Recently in Selectmen Issues Category
Finally! There was a disagreement on the Board of Selectmen! This is something we rarely see in this town where the common vote is 5-0! Betsey Patten voiced her concern that the Master Plan Implementation Committee should fall under the guidance of the Planning Board and not the Board of Selectmen as recommended by the Town Planner. She suggested that they meet with the Planning Board and the Town Planner to discuss the matter further Joel Mudgett agreed with Betsey.
The discussion was interrupted by “If I may,’ from Carter Terenzini. He began a lengthy and misleading dialogue of why the jurisdiction of the MPIC should fall under the BoS as town departments such as fire, police, are not under the direction of the planning board. Betsey argued that she did not feel comfortable going forward without meeting with the Planning Board.
What is not clear is why did the Selectmen go forward with a vote? Why not table the issue to make sure that something as important as the implementation of the Master Plan is clear to all of the Selectmen? If there is disagreement, which in this case is a good thing, arrange for additional time and discussion. We have been waiting for quite some time to begin the process of implementing the Master Plan, but let’s do it right. Let’s do it without making more mistakes than we have in the past. We need for the town to go forward, not get stuck in the proverbial mud.
It wasn’t until the actual meeting minutes were published that the final vote was actually known, as they tend to speak rather softly up there at that table. We would once again, encourage the BoS to speak louder so that the audience in attendance could hear all that is said. Now that the Selectmen meetings are aired on Time Warner Cable, we will be able to control the volume by our remote controls.
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This is just a reminder to all our viewers out there, to attend a Right to Know Seminar Monday night August 10th at 7pm at the Moultoboro Library.
The Right to Know Law, known as RSA 91-A, is one of the most violated law by officals in NH. Many do not feel that they need to change the way they have always done things as they are above the law and do not feel they have to answer to their constituents.
We have had a recent violation of this law by our town officials in the procedures taken to hire a new police chief.
Please come and learn the proper way to adhere to this law.
We anticipate that the first official airing of the Moultonboro Board of Selectmen's meetings will be on Tuesday August 11, 2009 on Time Warner on the PEG channel at 7pm. The paperwork has been filled out. All the tee's have been crossed and the i's dotted. We believe we have all the ducks in a row and all the glitches worked out. We should be all set to go!! We are very excited and want everyone to pass the word around! Tune in and watch!!
We would like to extend a big thank you to our Town Administrator and Time Warner Cable for helping to put this together!
Editor, The Citizen:
The Right to Know law is as vast as it is sometimes confusing. The NH Bar Assoc. states the "purpose of New Hampshire's Right to Know Law (RSA 91-A) is to make state and local government accountable to the people by requiring that meetings and records be open to the public as much as possible." Article 8 of the New Hampshire Constitution is the impetus for this oft misunderstood and sometimes pesky law. It states that "All power residing originally in, and being derived from, the people, all magistrates and officers of government are their substitutes and agents, and AT ALL TIMES accountable to them. Government, therefore, should be open, accessible, accountable and responsive. To that end, the public's right of access to governmental proceedings and records shall not be unreasonably restricted".
With this fairly simple but comprehensive language those who would be the "people" and those who would be their "substitutes and agents," from time to time, find themselves at opposite ends of the table. What constitutes a public meeting … what notes or records need to be kept and made available … what is fair notification of meetings ... and what about emails, letters, and telephone conference calls?
All these topics will be the subject for a Right to Know Seminar coming your way on August 10th (7 PM) at the Moultonborough Public Library. Sponsored by the Moultonborough Citizens Alliance, both the public and members of the various boards of area towns are invited. Ed Naile of the Coalition of NH Taxpayers, Tom Tardif, former mayor of Laconia, and Doug Lambert of GraniteGrok.com, all knowledgeable RTK experts, will be there to explain the "ins" and "outs" of this ubiquitous statute and field a Q & A session.
Bravo and kudos to the MCA for reaching out to both the public and their "substitutes and agents" to for a great opportunity to end up on the same page. The good folks who serve on the boards and the volunteers for committees who have to deal with this law on a daily basis should embrace this effort as a learning event to make their job a bit easier. What a great opportunity for all sides to learn, discuss and educate … all at the same time. I would encourage all to attend.
Now I know that at least some of you will consult the Web to see what Article 8 of the NH Constitution says and check this humble scribe's accuracy. While you are there, jump down a couple articles and take a look at my personal favorite… Article 10. You won't find that in any other state constitution!!
Rick Heath
Moultonborough
Now, we are not out to point fingers here, but only to highlight that there is a general lack of understanding of New Hampshire statutes. The recent “issues” with the formation of the Heritage Commission and the Capital Improvement Program Committee are two examples. The exclusion of the school district from the proposed “ordinance” for the CIPC is another.
The right to know laws are another area where we believe more education is essential. That is why the MCA hosting a Right to Know Seminar as a useful and helpful event for all citizens, whether in the private sector or in public office.
‘I urge every citizen, every school child, and every student of government to study the Right to Know Law’ Kelly Ayotte NH Attorney General.
Please come and find out for yourself! Mark your calendars: Monday August 10, 2009 at 7pm at the Moultonboro Library. There will be guest speakers: Ed Naile, from the Coalition of NH Taxpayers; Doug Lambert of Gilfordgrok; and Tom Tardif, former Mayor of Laconia.
This is not a political event, nor is it a partisan event. This is an educational opportunity open to everyone.
All are welcome!
The town voted on the establishment of a Heritage Commission at Town Meeting this year and we have been waiting for months for the Board of Selectmen to finalize volunteers to that commission. Once volunteer letters to the Board have been submitted and reviewed, we would think that the commission would be properly appointed and the newly formed Heritage Commission could meet and begin the tasks ahead of them. Not so: and still we wait. The Board of Selectmen still have not yet finished determining who is on the committee. Why is that?
There are several things that concern us about the appointments made thus far. For instance, at the Board of Selectmen meeting on May 14, 2009, Chairwoman Karel Crawford said that they would work on it at their scheduled work session on May 28th. Yet somehow at the Selectmen’s meeting on May 21, the very next week, announcements were made as to who would be appointed to the Heritage Commission. When did they discuss that they would make appointments at their May 21 Board of Selectmen’s meeting rather than at their scheduled work session? Is it possible that all five of the selectmen were on the same wave length at the same time? If they had a discussion, it was not before the public. If so, where are the minutes? Or is this privileged information not available to the public?
We wonder if there was some kind of discussion behind the scenes that no one bothered to recognize as a need to bring to the public under the Right to know law.
Another issue is the selection of one volunteer who serves on several other committees. No questions were raised at the appointment of Jean Beadle who serves as the Chair of the Advisory Budget Committee, as well as a member of the Town Planner Screening Committee. Yet when Selectmen Betsey Patten suggested that Jane Fairchild should be assigned as an alternate, she implied that Jane would be far too busy to be on the Heritage Commission as she is already a member of the planning board. Not Jean Beadle however who is the Chair of the ABC. She should be quite busy finding a replacement for a member that resigned, not to mention all the time to bring a new member of the ABC up to speed.
Don’t forget folks, the school will be in the midst of contract negotiations with the teachers union, the school budget, and the town budget and that should be more that enough to keep the ABC Chair quite busy. Why is an alternate assignment good for one but not the other?
Is there some favoritism amongst the appointments?
The third issue at hand is the select board member that is required by statute to serve on the Heritage Commission. Another statute states that there cannot be 2 members of the Planning Board on the same committee or board. Selectmen Ed Charest is on the planning board as is volunteer Jane Fairchild. How will this be resolved?
How long must we wait? There is a worksession June 25, 2009 @ 4pm........
Last November, Town Administrator Carter Terenzini presented the Route 25 corridor study results to the Board of Selectmen. This was at the same meeting that Stewart Lamprey made his presentation about Fox Hollow. Mr. Lamprey stated that Fox Hollow had been identified by the DOT and the Lakes Region Planning Board as the most dangerous intersection, with 27 accidents and 2 fatalities within 1000 feet of the intersection.
Karel Crawford made the statement, ‘I don’t feel the commissioner should dedicate to one part of the road (Rt 25). We have to represent the town of Moultonboro, and we have to represent the entire town, and others on the other intersection. I feel that because politically, because someone knew someone, though he has every right to do so, it feels wrong for the DOT to pick one road because Mr. Lamprey lives on
It was decided after much discussions over several weeks, that Fox Hollow would be moved to the top of the list of intersections to address. There have been several engineering firms out at the site of Fox Hollow and Route 25 studying the area and planning how to “fix” the intersection. The town is in the process of hiring a Town Planner to work with the recently hired engineering firm of KV Partners, LLC.
The planning was going along rather smoothly until late in the afternoon of Tuesday June 2, 2009 when there was a serious accident on Route 25 by the intersection of
It would seem that the corridor study was spot on. One only has to travel on Route 25 west on an icy, snowy day to understand why
We hope that the Board of Selectmen will be successful in their efforts to convince the DOT that Sheridan Road is in fact a higher priority than Fox Hollow and should be addressed sooner than later. …And no one stands to gain financially from improving
Lot's of meetings this week in Town:
School Board Meeting: Tuesday June 9th, 7pm Town Hall
Planning Board: Wednesday June 10th, 7:30pm Town Hall
ABC : Thursday June 11th, 5PM Town Hall
ABC/Selectmen/School Board: Thursday June 11th 6pm Town Hall
Selectmen: Thursday June 11th, 7pm Town Hall
There are times when I attend a Board of Selectmen’s meeting that I really find it difficult to hear what they are saying. I have often thought that it’s just me as my hearing is not the best. And times being what they are, it’s a difficult to afford to have my hearing aids repaired or replaced with technologically advanced aids.
In most situations, I can hear okay. In the BoS meetings, I find it hard to understand everything that is said. Frankly, I don’t think I am alone. I once asked if there was a hearing enhancement device available and was told I should sit in the front row. Well, that’s not the answer I wanted to hear. I was hoping that there would be another answer. Perhaps if there were a microphone available to the selectmen so everyone would be able to hear all that is being said. Or should I say mumbled? Whispered? I have seen some meeting when comments made are uttered so low that it is impossible to hear more than a few feet away. I wonder what would happen if we were all able to hear everything that they said in public?
Let’s face it. The majority of attendees of the BoS meetings are senior citizens or close to it. How many of them are wearing aids or need to wear aids? How many of the board members have difficulty hearing?
What if we had amplification available at the meetings so that there was no question as to what, if any, comments were made under their collective breaths? After all, in the state and federal levels of our government there are microphones available so everyone can hear. Otherwise, what would reporters use to interview congressmen? A pad and pencil?? Hmmm. Let’s think a bit more progressively, shall we?
