Littleton, New Hampshire

Approved Minutes Special BOS Meeting Apr 13, 2010

TOWN OF LITTLETON
SPECIAL BOARD OF SELECTMEN'S MEETING
TUESDAY, APRIL 13, 2010
3:00 PM
LITTLETON COMMUNITY CENTER ANNEX
Present: Town Manager Chuck Connell, Chairman Ron Bolt, Vice Chairman Ed Boynton, Selectman Marghie Seymour, Executive Secretary Ceil Stubbings, Town Moderator Gerald Winn.
Others Present: Bruce Hadlock, Maxine Hadlock, Casey Hadlock, Bryan Hadlock, Rod Trahan, Mary Edick, Jan Edick, Mary Daly, Jim Daly, Arwen Mitten, Art Tighe, Bob O'Conner Channel 2, Art McGrath The Courier, Robert Blechl The Caledonian, Chris Hodge, Mel Brooks, Bud Foster, Richard Massimilla, Linda Massimilla, Eugene Langdoc, Stan Fillion, Eddy Moore, Richard Merrow, Don Craigie, Sharon Craigie, Dennis Sharp, Amy Austin and countless other citizens.
Chairman Ron Bolt called the meeting to order at 3:00 PM at the Community Center Annex. Bolt stated the sole purpose of this meeting is to discuss and to resolve the allegations and actions taken by Selectman Ed Boynton about the distribution of a private email sent to Schuyler Sweet. The email was sent late at night after a very long and stressful Board of Selectman's Meeting. Bolt stated the Town Moderator Gerald Winn would mediate the meeting. Bolt said he had an opening statement but said he would hold that for now. Gerald advised those present that there is no sound system and asked people to speak up. Gerald said he has not done a special meeting like this in all of the years he had been a moderator. Gerald advised that anyone could ask questions. Gerald further advised that anyone who wants to speak to be recognized by the chair and announce who you are for the record. Gerald said that opening statements are in order. Bolt said he would defer to Boynton to go first.
Ed Boynton said this came to light because at the last Board of Selectmen's Meeting an issue came up about the appointments for the Budget Committee. Boynton explained how he and Marghie Seymour had appointed Brien Ward, Bill Kittridge and Schuyler Sweet to the Budget Committee in a two to one vote. Boynton said he went into the office the next afternoon and the secretary handed him copies of two emails. Boynton then read the content of the first email sent by Ron Bolt into the record as follows: "Schuyler, In the worst possible output, almost inexplicably, you were appointed to the Budget Committee and Brien Ward was reappointed! This is the outcome I told you I would not allow to happen. I failed. I am now asking you to refuse the appointment. If and when you do this, you will be replaced by Greg Eastman. Please call tomorrow so I can explain. This is so embarrassing. Ron." Boynton read the second email sent by Schuyler Sweet into the record as follows: "Due to unanticipated circumstances, and possible conflicts of interest, I must withdraw my name from consideration on the Town's Budget Committee. Thank you for your confidence. Schuyler." Boynton said it is important to note that these emails went through the town office and are now a public record. Bolt said he was appalled by Bolt's actions for thinking he could do some sort of back door deal on the appointments. Boynton said he waited until the next day to decide what to do. He had intended to discuss this with Chuck Connell but he was not in on Friday so he decided to contact Michael Delany of the Attorney General's Office to see if any illegal actions had been taken. Boynton said if nothing else Bolt's actions were unethical and referred to the code of ethics the board had adopted that same Wednesday evening. Boynton said there are no guarantees that Gregg Eastman would get the appointment to the Budget Committee. Boynton said he might have wanted to appoint someone else. Boynton said the letter he wrote to the AG's Office is a public record. Boynton thinks the community is entitled to know what is going on in this community. Boynton said for the past two years he has heard the term transparency over and over again. Boynton then read the letters he sent to the AG's Office. Boynton said he thinks that Mr. Bolt was trying to manipulate the vote and he believes the actions of Bolt were illegal. Boynton said he had received a phone call on his own phone from Mr. Bolt over the weekend and Mr. Bolt had told him not to do anything he would regret. Boynton said he then hung up on Bolt to end the conversation completely. Boynton said that on Monday, April 12th at 8:30 AM, he went to the town office and met with Chuck Connell. Boynton told Connell about the phone call and was told at this time that Bolt asked for these emails to be deleted. Connell confirmed that it been requested for the emails to be deleted. Boynton said he was appalled he asked to have this deleted. Boynton said he is seeking an opinion from the AG's Office.
Ron Bolt said that having to restrain myself from responding to these allegations the time has come to make the record straight. Bolt found it bad that Boynton did not ask for an explanation. Bolt said Schuyler Sweet had told him in confidence that if Brien Ward was on the budget committee he would not serve. Bolt said he wrote to Schuyler Sweet in a personal email. Bolt said he did not promise anyone a position on the budget committee. Which is why he led a formal appointment procedure as opposed to the previous way reappointments were done. Bolt said that if Boynton had contacted him before going to the AG's office this whole mess could have been cleared up. Bolt said he would like Boynton to withdraw his request for an investigation. Bolt said he has been told this is the Littleton way. Bolt said it is dealt with quickly, everything is out and nothing is held back and you end it. Bolt said that Boynton made six points. The first was that he was trying to manipulate the appointments. Bolt said that with 20/20 hindsight he should have tabled the motion. Bolt said the second point was that I was not respecting the 2-1 votes. Bolt said he does not accept this. Bolt said he could not as a single selectman change it. Bolt said the third point said that Gregg Eastman would be appointed and in hindsight he should have said that we were going to open it up again. The fourth point said I had promised appointments. The fifth point was that the town manager and him had tried to talk you out of doing something you would regret. Bolt said the town manager suggested he call and try to explain what had happened. Bolt said he wanted Boynton to understand that this would be embarrassing if it were addressed. Bolt said that he had asked Ceil to delete the email and she had responded by saying that she was not comfortable with that. Bolt said the words that he chose in the email after a long and stressful meeting were not the choicest. Boynton asked Selectman Seymour if she had any comments. Seymour said that when she saw the email in her inbox she can empathize with someone making that kind of mistake Seymour said she spoke to Ceil about what had happened and that she put it in everyone's box because it was now a public record. Marghie said that she can understand how people can get upset over mistakes and hoped this could get worked out in something of a less than public manner.
Christopher Hodge asked Boynton what prompted you to contact the AG's office without contacting Mr. Bolt. Christopher said it seems like you just tried to open up a can of worms. Boynton said the reason is because he had nowhere else to go. Jerry Sorlucco and Mary Edick made various comments regarding Boynton's contacting the AG's Office. Don Craigie asked Boynton if he thought that Bolt was trying to get Gregg Eastman on the budget committee. Boynton told Craigie to watch channel 2 for the last twenty minutes there is evidence he was gunning for Brien Ward. Stan Fillion stood up and said Steve Kelley would not have had a problem with either candidate.
Bud Foster said he used to be involved in town politics; he was the Chairman of the Budget Committee for six years. He was on the original committee that brought the town manager form of government to this town. We had selectmen that would do what the people wanted. Bolt said that Schuyler wanted to be on the committee but he did not want to be on there with Brien Ward. Boynton asked Bolt why is it that you did not come to himself and Marghie about these concerns. Bolt said it would have been inappropriate for me to do so. Bolt asked if anyone could advise him on how to share a confidence. Bryan Hadlock said they discussed this on his board and you don't have any private emails anymore. Bolt said he disagreed. Bryan said that every town official should be given a town email address and they are only allowed to use that email address as simple fix to the problem. Bryan said but when it comes to anything you are discussing with anyone else any discussions becomes public record. Bolt strongly disagreed. Bolt the idea of a separate email is a good idea.
Frank Porfido asked Bolt if he was a friend with Schuyler. Frank has heard so much to the point of it being nauseating about not be able to talk to each other. Frank said it is the pattern here that is scaring me. Frank said he was at the last meeting and he noticed a manipulation of the comments. Then secondly it was obvious the appointments to the budget committee were not satisfactory to you. Frank said he would have advised that person to pull his nomination. Bolt would agree in hindsight he should have handled this differently. Bolt said having been forced into a box the way the appointments went he was trying to make it better so that no one would be embarrassed.
Mary Edick told Boynton that he had publicly impugned the character of the chairman of the BOS. You should have called a closed meeting the problem is there is a misunderstanding and you still don't understand the email. If you had got your facts straight all of this mess and all of this wasted time could have been avoided. Dennis Sharp said that in the best interest of the community and this whole thing was just a misunderstanding and the town should move on. There was more discussion from the public with comments ranging to move on and accept Mr. Bolt's apology to other's thinking he should resign.
Gerald Winn said the selectmen are selected by the voters to represent our interests. The commitment to service and the community needs to trump any personal interests. What we have heard today is life playing itself out. If we can get a commitment from the three selectmen to apply this to their positions we would all be better off. Someone Gerald said that if we have a flagrant violation here then we would have to deal with it. Gerald Winn adjourned the meeting at 4:20 PM.
Respectfully Submitted
Ceil Stubbings

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