Seekonk Selectmen Asked About Budget Transparency

The Seekonk Board of Selectmen were asked to provide more transparency in their budget deliberations by a former member.

Doreen Taylor wanted to know if the members had seen a draft copy of the 2021 town budget. Taylor once served as chairman of the board and is also a former member of the finance committee. “If you’ve already got a draft of what (Town Administrator Shawn) Cadime is pitching, you should be formulating your questions now,” Taylor said at Wednesday’s meeting.

Selectmen Chairman David Andrade told Taylor the members of the board spoke to Cadime “on a weekly basis to ask a question about what’s going on here.”

When Taylor noted those questions were not being asked in open session, Andrade said the questions did not have to be put on a meeting agenda for discussion.  “You must have had 10 hour meetings on a weekly basis,” Andrade replied when Taylor noted she put questions from her board members on meeting agendas.

Taylor said her agendas included all types of issues, even ones which were controversial. “If there’s a question about town departments, town finances, town situations in any way, shape, or form. If it’s important enough for a selectman to ask, it’s important enough for the public to know,” Taylor added.