's contract, due to expire on June 30, 2006, is extended to Dec. 31, 2007. And the generous contract he'd gotten last August is continued. You can amend contracts that way, I guess. Of interest are the board's reasons given by the majority, was that since CFO Virginia Cahill had just left her $100,000 post, the loss of King would leave the town without adequate personnel to take over. Cahill's departure was the rage. Somehow no one mentioned Assistant Manager Mark Purple as a successor. How come? For four years Purple had been assistant town manager. The job pays $100,000. And he's not considered? Question : Why are we paying $100,000 for the No. 2 post and no one thinks that he could take over? There's something missing there. Is this another case of the present board lallygagging along? Nobody'll question us, so why bother? Well, almost no one did, until now. Maybe you can see why John Kahn now calls this board "dysfunctional". In good faith, Kahn had once pushed for the election of these four. The tide is turning. ________________________________________________________ You can reach Bob Moore at edmoore4@aol.com or at 1-508-620-1449. To unsubscribe, send email to majordomo@syslang.net with body unsubscribe frambors (the subject is ignored). Please read the Frequently Asked Questions maintained online at http://frambors.syslang.net/faq/about.html before posting or replying.