The Select Board met for its first “full-length” meeting since the town-wide election to reappoint positions on all other boards, committees, and commissions. However, the board’s newest addition, Bret Murray, took the opportunity to suggest a change he wanted to make to the core reappointment process.
Once Board Chair Erin Noonan reviewed all the names to be reappointed, it was time for the Select Board to vote on their reinstatement. Before the vote took place, however, Murray made his case to have the volunteer boards put on hold. His argument for doing so was two-fold.
“You get elected on Tuesday, and less than 24 hours later you’re asked to reappoint all these people,” Murray said. “Some of them you might know, some of them you might not. So part of it is to find out when a good time is to reappoint these boards… The other reason is citizens wanting policies and procedures in place with these different boards. So, that’s why we wanna put this on pause so we can look at this over the next four months and go through it.”
Murray explained at the June 28 meeting that the additional months would give the board time to review specifics such as term length, positions, and interest from the volunteers themselves.
Fellow Board member Moses Grader was the first to make counter-arguments to Murray’s idea. Grader’s initial feedback had to do with his concern that putting a halt on the renewal of volunteer boards would make the volunteers themselves feel they were in an “uncertain status.”
Murray responded by saying it would be the board’s responsibility to make it clear to them that it is about finding the best time to reappoint positions, as opposed to positions actually being in jeopardy.
Grader compared this situation to when he restructured the Fair Housing Committee last year, in that it would require the same amount of sensitivity if the board went through with Murray’s motion.
“It was a delicate exercise,” Grader said. “We were deliberate and sensitive to the impact that a restructuring would have on the existing volunteer members, and were very careful to secure their broad acceptance and participation in the changes we were proposing through transparent discussion and respectful negotiation. I believe all reviews of volunteer committees will require similar levels of attention and care.”
After a healthy discussion between the two, Grader ultimately voted in favor of Murray’s motion along with Noonan and Board member Alexa Singer. However, he said he still hopes to compromise by having this year’s volunteer board members reappointed eventually.
“I decided to vote in favor because I wanted to give my colleagues the benefit of the doubt,” Grader explained. “I also support the general objectives of a responsive review.”
“In addition to communicating my general agreement, supporting the current motion gives me the option to appeal to my Board colleagues to reconsider the motion at the next Select Board meeting,” he added. “I hope that, after about two weeks of thought and feedback from the community, we will consider honoring the slate of existing volunteers by appointing them.”
Jim Nye was the sole member who did not vote in favor, and at the meeting he lent his opinion about what he thought Murray’s true objectives with this hold were.
“It pains me to say it, but I’m really worried on who’s going to be the sacrificial committee,” Nye said at the meeting. “Because it’s pretty clear that this is all about the Finance Committee and the Harbors and Waters Board. And just to make this seem like it isn’t, one of these other committees is gonna suffer by getting cut.”
Nye went on to clarify that based on the last two years of the reappointment process, those two boards have garnered the most attention, as opposed to others that have “breezed right through.”
Finance Committee Chair Alec Goolsby spoke on behalf of himself and his fellow committee members, saying that they are not worried that the Select Board is actively trying to cut or replace any of their positions specifically.
“I don’t think there’s anybody on the Select Board, with respect to the Finance Committee, that is looking to not re-appoint someone,” Goolsby said.
Goolsby added that with the exception of Murray, who he has not gotten to know yet, he has a great relationship with the rest of the current Select Board.
With Murray’s motion passing on a 4-1 vote, all current volunteer terms are extended until Nov. 1.