Isn’t it “nice”? The majority of our Select Board has decided to reward the questionable performance of Jerry Remillard, our Town Manager who has been on paid leave since December, with an additional $75,000 of our tax payer dollars as he leaves our employ because it’s a “nice” thing to do. Never mind that the terms of three of the five Select Board members end in less than a week. This action needed to be pushed through at an Emergency session on Wednesday, not because the current Select Board was trying to complete a process begun on “their watch”, but because new Board members might not be “nice” enough to vote for this unnecessary expenditure in the face of the town’s fiscal difficulties. Will we be giving similar “golden handshakes” to the rest of our retiring town employees in the future?
One wonders how the Visiting Nurse Association feels about this, since they were forced to cut $8,000 from their budget request to the Select Board. One wonders how Rescue, Inc. feels about this, since they are being required to accept “phased-in” increases from the Select Board to cover the escalating costs of their emergency services to the town. One wonders how other town agencies, including the Police Department and Library, feel about their budget cuts in light of this action. What could have been purchased with this $75,000 in our seriously underfunded capital budget?
I’m sure it made the Select Board feel “nice” to be able to do this for Mr. Remillard. Unfortunately, many current financial problems in the town exist because those in charge think it would be “nice” to fund this or build that or buy this. Taxpayers are reaching their financial limits, but few in town government (or on the School Board) seem to be listening. All these “nice” people with their “nice” decisions arrived at in a “nice” manner are destroying the ability of average people to live here. But I suppose it doesn’t matter; I’m sure Mr. Remillard thinks his $75,000 gift is really “nice”.
Barbara Fowler