At Friday's Water and Sewer work session, Bob Boyle made a motion to appoint Sandra Coleman as the third commissioner. Alan Cilley did not second the motion because of a disagreement over the applicants (who and how many). We are not clear about who has applied and who is being considered. When asked about the number of applicants, Bob Boyle responded that there were two, Sandra Coleman and John Hughes. When questioned further, we learned from Alan Cilley that that both Eli Badger and Carl Abear had also applied. (Eli Badger was at the meeting and confirmed that he had in fact applied in writing.) We are not sure why Bob Boyle chose to exclude them from his list of applicants. We are also not sure who applied in writing and who was asked to apply by one of the commissioners.
To ensure that the selection is impartial and that the best qualified candidate is selected, the commissioners should establish a formal selection process that is designed to ensure the appointment is fair, impartial, objective, and is in the best interests of the public. There should be a formal application that calls for specific information about an applicant's education and experience. The commissioners should also develop specific criteria with public input for evaluating candidates based on the department's needs. There should be a specific time period for the commissioners and the public to review applications. Finally, the applications should be evaluated based on the criteria and the selection made in public.
The appointment of the third commissioner is on the agenda for the Water and Sewer Department Meeting on Thursday, August 4, 2011. Hopefully, the commissioners can agree on the best qualified candidate at that time and be able to explain their choice. If this is not done, we will continue with the petition to submit to the Board of Selectmen requesting a special election. This appointment must be completed so that the commissioners can return to the important tasks ahead of them.
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