Is anyone listening?

9/23/2019

What would ever compel our Seekonk Board of Selectmen (BOS) to extend a three-year contract of an employee an additional year with more money when the contract has only been in effect one year? Yet this is exactly what the BOS did with the Town Administrator’s (TA) contract.

Measuring success and addressing failures before pay increases is usually the normal way of doing business. Leadership failure alert! Who’s steering this ship? Extending a contract after year one is just foolish and is not in the town’s best interests. However, in this case one must question the motives of the recent handling of the TA’s contract by the BOS.

Under Section II of the running contract the “term” is defined as “effective April 24, 2018 and shall be in full force and effect until April 23, 2021. So why now? Why negotiate and award a new contract that is more than two years away from its conclusion? Who does this help? Not the Town of Seekonk.

The perception is that due to an upcoming re-election attempt by Mr. Andrade and Mr. Almeida they saw fit to “squeeze” a renewal, in ahead of time. It was Mr. Almeida who first brought the subject up and while they can argue “it is only an extension of one year” it is a costly one for the Town of Seekonk for the next three years. The new contract term is effective August 1, 2019 through July 31, 2022.

What’s interesting to know is part of the contract calls for an evaluation as defined in Section V. Every year two months prior to the anniversary date of appointment said review and evaluation shall be based on the goals and objectives developed jointly by the Board and the Town Administrator. Further the Chairman shall provide the Town Administrator with a summary written statement of the evaluation findingsand shall provide an opportunity for the Town Administrator to discuss it with the Board. An evaluation(s) should always precede any action regarding an employee. It would be reckless to award or dismiss and employee without an evaluation. The performance, negative or positive, in an evaluation, should be reflected by those that report to the individual, as well as those they interact with on a regular basis outside of Town Hall.

Discussion has always been and should continue to be in open session as it is not discipline nor is it negotiation. This leadership has failed once again. If the Board of Selectmen cannot follow the terms of their own contracts and continue to skirt the open meeting process while handing over pay raises every year what else is going on in Town Hall?

This is not to say the Town Administrator is not deserving. This has to do with our Town Government being run like a club house and employees not being treated the same across all departments. This is about our leaders not looking out for the best interest of the entire Town. This is about them NOT doing their jobs.

A perfect example of loose rules is in filling the position of Police Chief. According to the Town Administrator all union (contractual) positions require an in house posting of two (2) weeks prior to outside advertisement. This was the reason given when an inquiry was made about all the job shifting between departments this past summer. There were many “transfers” and there was a lack of outside advertising.

It was decided when the previous Chief left to promote from within and name a Deputy Chief. The Department has not been without oversight and leadership. Further the Board of Selectmen along with the Town Administrator decide to post inside and outside for 30 days. Why didn’t they ask within the department first? We have a Deputy who has since been given the title Interim Chief and they continue to waste valuable time and money searching outside. This is not fair to the individual who serves as Interim Chief or the Department.

By all accounts, even their own, the Interim Chief has done a fantastic job in full filling the obligations and responsibilities of the job. Of course, the choice should be his if he wants the job but he should be first in line. If he doesn’t want the position THEN search outside. Two Board Members have openly spoke in support of the Interim Chief. Why haven’t they pushed on his behalf? Stop the nonsense. What is the problem? Club Rules??? It’s not like the BOS lacks manipulating contracts. Give the Interim Chief a chance with a short term contract, evaluate and renew or not based on performance.

Once again, regarding the TA contract extension. When the BOS Meeting was posted for Monday, August 19, 2019 it was originally done to open and close open session for the purpose of going into executive session. This is defined by the Open Meeting Law. This Agenda did not make it to the web site or the mailing list because it was changed on Thursday, August 15, 2019 to include consideration for approving the Town Administrators contract. Conveniently the timing meets the Open Meeting Law.

The mailing list distribution from the Selectmen’s office is normally Friday afternoon for the following Wednesday night meeting. This meeting agenda was sent out the same day as the meeting along with the one scheduled for Wednesday, August 21. All the Agendas state that the meetings are recorded via audio and video and are broadcast live on Channel 15. Monday’s meeting was not on live TV nor was it video recorded. According to the minutes there is only audio.

If the Selectmen were already meeting on Wednesday, August 21stthen ask yourself what was the rush in meeting Monday, August 19th, sight unseen, no audience except Town Counsel (legal expense), and no TV to approve an “early” contract?

Hmmm, how did the funding slide by? There are Union Leaders that are certain to wonder, how can we do that??

Please Seekonk, stop the bleeding. There’s no better time for a change on the Board of Selectmen. There is work to be done and it is not getting done properly. We have had more retirements and people “just leaving” this summer than ever before. Good people who have checked out and we may never know why. Our employees are the foundation of our Town. If they are not treated equally the foundation will crack. Seekonk cannot afford this “nonsense” any longer.

Seekonk Concerned Citizens