SELECTMEN’S MEETING MINUTES
OCTOBER 10, 2000
(see addendum on last page)
The
Board of Selectmen met this evening at the Easton Junior High School
Auditorium. In attendance were members
William Hardin, Patricia Webster, Carla Goodwin, Leo Harlow, Jeffrey Tufts and
Interim Town Administrator Martha White.
On
Harlow’s motion, seconded by Hardin, the Board voted 4-0-1 to approve Executive
Session Minutes dated 5/22/00a. Tufts
abstained.
On
Harlow’s motion, seconded by Hardin, the Board voted 4-0-1 to approve Executive
Session Minutes dated 5/22/00b. Tufts
abstained.
On
Harlow’s motion, seconded by Goodwin, the Board voted 3-0-2 to approve Executive
Session Minutes dated 6/26/00a. Tufts
and Hardin abstained.
On
Harlow’s motion, seconded by Goodwin, the Board voted 3-0-2 to approve Executive
Session Minutes dated 6/26/00b. Tufts
and Hardin abstained.
On
Harlow’s motion, seconded by Goodwin, the Board voted 3-0-2 to approve Executive
Session Minutes dated 6/28/00. Tufts and Hardin abstained.
On
Harlow’s motion, seconded by Webster, the Board voted 2-0-3 to approve General
Minutes dated 6/30/00. Goodwin, Hardin
and Tufts abstained and were not present at the 6/30/00 meeting.
On
Harlow’s motion, seconded by Webster, the Board voted 2-0-3 to approve Executive
Session Minutes dated 6/30/00. Goodwin,
Hardin and Tufts abstained and were not present at the 6/30/00 meeting.
On
Webster’s motion, seconded by Harlow, the Board voted unanimously to give
recognition to Fred Clark for his years as Selectmen and to further have a
plaque made in his honor, per the usual
procedure.
Hardin
motioned to
nominate Carla Goodwin Chair of the Board of Selectmen. Tufts seconded the motion.
Harlow
motioned to
nominate Patricia Webster Chair of the Board of Selectmen. Webster seconded the motion.
The
Board voted 3-2 by roll-call to nominate Goodwin as Chair of the Board of
Selectmen.
Goodwin-Goodwin,
Hardin-Goodwin, Webster-Webster, Harlow-Webster, Tufts-Goodwin.
On
Tuft’s motion, seconded by Goodwin, the Board voted unanimously to nominate
Hardin as Clerk of the Board.
At
this point, Webster asked Goodwin if
she would like to chair the meeting. Goodwin agreed.
Goodwin noted that the Town has been traumatized and needs to be restored to wholeness. From this point forward, we all must commit to working together and view others actions in the positive. At this point Goodwin asked the Board to take the Town Administrator Selection process forward.
On
Tuft’s motion, seconded by Hardin, the Board voted unanimously to take the TA
Selection Process Discussion out of order.
Goodwin
referred to the advertisement with the amendments to move forward. Tufts suggested that in light of the last 6
months that the Board not go forward with the advertisement. He noted that the new board had not
collectively discussed this.
Tufts
motioned to
hold the submission of the advertisement and to enter into discussions to
re-hire Mr. Paicos, with full knowledge that the deadlines for the
advertisement would not be met. Hardin
seconded the motion.
Harlow
referred to the last 6 months. He noted
that now Mr. Clark and Mr. Paicos are gone.
He suggested that the loss of the landfill money was directly the
responsibility of Mr. Paicos because of his divisiveness and deceit. He urged that the Board should hire a new
Town Administrator and do what is right for the Town of Easton.
Tufts
noted that he has a job to do and that people want results from the Board and
Mr. Paicos is the best person to take over the Town. He knows the town’s information and this would be the quickest
way for the Town to move forward.
Harlow noted the $500,000 in arrears regarding the landfill. He further noted that there were bids for
the capping under 2 million dollars.
This decision would bring us back to a man who has deceived us.
Hardin
expressed disappointment with Harlow.
He noted that most of what Harlow was saying was not true. We live in a democracy and people have
spoken very clearly about what they wanted.
He referred to the recall. We
must follow oath and people clearly want this.
He referred to Mr. Paicos as one of the finest Town Administrators in
the Commonwealth. We will be hiring an
extremely competent person. He is
widely recognized as a genius of municipal finance. We would be remiss in not putting these two things together. To hire the best person we must go with the
wishes of the voters and the majority want Mr. Paicos.
Webster
noted that in May of 2000 she voted not to renew Paicos contract because she
feels Easton needs an A-Political
Administrator. She does not feel that
Mr. Paicos puts the Town’s interest first. He violated the severance
contract. This Board must put this in
retrospect. She also referred to the
landfill problem. She referred to the
Town Charter which states that the Selectmen should not interfere with the day
to day problems. Webster criticized
Paicos for not having adequate veterans money over the last four years and
questioned why money was being spent on retreats after the Selectmen voted to
eliminate the line item. Webster
questioned Goodwin’s motives for hiring Mr. Paicos after she clearly stated
recently that he was not what was best for the town. Harlow referred to Executive Session Minutes in 1997 when Mr. Paicos did not have the voted to
renew his contract. At this point Tufts
objected to Harlow’s comments and noted that the motion to be voted was to
re-hire Mr. Paicos and not to damage his character. He objected further because Mr. Paicos was not even present to
defend himself. Goodwin noted that
everyone has been under a great deal of stress and will allow people to express
their opinions. Webster stated she was
disappointed that after working on the process of advertising, we would discuss
something else. She noted that the
deadlines were upcoming (10/12&10/13).
She referred to the Board’s vote of last week to move forward. Harlow noted that if we suspend the TA
search, there would be a 10-taxpayer suit due to the fact that Mr. Paicos
agreed not to come back for one year.
Goodwin expressed concern with hiring a new TA because of the lengthily
process and the long learning curve that would be required. Part of Goodwin’s decision to considering
re-hiring Mr. Paicos was due to the
fact that she spoke with many people; assessed people during the election;
assessed morale and efficiency of employees; and spoke with Mr. Paicos to
assess the possibility of his involvement with restoring morale of Town
employees and healing the Town. Paicos
is the most logical choice.
Jeff
Webster – Colonial Way
Webster
suggested that Goodwin talk to two other unions about their morale. He also spoke of the 2million dollar
deficit.
Tony
Pires – 34 Williams Street
Pires
acknowledged the opinions of both sides and noted that the Easton Advocates
were not going away. If this Board
votes to bring back Mr. Paicos, Pires would personally be in the forefront of
the appeal. He referred to White’s
ability to run the Town and noted that Paicos’ problem is ethics.
Henry
Mehler – 9 Western Ave
He
referred to the landfill problem, specifically with the liner and the C&D
material. Town Meeting would expect
answers to many questions. Decisions
cannot be made without answers.
Will
Roberge – 30 Western Ave
Mr. Roberge hopes Hardin will stand to convictions and dig deep in his heart and vote the way the people want.
Peter
Downey – 19 Sheridan Street
Downey
referred to Goodwin and the threat of possible recall. He hopes that she reaches the bottom of hear
heart and votes the way she really feels.
He also questioned an ethical problem with Paicos working on the library
project.
At
this point Webster suggested that the Board look at advice as to what happens
after 1/1/01. She also suggested that
the Board talk to M. White as she deserves the consideration of a short-term
discussion contract.
The
main motion was voted 3-2 not to advertise and to
enter into discussions to re-hire Mr. Paicos.
Webster and Harlow opposed.
The position will not be advertised for.
On
Hardin’s motion, seconded by Tufts, the Board voted 3-2 to have an Executive
Session next Monday with Labor Counsel and Mr. Paicos for discussion and
Paicos’ counsel if desired. (specifically not to include Town Counsel Brackett)
Harlow and Webster opposed.
Harlow
motioned to
have Gary Brackett or his designee for the discussion next week re: Mr. Paicos' contract. Webster seconded the motion. The motion was not voted at this time.
Tufts
questioned whether Town Counsel has the ability to be fair and impartial. Harlow suggested that Town Counsel has done
what he has been asked to do. Tufts
expressed concern that on this particular issue and suggested that Brackett has been part of the issue. Tufts agreed with Hardin that bringing in
someone fair and impartial is best.
Goodwin
motioned to
have Mr. Brackett present to discuss the contract. Harlow seconded the motion.
Motion
not voted at this time.
On
Hardin’s motion, seconded by Tufts the Board voted 3-2 to have an Executive
Session to discuss the potential contract with Mr. Paicos, specifically with
reference to the legality of the parameters of the contract. Webster and Harlow opposed. Goodwin confirmed that the Executive Session
would be in two parts, one to discuss the contract and the other to enter into
discussion with Mr. Paicos.
The Board reviewed Draft # (see attached)
On Hardin’s motion, seconded by Tufts, the Board voted
unanimously to have the STM on 10/30/00 at 7pm at the OAHS.
On
Tuft’s motion, seconded by Hardin, the Board voted unanimously to include and
recommend Article 1.
On
Harlow’s motion, seconded by Webster, the board voted 4-1 to include Article
2. Tufts opposed.
On
Harlow’s motion, seconded by Hardin, the Board voted unanimously to delete the
article from the warrant and to discuss at a later date as an agenda item.
On
Harlow’s motion, seconded by Webster, the Board voted unanimously to include
Article 4.
On
Tuft’s motion, seconded by Hardin, the Board voted 4-0-1 to include Articles
5,6,7.
Webster abstained.
On
Tuft’s motion, seconded by Webster, the Board voted unanimously to approve
Article 8.
On
Webster’s motion, seconded by Hardin, the Board voted unanimously to include Article
9.
On
Webster’s motion, seconded by Hardin, the Board voted unanimously to amend the
amount of funding for the article and to also include the amount of funding for
the landfill audit.
Webster
suggested that Mr. Henry Mehler be added to the citizen
subcommittee.
On
Harlow’s motion, seconded by Tuft’s, the Board voted unanimously to include
Article 10.
On
Hardin’s motion, seconded by Harlow, the Board voted unanimously to include and
recommend Article 11.
On
Harlow’s motion, seconded by Hardin, the Board voted unanimously to include and
recommend Article 12.
On
Harlow’s motion, seconded by Hardin, the Board voted unanimously to include and
recommend Article 13.
On
Harlow’s motion, seconded by Hardin, the Board voted 4-0-1 to include and
recommend Article 14.
Tufts
abstained.
On
Harlow’s motion, seconded by Hardin, the Board voted unanimously to approve
Article 15.
On
Tuft’s motion, seconded by Harlow, the Board voted unanimously to include and
recommend an article to add an article to fund the Town Administrator’s
position.
White
noted that these articles are presented in random order and article numbers may
change.
On
Harlow’s motion, seconded by Hardin, the Board voted unanimously to close the
warrant.
White
gave an overview of the work done to date and reiterated that there was no
money left to spend on the project and further that there is no authorization
of a funding source. She noted the
committees that have been meeting weekly.
The citizen committee met for the first time last week and all members
will receive information each week as it comes up. All work has stopped until funding is secured. Some areas have been seeded to stop
erosion. SEA has been authorized to put
out for bid all necessary work. Bids
for contracting work will be done 11/8.
Hopefully work can begin as soon as possible after the bids are
received. Southworth noted that the
rental machinery has been sent back.
Slopes have been seeded and washouts have been repaired. A berm has been built on top. Southworth noted that there have been no
complaints of odor in the last week.
The employees are maintaining the flares. SEA will be sniffing the site.
Michelle
Azevedo – 39 Lantern Lane
Mrs.
Azevedo referred to the former Recycling Committee. Her husband was a member of that group and had knowledge of
hazardous materials being dumped at the landfill. She stated that this was a liability issue. Lots of things were dumped that never should
have been dumped there. She referred
to the times that the police had been called on her husband every time he asked
a question at the landfill about the material.
Goodwin
noted that a presentation would be given at Town Meeting which will answer many
questions.
David
Brown – 14 Linden Street
He
asked if there will ever be an outcome or just cover-up by cover-up. White indicated that she had no intentions
to cover anything up.
Joe
Krowski-143 Summer Street
He
expressed concern with Mr. Paicos coming back.
He questioned how the audit will be performed if he comes back. He noted that Mr. Paicos was responsible for
the landfill.
Gill
Heino – 28 Elm Street
Mr.
Heino questioned when he could gain access to the landfill. White responded that Mr. Heino should call
Southworth to schedule an appointment to get on the landfill site. Heino complained that there was still odor
in the neighborhood.
Peter Downey asked that Mr. Mehler be put on the Board of Selectmen sub-committee, not the
citizen committee. It was agreed by the
Board that Mr. Mehler would be included on the Selectmen’s Sub-committee.
Harlow
referred to White’s recent memo and stated the his ability to get information
is limited if he must go through White
for everything. White responded that
the intention of the memo was to make the job of the Board easier and in no way
was intended to hide anything. The
memo was written due to the fact that certain Selectmen were going directly to
departments or employees for research, and in some cases at an extensive level.
Hardin
noted that it was clear that the Board was not to interfere in the day-to-day
activities of the DPW. Webster
responded that she had no problem going through White. She stressed that the Board must be mindful
of the employees and how we treat each other.
Harlow
asked the status of the composting issue.
White reported that Endriunas Brothers accepts some composting and the
BOH Director is checking for other participants. Harlow asked that the public be advised as soon as possible.
Goodwin
noted that the Board’s next meetings were 10/16 and 10/30. There would be no meeting on 10/23.
Goodwin proposed that the Board meet with a facilitator and if costs
were to be incurred, she would absorb the cost. She asked the Board to think about this issue.
D.
Murphy from the Enterprise asked if the packets and public participation would
continue for each Selectmen’s meeting.
Goodwin stated that the packets would continue and the public participation
would continue but would be limited to time.
B. Parker from the Easton Journal asked her feeling on the proposed recall. She noted that if the assumption was made that her decision to re-hire Mr. Paicos was based on recall, that is totally not true.
On
Harlow’s motion, seconded by Hardin, the Board voted unanimously by roll-call to
adjourn Open Session, to go into Executive Session, for the purpose of
negotiating acquisition of real estate and union negotiations. (10:05)
Tufts
yes, Harlow yes, Webster yes, Hardin yes, Goodwin yes.
The
Board reconvened Open Session at 11:22pm.
On
Hardin’s motion, seconded by Harlow, the Board voted unanimously by roll-call
to go into Executive Session to discuss time sensitive potential litigation, no
to return to Open Session. (11:24pm).
____________________________________
Approved
____________________________________
Date