NewsINK Issue 5

Photo by Morgan Forester

Issue 5 Feb ru ary 20 12

INSIDE

NewsINK Staff: Eric Blaisdell Morgan Forester Erin Milne Samantha Knight Samantha VanSchoick Adviser: Dan Williams

4...Where Do We Go From Here?

A look at where St. Johnsbury is headed

Old Anthenaeum, New Horizons...12 Upgrades to St. Johnsbury’s historic library

14...King of Haverhill Haverhill votes on whether it will keep its Town Manager

Front Cover: South Congregational Church and St. Johnsbury Academy’s Fuller Hall.

Back Cover: Eastern Avenue, St. Johnsbury, looking west

MEET THE CANDIDATES Kevin Oddy...6 8...Ray LaBounty Mike Fortier...10 11...Bernie Timson

NewsINK is a publication of the Vermont Center for Community Journalism at Lyndon State College. Find us online at Issuu.com/newsink.

Address queries to: NewsINK, Department of Electronic Journalism Arts, Lyndon State College, P.O. Box 919, Lyndonville, Vt. 05849.

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A HURTING ECONOMY AND ABRUPT RESIGNATIONS HAVE MADE 2012 A YEAR OF CONFUSION IN ST. JOHNSBURY. AMID THE TURMOIL, THE QUESTION ON MANY RESIDENTS’ TONGUES IS,

‘WHERE DO WE GO FROM

HERE?’

Photo by Morgan Forester

The historic Pomerleau Building in St. Johnsbury serves as the Welcome Center. Once renovations are complete, it could also house municipal offices.

Story by Samantha VanSchoick After serving the community for a quarter of a century, Sandy Grenier abruptly retired as town clerk and treasurer in January, followed promptly by one of her assistants, Larry Sharer. And Bryon Quatrini surprised many by announcing he would not run for re-election to the Selectboard after 15 years. Many residents were left wondering what was going on with their townʼs government.

Grenier blamed a hectic personal

life and changing retirement benefits for her departure. Assistant Town Clerk Larry Sharer cast doubt on that in his own resignation letter, which he delivered to selectmen on the day they tried to appoint him as Grenierʼs replacement.

According to an article in the Caledonian-Record, Sharer accused the Selectboard of pressuring Grenier to leave. And he wrote that he could not and would not “work for people who have ambitions that exceed what is

good for the people who live in St. Johnsbury. The individuals who are responsible know who they are and I hope they know what they are doing is ethically wrong. I know some people will think this is a cop-out, but anyone who has worked under the conditions we have for the past year would do the same thing.”

Two people are campaigning to fill the town clerkʼs position: Stacy Perkins Jewell, who unsuccessfully ran against Grenier last year, and

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John “Chris” Brimmer. Both say the recent upheaval doesnʼt intimidate them.

“I donʼt know exactly the reasons Sandy left or Larry Sharer left, whether it was personal reasons or not, but I have no concerns,” says Perkins, who works as the store manager at Maurices in Derby.

Brimmer is a former zoning administrator in Derby and now runs a barbecue catering and sauce-making business out of his home in St. Johnsbury. “If I have a flaw, itʼs that Iʼm fearless. I just want to get in there and see what I can do with it.”

A high level of distrust in town government emerged from an informal survey of 15 St. Johnsbury residents running errands or walking dogs on Railroad Street recently. Only one per-

“I hope they know what they are doing is ethically wrong.”

-Larry Sharer, former Assistant Town Clerk, in his resignation letter.

son claimed to be “satisfied” with current town government.

Sisters Michelle and Whitney LeBlanc of St. Johnsbury Center say that their faith in town government is not strong.

“It seems like every time I pick up the paper, something is wrong,” said Michelle.

“It would be nice to see some stability and economic growth in the area,” added Whitney.

Brimmer says long-term members of town government are the source of the mistrust.

“There has been kind of a clique running town for a very long time. Anytime youʼve got one set of people running something, relationships build up and conflicts of interest build up, creating issues,” says Brimmer.

Perkins disagrees.

“The people that are in town government are there, and have been

there, because the voters voted for them,” Perkins says. “If the residents had such mistrust, they would not have voted them in.”

After Grenierʼs resignation, St. Johnsbury selectmen voted to have the town auditor conduct an expanded audit. The expanded audit tests 50 percent of municipal transactions whereas a normal audit tests 10 percent.

“I think the town will be in a much better place now,” Perkins says.

“These new auditors are willing to work with the town, the manager, the treasurer, and the select board members to get us where we need to be as far as internal controls and record keeping.”

Brimmer hopes to restore faith in the town clerkʼs office by separating the town clerk and treasurer positions.

Grenier served as both town clerk and treasurer.

“There has been a lot of distrust in town government. I think the voters want another set of eyes watching what is going on,” Brimmer says.

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The Race is On

Three seats on the Selectboard are up for grabs at the March 6 Town Meeting.

Alan Ruggles is giving up his oneyear position and aiming instead at the three-year seat being vacated by Bryon Quatrini, who surprised many by announcing he would not run again after 15 years on the board. Ruggles faces Tim Persons, who ran unsuccessfully for selectman last year.

Another selectman leaving the board is Bill Merrow, who won a oneyear term last year but declined to run for re-election.

Five men are vying for the oneyear seats vacated by Merrow and Ruggles: Mike Fortier, Ray LaBounty, Kevin Oddy, Bernie Timson and Scott Lowrey.

Story continues on Page 9

Photos by Morgan Forester Railroad Street is home to many St.Johnsbury businesses. 14 St.Johnsbury residents interviewed on Railroad Street said they did not trust town government. One resident claimed to be “satisfied.”

KEVIN ODDY

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St. Johnsbury Selectboard Candidate

“People Are Ready For A Change”

Kevin Oddy, running for a one-year Selectboard seat, stands outside the St. Johnsbury Pizza Hut. He hopes to attract more businesses like this to St. Johnsbury.

Photo by Eric Blaisdell

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Story by Eric Blaisdell Over a plate of cheesy breadsticks at Pizza Hut, Kevin Oddy discusses what St. Johnsbury needs and why he is the right man for the job.

Oddy, 57, is running for a one-year seat on the St. Johnsbury Selectboard and says it is time to do something about the town he loves. He has seen the way things have been going on the current board.

“People are ready for a change,” he said. “It hasnʼt been any secret that there has been a fracture in the board for the last couple of years and I think that people are looking for a different way.”

That “different way” is getting away from what Oddy describes as a power struggle between two different groups on the Selectboard that are trying to take the town where they want instead of working together.

“One thing that I will guarantee you is that I am my own man,” he said. “I donʼt align with groups. I think for myself.

I act in what I believe to be the best interest of the people and of the town.”

Oddy is from upstate New York, but has lived in St. Johnsbury for the last 18 years. He currently serves on the Development Review Board. He works as a paralegal and an investigator for the Vermont Agency of Transportation and helped start the Kingdom Animal Shelter.

The recent departures of administrators in the town, such as Town Clerk Sandy Grenier, do not sit well with Oddy.

“One of the things in particular that concerns me is that weʼve lost about 80 yearsʼ worth of institutional knowledge and experience with the separation of a number of employees in the town,” he said. “I donʼt think weʼve done a good job at succession planning. We havenʼt done a great job at building bench strength. We have a bunch of new employees that, although they are doing a great job, donʼt have that institutional experience or knowledge.”

Oddy said he also wants to bring more businesses to St. Johnsbury.

“One of the quickest things that we could do would be to look at something along the lines of tax stabilization for business,” he said, referring to an incentive program that would set a fixed level of taxes for businesses that meet certain criteria. “It has to be responsible tax stabilization. If you have a multimillion dollar company that has unlimited funds, do you stabilize their taxes or not?

Probably not.”

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He would focus on startup companies and smaller mom and pop businesses “to be able to stabilize their taxes for a period of time until they get on their feet.”

Oddy wants to bring people, not just businesses, to St. Johnsbury, as well as keep people from leaving.

“What do we have to offer here? Youʼve got other areas that are offering more jobs,” he said, citing Lyndonville and Littleton, N.H., as well as other surrounding towns. “We need to create some jobs here that are well paying jobs where you can make a living and you can stay here. We need to look at the town as a whole and make it an inviting place to stay.”

Oddy sees himself as the guy who can get these things done. He sees his past managerial experience, as well as his past experience on other boards, helping him to be a good selectman.

“Over the years Iʼve honed my skills in being able to listen to folks, understand their points, understand all sides of an issue and then make decisions based on that,” he said. “I know how to work with people. I know how to encourage people, to help them turn their weaknesses into strengths and how to use their strengths to their best advantage. I have the ability to listen to all sides of an issue impartially.”

Oddy is not looking to keep things status quo.

“One of the biggest things that bothers me is when people say, ʻWell, we have to do it this way because thatʼs the way weʼve always done it.ʼ If thatʼs the way weʼve always done it, what got us to where we are? Itʼs time to start thinking of different ways of doing things, thinking outside the box, thinking of ways that we didnʼt do it before if we are going to change anything,” he said.

Change is always hard, but Oddy has a plan to make the progression smoother. The first thing he says he would do in order to facilitate change would be to build trust and show people that he is capable of doing the job.

Then he would do his research in order to show the advantage of changing and he would be up front with people.

“We shouldnʼt be making decisions in a vacuum,” he said.

Oddy sees himself in public service for the long-haul.

“Iʼve done similar things all my life and I donʼt see myself stopping,” he said. “Iʼll be involved in the town one way or another for the rest of my life.”

“One thing that I

will guarantee you is that I am my own man.”

-Kevin Oddy, running for a oneyear term on the St. Johnsbury Selectboard

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St. Johnsbury Selectboard Candidate

LaBounty’s Serenity Pledge Story by Erin Milne

Ray LaBounty is staking his run for a one-year St. Johnsbury Selectboard seat on his commitment to the town.

“One reason why Iʼm running is because Iʼm fully vested in the town of St. Johnsbury,” LaBounty said. “Itʼs a place I call home and will call home for the rest of my life.”

LaBounty said he and two of his adult sons work in St. Johnsbury; his children and step-children also go to St. Johnsbury schools, and he volunteers in the community. He added that he feels St. Johnsbury has an excellent school system and many cultural venues such as the Fairbanks Museum and St. Johnsbury Athenaeum, calling the town a wonderful place to live and saying he would be honored to serve it on the Board of Selectmen.

LaBounty graduated from Danville High School and attended college in Connecticut and at Lyndon State. He has served on the St. Johnsbury Development Review Board for four years and ran unsucessfully for Selectboard two years ago.

He has worked 23 years as a production manager at Weidmann Electrical Technology, where he said he has dealt with both large budgets and everyday expenses. He said he would bring his approach to budgets to the Selectboard.

“If you need it, get it. If you want it, it needs to be evaluated,” LaBounty said.

Photo by Morgan Forester

Ray LaBounty is running for a one-year Selectboard seat in St. Johnsbury.

If elected, LaBounty said he would like to bring more clarity to the Selectboard—clarity both in what the board oversees and in the job descriptions of the town manager and other board members. He also cited the importance of being able to compromise and support things that he may not completely agree with in order to serve the greater good. He said that his recent marriage to a woman he has been with for 13 years, which resulted in a blended family, has taught him this.

LaBounty also said he has a level-headed approach that can help negate the turbulence in the townʼs government. St. Johnsbury was rocked by the resignations of Town Clerk Sandra Grenier and Assistant Town Clerk Larry Sharer last month.

“I feel that I can bring some serenity to the St. Johnsbury Selectboard,” LaBounty said.

LaBountyʼs petition to get on the ballot was one of many that were found to be invalid earlier this month. The problems arose because the petition heading, which includes the words “State of Vermont” and “Caledonia County” as well as information about the candidate, was not on every page of the petitions, said Assistant Town Clerk Patty Wakeham. The Town Clerkʼs office notified all of the affected candidates, and the problem was corrected, with all of the signatures on LaBountyʼs petition and all of the others found to be legal, Wakeham said.

LaBounty called the problem “an honest mistake.”

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WHERE TO, ST. J?

Photo by Samantha VanSchoick

Chris Brimmer, candidate for town clerk, is relying on registering new voters for his campaign. “I can’t think of a better place to find them,” Brimmer said of the attendees at Union Church’s Community Lunch.

Continued from Page 5

Perkins says Brimmer is wrong.

“Honestly thatʼs not how it works,” says Perkins, who is seeking both positions. “If you are going to have two positions, the clerk will be doing the clerkʼs duties and the treasurer will be doing the treasurer duties.”

She adds that most small towns in Vermont combine the clerk and treasurer positions. ʻTypically there isnʼt that much stuff to do to have two positions.” She also says separating the positions would complicate things leading to possible communication problems.

Brimmer says this is a good time to separate the positions because St. Johnsbury wants to move the municipal offices down Eastern Avenue to the historic Pomerleau Building. “The hardest thing you can ask a town clerkʼs office to do is move,” Brimmer says. “Itʼs a big job. Letʼs get the offices moved down the hill and set up, and then we will see if itʼs time to make it one position again.”

The Pomerleau Building was recently granted $200,000 for roof repairs through Gov. Peter Shumlinʼs Community Develop-

Photo Courtesy of Stacy Perkins Jewell

Stacy Perkins Jewell, candidate for town clerk and treasurer, believes updating the technology in the town clerk’s office is important for the future.

ment Program. It houses the Welcome Center.

Perkins says a lot of work remains to be done.

“Until the renovations are complete there will be no moving,” Perkins says. “The last I heard they were still working with construction to see how they would move the vault down there. If the vault canʼt move, the town clerkʼs office will not be moving.”

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St. Johnsbury Selectboard Candidates

Mike Fortier

Stories by Samantha Knight Mike Fortier says he is running for the St. Johnsbury Selectboard so he can use his business expertise to improve the townʼs fortunes.

“Weʼve got right now a very high poverty rate that everyone is not aware of,” Fortier said. “It has a very serious cash flow impact on the town and itʼs a drain on the community.”

As an example, Fortier points to the decline of businesses along Railroad Street.

“Itʼs kind of a tough sell to convince companies to locate and invest in Railroad Street. We canʼt even get a new McDonaldʼs or modern drive-through Dunkinʼ Donuts.”

Fortier is one of five men running for two one-year seats on the Selectboard on Town Meeting Day. He grew up in St. Johnsbury and served on the townʼs Planning Commission in the 1980s, but he spent much of his career as a business software consultant, traveling around the country and living in four New England states. He recently moved back to St. Johnsbury to “wind down and retire” but got involved again in town politics three years ago.

“St. Johnsbury is my hometown and I have seen it decline substantially over time,” he says. “I hope I can make a difference, and I think itʼs going to take a lot of work to try and turn the town around. St. Johnsbury is facing a Photo by Morgan Forester lot of substantial business problems, Mike Fortier is running for a one- year seat on the Selectboard in St. Johnsbury. The and I can contribute. I am not politically election is on Town Meeting day, March 6. orientated. I think St. Johnsbury needs

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“I am not politically

more of a business climate in terms of the way the town operates.”

Fortier says the town governmentʼs first priority is to redefine its roles and procedures. “Right now a chain of command doesnʼt really exist. There is very little understanding between the town managerʼs role, the Selectboardʼs, and the department headsʼ role, and the citizensʼ role in running this community and improving this town. I think that if you can get the board to recognize its role as policy makers and not day-to-day operational managers then we stand a chance in moving forward.”

He also says Selectboard members need to share “a very clear vision of what the problems are and where the town should go.”

Fortier says his 35 years in business make him an ideal candidate to help solve the townʼs problems. And as a retiree, he says, he has the time to spare.

“I have been in a lot of businesses, large and small. I have experience with financials and with personal management. I have experience running my own business, Iʼve worked for some pretty large consulting companies.

I think that I have a very diverse background that the other candidates canʼt really claim to have.”

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orientated. I think St. Johnsbury needs more of a business climate in terms of the way the town operates.”

-Mike Fortier, running for one-year Selectboard seat

Bernie Timson Bernie Timson lost a bid for re-election to the Select-

board one year ago, but heʼs back and says his experi-

ence in town government makes him a good candidate.

“I have been at the front role before,” Timson said.

“In the last four years I have been to most of the meet-

ings. If you want this you have to know what is going on

File Photo

Bernie Timson is running for one of two one-year seats on the Selectboard in St. Johnsbury.

ority would be to turn the one-year seats on the Selectboard into two-year seats.

If he had been on the

board over the past year,

he said, “a lot more would have been done.”

Timson said he cares

about the welfare of town

workers and thinks everyone should have a say in how they are treated. “I

think we have to make our employees happy every

day. If you find that your

“If you want

this, you have to know what is going on and most of the men running do not.”

-Bernie Timson, running for one-year Selectboard seat

employees are happy they will work better. Also, if an employee has issues they should be able to bring it forth without getting in trouble like it has been in previous years.”

Timson said the town doesnʼt maintain sufficient

and most of the men running do not.”

spending oversight. “Anything the town does should be

the townʼs deductibles to save on insurance. Another pri-

everything should be tracked by fuel and mileage.”

Timson said he would save taxpayer money by tight-

ening financial controls. He would also push to increase

tracked and so far it hasnʼt been,” he said. “I would want

to maintain a schedule on all equipment and vehicles and

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OLD ATHENAEUM, NEW HORIZONS

Story by Erin Milne The St. Johnsbury Athenaeum is looking toward the future—and looking for more money.

The Athenaeum is hoping to see the funding it gets from the town of St. Johnsbury increased to its 2008 level this Town Meeting Day, said Matthew Powers, the Athenaeumʼs executive director. In 2008, the Athenaeum received $115,000 from the town. This amounted to approximately 20% of the Athenaeumʼs operating budget, with its remaining funding coming from donations, visitor fees, endowment income, and the Athenaeumʼs own annual fund. In 2009, the Athenaeum accepted the Selectboardʼs request to reduce the appropriation by 10%. According to the St. Johnsbury Town Clerkʼs Office, all organizations receiving special appropriations were asked to accept this cut.

“It presents a big hardship for us, in the services we provide for the community,” Powers said of the cut.

In response, the Athenaeum has The Athenaeum Library. circulated a petition to restore the Johnsbury residents, attracted 80 to 2008 funding level, Powers said. The 100 people, Powers said. petition garnered 238 signatures, The gallery, which was created enough to be warned on the Town in 1873 and is the oldest art gallery Meeting Day ballot. The funding inthat is still in its original form in the crease will face a vote on March 6.

United States, had been closed The Athenaeum is also moving much of last year so that its historic forward with a variety of new proskylights could be replaced. The grams. On Saturday, January 28, it galleryʼs large skylight was reframed held a public reopening of its art with UV-blocking glass that will help gallery. The event, which was held keep the galleryʼs paintings from fadfrom 10 to 3 and was free for St. ing, while the two smaller skylights

Photo by Morgan Forester

were remounted with their original glass, although a special layer was added to them to block solar radiation.

“We were looking at trying to preserve the collection and possibly trying to put in some screens or blinds, and when we looked at what sort of condition the skylightsʼ frames were in, it looked like we actually had to completely replace them. So that established that we had to make this a

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larger project,” Powers said in a News7 interview in December.

The project cost about $754,000 and was funded with a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. The Gladys Brooks Foundation, the Vermont Division of Historic Preservation, USDA Rural Development, and several local businesses also provided support.

Prior to the public reopening, the Athenaeum held a smaller opening for donors, contractors, and others directly involved with the project on January 21. At that event, the Athenaeum also hosted the launch of Sugar House Bakery, a new local confectionary business, Powers said, highlighting the Athenaeumʼs desire to partner with community businesses.

Also new for the Athenaeum is the Art and Culture Series, a series of lectures that will begin on February 27 with “A Survey of American Genre Painting.” The Athenaeum is also implementing new software in its library that will make it easier for patrons to use the online card catalog.

These new programs will join other services that the Athenaeum already offers, such as poetry readings, musical performances, and art and history exhibits. It also runs a weekly story-time program in its childrenʼs library and uses its Acorn Club program to “bring the library” to preschool children in day care centers.

More information about the Athenaeumʼs services can be found on its website, stjathenaeum.org.

Catherine Vitale contributed to this story.

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Photos by Morgan Forester

Top: A newly renovated skylight in the gallery.

Bottom: Natural light pours through the skylight into the Art Gallery.

THE KING OF HAVERHILL

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HAVERHILL TOWN MANAGER GLENN ENGLISH HAS A JOB FOR LIFE, MUCH LIKE THE POPE AND SUPREME COURT JUSTICES .

BUT NOT EVERYONE IS HAPPY ABOUT IT.

Haverhill Town Manager Glenn English at a recent Selectboard meeting.

Story by Eric Blaisdell North Haverhill, N.H. – An article on the warrant for Town Meeting on March 13 would remove the position of town manager completely. The man behind the move is Howard Hatch, owner of Hatchland Farms.

“It was the only way of getting rid of the town manager,” said Hatch in a phone interview. He was one of the 25 signatures needed to submit the petition.

Hatch is frustrated with how English handles his job, where he focuses his attention, and his contract.

He feels that English is concerned more with the recreation department and less with the diminishing business in the area, such as dairy farms.

Hatch sees getting rid of the position entirely as his way of fixing the problem. He has had conversations with members of the Selectboard who he says agree with him privately, but does not think they will take a stand on the matter. That does not stop him from putting this forward.

“So what do I do? No one wanted to sign the petition up front,”

Photo by Eric Blaisdell

said Hatch, a war veteran. “What are they going to do to me? Are they going to send me back to Vietnam?

What are they going to do to me?”

He does not find English helpful with things that English does not have direct control over.

“When you go into the town managerʼs office, a lot of times itʼs not what he says, it is how he says it,” said Hatch. He goes on to say that if someone brings an issue to English that is not under his direct control then he does not want to hear it. He makes a comparison with English

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and his interactions with some townspeople: “Itʼs like gasoline and water.”

This is not the first time a vote like this has been put up to remove the town manager position. It was put up in 2003, but was voted down by more than 100 votes.

English, whose salary in 2011 was $63,424, has told the Selectboard that he will retire on April 1, 2013, but was more vague about his retirement when asked, saying that he was a short-term employee and retirement is in the near future.

English took the job in 1995 and said that he has heard mainly support from the people he communicates with on a daily basis. He would not go into Hatchʼs allegations, only to say that they are his opinion.

“I have an open-ended contract,” said English. “There is no termination date. I donʼt have to be reappointed. I serve in the position indefinitely unless the selectmen have grounds to terminate me for cause.”

Even though the Selectboard is not looking to replace English, removing him is easier said than done.

To say that the town manager serves at the pleasure of the Selectboard is not totally accurate.

“Right now, short of gross malfeasance, we could never terminate Mr. English,” said Wayne Fortier, chair of the Selectboard. “He

would have to screw up in a significant way in order for the board to terminate his employment. If we ever got in a position to do that I think it would be through court action.”

“Right now, short of gross

malfeasance, we could never terminate Mr. English.”

-Wayne Fortier, chair of the Haverhill Selectboard

Having an open-ended contract is something the Selectboard would avoid when and if the next town manager takes over. The whole point may be moot if the town decides to remove the position.

“An open-ended contract is not a good thing. It just canʼt be indefinite like that,” said Fortier, who went on to talk about setting a timeframe for the contract of the next town manager.

“At the termination of that contract then the board decides whether the performance by the employee is sufficient enough to rehire and negotiate a new contract. To just have it open, we should not get involved with that again.”

Members of the town Selectboard have heard about issues with the office.

“Iʼve heard some complaints and

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I think most of those complaints are personality type issues,” said Fortier.

“It appears that with some people he has been very abrupt when they had a question. I donʼt think he took a lot of time to explain what the rule of the law was to them. Itʼs his abruptness.”

He went on to say that it wasnʼt all bad.

“However, Iʼve had other people tell me that theyʼve had absolutely no problem with him and that he went out of his way to assist them. To be fair to Glenn, I get more positive than I do negative.”

Getting rid of the town manager position because the town is unhappy with the person in that position may actually end up hurting the town more than it helps.

“My biggest concern is people voting against the town manager and not the position,” said Selectboard member David Joslin. “I think itʼs a necessary position. When you have over a $3 million budget you really need to have somebody that can oversee that and the personnel. Most everybody works on the Selectboard so we canʼt be there eight or ten hours a day like we used to be able to. I am hoping that the petition does not pass. I hope that we keep the town manager position.”

Photos by Eric Blaisdell

Wayne Fortier (L), chair of the Haverhill Selectboard, says that, if the board wanted to, it would be difficult to cut ties with its town manager. David Joslin (R), a member of the Haverhill Selectboard, hopes the town does not get rid of the positon of town manager.

Photo by Morgan Forester