Time for silent majority to speak

near Meredith Bay. The public lost its trust in the water superintendent and suggested he should be suspended and/or fired, as is common in the private sector when the person who is accountable isn’t. Nothing happened – so we thought. Last week we learned the former water superintendent was demoted, in January, even though he’s listed as water superintendent in the town’s annual report published in March. Earlier this spring we find out a shady contractor took off with more than $20,000 of taxpayer money that was supposed to go for materials and labor to build a new bathhouse at Lake Waukewan.

The director of administrative services and town manager later admitted they didn’t check to see if the contractor was bonded. Common sense aside, they say it wasn’t the policy at the time. Seems odd that local home and business owners are more careful about who they hire than the folks in charge of the taxpayers’ money. A couple weeks ago the town’s director of public works was suspended for allegedly giving a neighbor the okay to install a septic system without a permit. But the public works director says the neighbor told him he had the permits. The whole issue was brought to light by the code enforcement officer, who was taken to task for “selective enforcement” by the public work’s director’s brother at a public meeting. Revenge perhaps? Given the state of town government we’ve got to wonder. And how does this allegation earn an immediate suspension when an admitted misstep leads to none (i.e. water department)? The answer, it seems, rests with the person ultimately responsible and accountable to the residents of Meredith, the town manager. Her continued lack of leadership and inconsistency have left the natives restless. So far, selectmen are not responding either. To see how far out of touch the town’s leadership is one simply has to look at last week’s budget work sessions where in one breath town officials talk about potential layoffs and cutbacks given the hard winter and tough economy and, in the other, talk about spending $45,000 for some

plantings at the Community Center. It’s time for the “silent majority” to speak up. –

R.A.P.