Board of Selectmen December 9, 2013 My Comments

Board of Selectmen December 9, 2013 Now that the election is over and people have elected a Republican majority on the Board of Selectmen, it is time to put aside political hankering and set public policy in the best interest of the town. At the Installation and organization meeting of the Board of Selectmen on December 2, First Selectman Mary Glassman was unprofessional in her assessment of the Republican majority on the board. The best interest of the voters in a democracy is majority rule. The board sets the policy and the First Selectman implements the actions. Section 402 of the Charter states “at the organization meeting, the Selectmen shall elect, from among their own members a Deputy First Selectman.” The majority voted for Nancy Haase in accordance with the Charter. First Selectman Mary Glassman’s assessment of the voters of Simsbury is dead wrong. Simsbury has representative government and the board was elected to do the people’s work. The strong message that was sent on Election Day by the voters was that they wanted the Selectmen to consist of 2 Democrats and 4 Republicans. The sad night for Simsbury voters is that First Selectman Mary Glassman doesn’t get it. The voters will be served well if First Selectman Mary Glassman does not challenge the intent of the elected officials and get on with the work at hand. I was surprised when First Selectmen Mary Glassman, after losing Lisa Heavner as her Deputy Selectman to Nancy Haase, that Glassman was trying to conduct a backroom deal of horse trading the Deputy Selectman’s vote with a promise to elect a Democrat as Chairman of the Finance Board. If First Selectman Mary Glassman was truly interested in the best interest of town she would encourage the election of Peter Askham as the Chairman of the Board of Finance since he is the most knowledgeable and has served the longest time. The decision of the Chairman should come from a majority vote of the elected members of the Board of Finance, not First Selectman Mary Glassman.. It appears from the rules of procedure submitted by Sean Askham at the December meeting, that the Republican majority is interested in more open government by allowing the public more participation in the process. If First Selectman Mary Glassman was interested in the best interest of the town she would fulfill her promise to the voters and change the Charter to reflect professional management of the town with a Town Manager. At the December meeting of the Board of Selectmen there was a question as to what determined a caucus as opposed to a quorum. According to The Freedom of Information Act a caucus consists of all members of a single party meeting alone. A quorum consists of enough members to vote on action items. Recently there was a security breach at the Northeast Utility Substation near the Urgent Care facility at the North end of town where there is an anticipation of a large development of homes abutting the facility. It is alleged that the trailer was broken into and copper wire was stolen. I copied this article from the internet with a heading of What are the Dangers of Living Near High Voltage Power Lines? “Although there has been much controversy over the years about the health risks of living near power lines, the evidence is becoming overwhelming that there are indeed risks of illnesses such as leukemia (particularly in children ), cancer, brain tumors , high blood pressure, stress induced headaches, fatigue and immune deficiencies. The list grows as the years go on and the findings of studies accumulate. Apart from the obvious dangers of electrocution, there are other serious health hazards that are now recognized as occurring as a result of living near high voltage overhead power lines. The Think About It website says a study carried out by the Swedish government on 500,000 people over 25 years found that children living near high voltage power lines had four times the risk of getting cancer than in normal circumstances, whilst adults were three times more likely. The Swedish government now rates electromagnetic fields along with tobacco as a class 2 carcinogen.” Was the Town aware of the health problems living near a Power Station? How can the town allow the development of the adjacent property for residential use? After an incident at Simsbury Celebrates Saturday night, November 30, it is alleged the Simsbury Police were alerted that a male high school student was tweeting to a female high school student words that were sexual in nature and threatening her saying he would do bodily harm to her. The use of electronic media by high school students to threaten, bully or do bodily harm is a serious issue. When the Superintendent of Schools, Matt Curtis read the tweets he stated that he is taking these tweets very seriously and I will take his word for it. With the Newtown incidents fresh in everyone’s mind threats could have serious consequences and parents should monitor their children’s social media, The town has lost through retirement or resignation many Heads of Department. The Finance Director gave notice in a timely manner and there has been no professional Finance Director taking her place. I am concerned that the town did not post the opening on the State Government Finance Officers of Connecticut ( GFOA) website. Why has the town elected to go to a politically connected Head Hunter as opposed to a professional website? This lack of continuity and professionalism leaves the town at risk. Recently there was an unannounced inspection of Town facilities by OSHA.OSHA issued 17 citations, 5 of which were classified as serious. The proposed penalty for the violations was $3,220. The negotiated settlement was $1,610. When departments have skeletal staff there is lack of oversight and increased risk. . It is a sad day in Simsbury when the First Selectman Mary Glassman cannot fill key positions in a timely manner. This is due to lack of professional management. The signs on the paddle court tell players to pay to play at the Front Desk when it is closed. As you notice the sign on the door to the courts does not have the costs for play and part of the time is omitted. Many of the times noted on the sign, the office is closed. How do they expect to collect the phantom money? Is this professional government? Why pay just to walk on the courts? Someone from this board has to change the policy since the golf lobby on the recreation commission is only interested in Golf and dismisses everything else.. There are still beer bottles in the garbage barrel at the paddle courts. Are they recycling the bottles and returning the money to the Special Revenue Fund? I would like to report that as a member of the Simsbury Farms “A” Paddle Team I won my match against Shuttle Meadow Country Club, I am still undefeated, three wins no losses.