Board of Selectmen November 25, 2013 My Comments

Board of Selectmen November 25, 2013

The next Board of Selectmen will be facing many challenging issues with the budget and many policy issues.

The new board should set a permanent policy for the selection of a Deputy Selectman.  We can no longer have a power grab from one party. The selection should reflect what person is the most suitable to assume the role of First Selectman if there is a vacancy or illness.  This requires availability and knowledge of the management of the Town.

This year the town has had many high level management personnel retiring or leaving the position for other opportunities. First Selectman Mary Glassman has known for several months that these vacancies were forthcoming and did not fill the positions in a timely manner. We are facing a huge vacuum in management that could increase the risks to the town.   The Board of Finance and the Board of Selectman has filled the position of Finance Director with an interim employee without the qualifications for the job as noted in the Personnel  Sub-Committee agenda : Create the temporary part-time position of Engineering Transition Manager and approve the attached job description for the position and approve compensation equivalent to a yearly salary of $90,000 for Sean Kimball during the period of his service as interim Finance Director. Why compensation for full value for the position when he doesn’t have the qualifications for the position? These two positions require specialized qualifications and knowledge of town government. Why weren’t these positions filled in a timely manner? This reflects poor management proving that First Selectman Mary Glassman and her pseudo-town manager are  lacking in management skills.  A professional Town Manager would have had these positions filled with the most qualified candidates  for these positions. The taxpayers of Simsbury should demand professional management for the town before we have serious management issues placing the town at risk. How can this board allow important positions to go vacant?  Shame on your oversight!

Recently the Superintendent of Schools, Matt Curtis sent an email to Parents and Guardians reflecting the boards of Education concern about greatly reduced revenues in the future and declining enrollment when developing the budget.. He highlighted The Hartford moving from Simsbury leaving the town with a loss of $44 million dollars in property taxes and the families that will move elsewhere, leaving a greatly reduced enrollment.  The immediate reduction in modular classrooms is just a small band-aid approach to reducing the budget.  The Board of Education should reduce the financial support of Magnet and Charter schools with high overhead costs.  The schools should be reconfigured with town-wide schools to take the place of neighborhood schools, giving more flexibility to enrollment. Having a school with Pre-Kindergarten through 2nd Grade should be reviewed by the administration, gradually leading to closing a school.

I am very concerned that the Board of Education has not followed up on the actions of the Principal of Simsbury High School, Neil Sullivan during Spirit Week. This is not the first time that Sullivan has shown poor leadership skills.  Another incident was his lack of understanding when a past student at the High School suffered over 2 years of bullying that Sullivan was aware of and did nothing to mitigate the situation. Bullying not only affects the students but the families of these students. Students that are bullied have long-term psychological problems.  Why wasn’t Sullivan dismissed at that time? Now that there is a new administration, this issue should be evaluated since bullying should not be ignored by teachers, coaches and the administration. One cannot watch TV without some story on the consequences’ of ignoring bullying.  How many other students are bullied in the Simsbury schools?  Important issues should not be swept under the rug. We pay high salaries for professional management. We should expect excellence in leadership.

Recently the Board of Education has approved a 2.25% increase for the administrative staff along with other perks. Since the cost of living increase in Social Security was 1.5%, why should the administration get this hefty increase?

The Board of Finance had a meeting on November 19, 2013 at 6 P.M. with an agenda item, Public Audience. This non-descript notation was to be used for the public to give input to the board on the FY2014 budget. There were only three people giving their opinions pertaining to the budget since the board did not release any information in a news release. The public was not informed which lead to such poor attendance.

The signs on the paddle courts state that anyone using the paddle costs must pay for play. Recently two players on the Simsbury Paddle Team tried to practice off the regular time. As I was told, John Thibeault, Recreation Supervisor ran up to the courts and demanded payment for the court although they only planned to play for a short while. Not only was his conduct threatening but he told them if they didn’t pay he would place locks on the court. He was also confrontational when questioned about the exorbitant increase in fees for the Paddle Team reserved time. This year we paid $1,400 for court time. This is very pricey for play. The fee schedule for walk-ons is inconsistent since Simsbury Farms is closed when people can play. Why does the recreation department have a catch you if I can policy for payment? It is inconsistent and should be reviewed. At one time First Selectman Mary Glassman agreed that the policy should be changed and walk-ons should not pay. Why does the recreation department ignore her actions?

I would like to report that as a member of the Simsbury Farms “A” Paddle team I won both my matches. The first against Hop Brook Tennis Club and the second  against Hartford Golf Club. As of now I am undefeated.

There was a decision on one of the court actions against the defendants at Eno Farms Affordable Housing. This decision would give title to CHFA of all the units in the complex. This is not finalized since there is 30 day appeal process. There is still another lawsuit for the eviction of the people who refused to sign the recertification documents and therefore, non-complaint. Until these actions are completed the complex cannot be sold.

I would like to report that the illegal wheelchair ramp at Dave Richman’s property on 730 Hopmeadow Street  has not been replaced or removed. How many attorney letters are necessary to get some action? Why is Dave Richman so special?