Just some thoughts

I have had an idea rattling around in my head the last few weeks.  It has been making a lot of noise up there during this somewhat of a lull in the local prize fight of politics.  

I have been thinking of starting some additional pages highlighting exclusively the good stuff around our area.  Restaurants, sites worth seeing, events, places to go, even retail shops.  

While from a ratings perspective it would be tempting to do a critical review, I can't see that.  It is hard enough for a business to get by today.  No need to throw in a slam from some wanna be.  Not going to guaranty 100% that it won't happen, but the intent would be to highlight a good experience.

Just an idea.  Still need to think it through a bit, especially if I am going to allow comments.  

Shifting gears ...

Yesterday was an interesting morning for me.  DOR is in Town again for round 2 of interviews for the technical assistance audit (not sure if that is the official name, just what I call it).  I am a bit more optimistic about the eventual report to be issued based upon my time with the people.  

If I read the tenor of the interview correctly, there will be some distinct positives coming out of it.  No, I wasn't given any insider information.  The folks played their cards close to their chest, as they should.  Just an old poker player's read is all.

I would even hazard a guess there will be some critical assessments relative to fin com.  Nothing wrong with that. 

As is there is nothing wrong with getting an outside look at what is happening on the inside.  

Let's forget about that for the moment.  Let's assume they will do their job, issue a report, and we will pay some heed to it. Then let's hope we are smart enough to accept the criticism, and work on the areas that do need to be worked upon.  

The Town does, in my opinion, need a tune-up.  Whether it is simply a need to change the spark-plugs, oil and filter or we need to also rotate the tires, change the transmission fluid and a whole lot of other things, remains to be seen.  This report is not going to be a cure all.  It is not going to solve the "political issues".  We are going to need to do that.

The biggest asset Fairhaven has is its history, and at times it is an albatross; and, I am not simply talking about buildings here.  The most frustrating thing I hear, and have heard, on a too consistent basis, is the excuse that we don't need to change, it is the way it has always been done and it is working.

Things still in fact are working, but on a decline in efficiency, in productivity, in accomplishments.

As hard as it may be for some to except the fact, there is no escaping the realities and demands of today's world; or, the need that effective change may require you to have to give up a piece of your turf.

The biggest problem in town today is in my mind the lack of any day to day oversight.  I am not talking about the need to have more people in place here, although there is probably the need for one or two specific positions.  More on that another time.

Nor am I talking about people not "overseeing".  Oversight is not simply keeping an eye on things.  It is doing that and then doing something about it.  Where we as a community seriously like oversight is in the second part.  That is a direct result of no actual authority to do something about it.

Too many day to day decisions have to wait for a meeting held every two weeks.  Too many day to day decisions get countermanded, because one member of a board or committee doesn't agree with it.  This is not just a BOS problem either.  

This may tick some people off, but the simple fact is a $50 million dollar business cannot be run in an efficient manner by three separate Board of Directors.

Like it or not, the Town is a business.  It is in the business of providing services and necessary infrastructure to meet the needs of those in the community.

The BOS, the School Comm. and the BPW are your three separate Boards of Directors.  Under the law, it is unlikely you will ever be able to trim that down to one.  The School Comm. enjoys certain statutory mandates for its existence.  The other two, however, in my mind, equal one too many.

They are at odds as often as they are in agreement.  The priorities of the two boards, by the nature of their separated duties and limited authorities are in many ways naturally at odds.  A board dealing with multi-million dollar contracts shouldn't have to go hat in hand to another board for permission for town counsel, shouldn't have to deal with issues of whether someone is out to get them, shouldn't have to be worried about a whole slew of things getting done or being allowed to happen.

In a perfect world it wouldn't.  It isn't a perfect world.  It never has been and, like it or not, won't be.

We are constantly worried about concentrating too much power into one set of hands, and in the end, neither set ends up with the the necessary amount of power to do the best job.

Worse yet, we don't have a CEO.  We need one.  I am not talking about unlimited authority.  I am not talking about the ability to make a $20 million dollar decision unilaterally.  I am talking about the day to day authority to do what is needed to get a job done right.  I am talking about the ability to rein in those who go their own way because one of three or one of five let them.  It is fortunately the exception to the rule, but unfortunately a more common occurrence than should happen.

This town has way too many day to day bosses.  

This is unfortunately a limited digest version of things, but ...

it is getting late, and that's all the rant I can work up this morning.  Enjoy the day if you can, and if you can't stay safe.