#selectboard

Tempers flare as citizens storm out of Selectmen's meeting. An unusually lively discussion broke out over the subject of spontaneous, unscheduled public input—in recent weeks, the Board has “cracked down,” in the words of Board Chair Schuyler Sweet, who has expressed frustration with repeated off-agenda monologues from a small number of citizens. On Monday, Sweet again accepted responsibility for failing to enforce the existing meeting rules in the past: “I created part of the problem by allowing people to vary from the policy, and as it got out of hand, I cracked down and said, we're going to adhere to the policy. The feeling that created is my fault.” Select Board Member Carrie Gendreau agreed that transparency was key, and vital to preserving public faith in the town's elected officials. “You get more honey out of the beehive if you don't kick it over.” . Some citizens use the public meetings—and the TV and streaming coverage from Granite North TV—as soap boxes for their personal causes, and a chance to grind their personal axes, Sweet suggested: “The people who are doing this, who are repeatedly running for office., and they get free advertising through Channel 2 .” Fellow member Franco Rossi agreed, but leaned on the side of free speech, saying, “I feel like it's a right to grandstand sometimes.” Citizens speak out “I'm not running for selectman this year. I didn't run last year,” announced Ralph Hodgman, who is a fixture at town meetings. He lamented the fact that the Select Board meetings were so poorly attended, even compared with smaller towns. Indeed, aside from Hodgman and Rudy Gelsi, private observers are quite rare. For comparison, Franconia and Bethlehem each draw a handful each meeting. Reiterating his stance against the Board's input policy, Hodgman called for the Select Board to resign.

In his appeal, Hodgeman compared himself to Jeffrey Clay, an Alton, NH man who was arrested in February, 2017 for violating that Board's new, policy disallowing personal attacks, after he reportedly called them “incompetent and repulsive”. He had previously cost the town $40,000 plus legal fees, after he sued and won following an arrest for disorderly conduct, the Concord Monitor reported. Hodgman seemed eager to follow Clay's example. “His story has become all too common in towns across the state of New Hampshire,” Hodgman said. “I am requesting that Sweet Schuyler resign from the board of selectman immediately, because his ineffective inability to run the board.” “Selectman from this board told a taxpayer to sit down and shut up—exact words,” he claimed, inaccurately. Previous meeting on 8-13 The incident to which Hodgeman presumably refers occurred at the Board's August 13th meeting, where Rossi loudly refused to be interrupted by Gelsi, who attempted to jump onto Hodgman's criticism of the Board while the two were discussing the same policy. “I'm talking to him. I'm talking to him,” Rossi insisted. By contrast, Hodgman used the phrase “shut up taxpayers” at least three times in that meeting, to express how he felt he was being treated, which may explain his criticism Monday. “Well said, well said,” Added Rudy Gelsi. He is another reliable attendant of the Select Board's meetings, and a vocal critic of several of its members, and Town Manager Dorsett.

This reply to the survey came from Dean Beckwith, who is running for the Select Board seat. Thanks Dean! The questions and his responses are below.

What prompted you to run for this position?

I believe it Is the American way, to participate, in the process.

This reply to the survey came from Thomas Walling, who is running for the Select Board seat. Thanks Tom! The questions and his responses are below.

What prompted you to run for this position?

After I retired from my career in data processing, I began engaging in volunteer and civic activities - Friends of Merrymeeting Bay, town budget advisory committee, and substitute teaching in SAD 75.  I saw how important citizen involvement is to the vitality of the town, and after being urged to run for Select Board, I decided to "give it a shot".

That said, like you, I’m part of the generation of instant gratification (woo!) and bite-sized bits of information (“”). And I don’t actually have a lot of time to craft an article that I can be proud of, so I figured I would give you some Reader’s Digest-esque insight into the life at the top. Or, I mean. Upper middle. Middle.

Without further ado, here’s 10 Things Your HSP Won’t Tell You. (Except I am your HSP and I totally will.)

1. Sometimes I think that in the History of Marlboro College, I’m probably not the first HSP to be named Rainbow-- or the like-- and I’m probably not the first HSP to have blue hair, but it is entirely possible that I’m the first to do both.

2. I’m busy. I have gone for 24 hours at a stretch without seeing my roommate. This is very sad to me.

3. I’m confronted often with the classic political dilemma: Was I elected to speak my conscience, or to represent the people? I’m not sure. I go with the latter more often than not.

4. The students think that I’m part of the big bad administration, and the administration thinks I’m one of the whimsical, free-wheeling students.

5. I took this job because I really, really like to help people. Please, if you are hurting, or need any sort of help, come find me. I’m in the Selectboard Office, or HPV5, or Whittemore most of the time.

6. Can you smell my pants? I feel like my pants smell. I haven’t done laundry in years. Dear God.

7. I have a really incredible board. It’s a group of intelligent and compassionate people, who are full of ideas, and often inspired.

8. As long as we’re being corny, I’m also kind of blindsided by the support the wider community has shown me. I have you all fooled. Muahahahaha. Haha. Seriously, thanks. I wish to hug all of you.

9. I voted for Reagan. I mean, Peter.