Yesterday and Today

To understand today's musings, you are going to have to review yesterday's posts and the comment that was made by a reader.  So follow this link to make it easy and come on back after you have done so.  Alternatively, there is always the Sunday funny papers. 

If you have read the comment however here is my reply:

The issue with the old style precinct meetings was and would be getting the necessary people to show up to six different meetings.  Would I do it?  The answer would be yes if that was what we required.  Would I like to have to do it?  If being honest, no.

I think what has happened the last two years is a big improvement over what had gone on for the decade or so previously.

There is certainly more room for improvement, and some tweaking, but the intent has been to get back to making the meeting after the smaller individual precinct meetings about giving people the opportunity to ask questions about the articles rather than giving "petitioners" and "opponents" a platform.

Certainly in years past, the inability to deal with the warrant resulted in a number of matters not being able to be addressed.  By having the moderator step in to conduct the precinct meeting night preview, we seem to be able to keep the session on the level it should be, which is for people to get answers to questions.

If it can be done in one night, I don't see the problem.

As to the "pharaohs" point, I am not going to disagree with the statement that the direction of "modern" town" government is heading to more appointed authority and less elected.

This may raise the ire of some, however if one gets right down to it, in a town government structure in today's day and age, that is how it should be.  Many individual positions that use to be elected were rightly changed to appointed.  Tax Collector, Treasurer, even Board of Assessors are positions that use to be elected.  You are talking about positions that require expertise, knowledge and actual ability.  

Positions that shouldn't be filled on the basis of popularity.  Positions that used to be, quite frankly because that was simply how it always was.  

Getting back to the comment, the statement adds: More “executive orders” and less discussion. Since anyone can seek to get elected, with no special documented skills, to do the appointing of the ones with the documented skills, I wonder if we indeed improve our lives. 

The added statement however is exactly why you are seeing the direction we are heading to.  Indeed, it is clear that not only can anyone seek to get elected with no special documented skills, many of those do in fact get elected. 

I for one am a heck of a lot more comfortable with the idea of a collective decision by those elected to appoint someone with the skills to oversee the day to day operations, rather than have those elected continue to be in charge of the day to day operations.  

While there are certain matters that should be open to discussion, there are a great many others that need not be and shouldn't be.  

Looking to the DOR report, outside of Nos. 1 - 4, 14 and 33 the remainder of the recommendations are matters which are department specific, or just management policy decisions.  Implementation of most if not all of the remaining recommendations would go unnoticed by the general public and would affect them little, except to in fact make things more efficient.  The public discussion for the same should quite frankly be limited to the appropriations for some of them that will be needed.  At that time, discussion will rightly be held to decide whether the benefit is worth the costs for those with associated costs.

For those without costs, just how much discussion is in fact warranted.  

Again outside of Nos. 1 - 4, 14 and 33, and one could include no. 33, the remaining recommendations are ones, in my mind (there are a couple that might be excluded but I am too lazy to go through everyone right now), that should be implemented, and can be implemented whether we have a town manager or not. 

I will go so far as to say that if we had a town manager in place presently, and the individual had been in office for say five years, and this report came out, he or she would be fired based on the report findings.  

But the simple fact, again at least in my mind, is many of these issues have developed precisely because of a lack of a "pyramid" form of government.  We may fear the potential evils of centralized "power" forming into the kingdom of a "pharaoh".  We should be more afraid of the dangers of continuing to allow a system of self-governing "fiefdoms".

A system where individual board members often attempt to yield authority they do not have, on issues they do not control.   A system where boards zealously protect their turf.  

In my mind, if you are looking for more efficiency based on the present structure, at a minimum you are looking at requiring boards and committees to meet no less than every week, with numerous joint meetings of boards, and quite frankly authorizing individual members to make decisions on a day to day basis as needed, with the specter of such decisions frequently being overturned by the board when it does meet.

There are approximately 41 boards, committees, departments and divisions in the Town of Fairhaven (the number is probably greater, I am just going on the "mail boxes" at town hall).  Involving say just the big three (Selectmen, BPW and School) on an issue, it could take three weeks just for each to meet and discuss and issue) depending on scheduled meetings.  

Appoint a joint committee to deal with the matter. Have the committee make a recommendation that is reported to the individual committees.  Figure out how a decision is going to be made, then attempt to make any one committee abide by the decision if it doesn't want to.

Simply put, more often than not the vast majority of times more hands will certainly make the grunt work go easier, more heads to make the day to day decisions does not.

If you fear the ability of an elected board to hire a qualified manager, can you have confidence that the same board has the ability to perform the functions and duties the manager would be tasked with?