As a member of the train wreck that is the board of selectmen led by boob columbus, I would like to apologize to all of the residents who came to the meeting of THEIR board of selectmen who are suppose to represent them and work for them, the taxpayers, and yet you are restricted to asking questions and getting answers from us, the board of selectmen. I did not get a chance to talk with one woman, but I have forwarded a copy of the dvd of the April 12, 2012 bos meeting to the attorney generals office for review. The annual town meeting articles are according to Templeton town by-laws suppose to be turned over to the advisory board by March 20 have not been so turned over because boob columbus and the other two stooges wilder and mullins were too busy trying to fire Jeff Ritter. carol skelton has been taking annual town meeting warrant articles and changing them, moving the order, and inserting articles that the selectmen have already voted out articles behind the back of the board of selectmen, at least one member anyway. reason enough to fire her immediatley in my opinion. Bob columbus has put a town employee in jeopardy and he has violated state ethics and state law by signing off on payroll sheets submitted by tax collector Carol lee Eaton to the tune of at least $900.00. The board took a vote on March 8, 2012 to give the tax collector signatory authority to sign town paychecks because of the resignation of town treasurer and assistant town treasurer, they both could not take any more of boob columbus. The recommendation of town accountant along with the vote of selectmen that said no additional compensation for Ms. Eaton, but carol lee submitted the pay vouchers and boob signed them has caused carol lee to come under violation of state ethics and state law violation and I have reprted this to the state authorities. Sorry but it is the rules and the law. The taxpayers and residents of Templeton deserve far greater respect than what they are now getting from this select board, the majority who appear to be working for carol skelton rather than the taxpayers. Things will unfortunately get worse before it gets better, again, I apologize for the treatment of taxpayers at their select board meeting but I am but one person. Please try to be above the behavior of the majority and let me take the heat and bring it to them, you pay me to take the heat, columbus can not throw me from the meetings, but you can toss him out on May 7, 2012 and please do not forget that. You taxpayers and voters hold the true end power within your grasp, please use it wisely on election day and show this tyrant, dictator the door once and for all. I promise to keep working for you and not for any paycheck. Thank you for the kind words and support, undeserving as it may be at times, I do appreciate it.
Jeffrey Bennett, YOUR selectman.
Thankyou again Jeff for your prompt news letter. Since I was not at the meeting, I can only assume that the town coordinator will be paid for her time as "interim part time TC". In thinking about the whole situation and the issues of ethic violations, it becomes harder and harder for me to think that anything outside of the power of vote for the taxpayers will change things. We are taking baby steps here. The time between the steps is like waiting for a miracle or epiphany. Your word, Pauly's word, and the word of other bloggers is at least educating some of the taxpayers to take action and remove the instigators. That is the best we can do. This town appears to get around ethic violations over and over again. I've heard of "Small Town Rule", I guess that's what these 3 officials, and maybe others in their own way have been doing for years. Everything is thrown under the rug. "TOO BAD", are the words they use to describe it. Let's just say it won't be over 'til the blonde lady sings "Bye Bye Love".
ReplyDeleteIf last nights meeting did not make everyone in the crowd uncomfortable, you are made of stone. What is wrong with this picture? We are tax payers looking for answers. Sure things got loud, but to have the room surrounded by Templetons finest, as a unspoken threat, does not sit right with me. The behavior of the BOS is getting worse with every meeting. To have Ms.S running the town without any regard for what was already reviewed at the pre town meeting is sick. Lets hope, if given enough rope they will hang them selves. Jeff, you did a super job last night. How you keep your temper under control is beyond me.
DeleteDear state officials, state reps running for re-election, newspaper reporters and everyone else reading this blog that are ignoring (or are in denial) of the problem in Templeton:
ReplyDeleteThe Treasurer, Asst. Treasurer, Accountant, and Fire Chief has resigned from their positions in Templeton. Does this not set off any alarms that there is a problem in town government? Which employees need to quit next in order for you to acknowledge there is a serious situation going on? The Town Coordinator technically "resigned" but we all know he was threatened, bullied and forced to leave (a HUGE issue in and of itself). The citizens of Templeton need your help to expose the wrong doings that have occurred and correct them in order for the town to continue to actually be a town. We are hard working, real people. We do not have extra money to hire attorneys to help us or personal connections to the State House like many citizens in other towns and cities like Newton or Wayland has. So, how about helping the "little guy" out for once? Check your gut feeling and find your morals. Why did you get into public office or journalism? I hope it was to help people and to expose and squash wrong doing. Every day that you turn a blind eye to a little, non-significant town that needs your help, you are contributing to the wrong doing and you are not being honest with your professional obligations.
To the majority of the Board of Selectmen:
You can change the rules of how to run your meetings any way you want. You will never be able to cut the citizens of Templeton out of the conversation and operation of business of this town. You may think that whatever town counsel tells you to do is right thing to do. Sorry. There is no law that exists that will eliminate our voice from town business completely. Its OUR money. Its OUR town. If you blindly follow direction from town counsel and JS and refuse to see the will of the public right in front of you, YOUR REAL BOSSES, you will NEVER achieve anything. Wake up. Drop the attitude that we're "impeding the process". Drop the pompous facial expressions. ANSWER OUR QUESTIONS. You have violated ethics and open meeting laws numerous times. You are not above the law. It will catch up with you. And one more question for you? Where did LTPS, Inc. go? If the mission of that group was to support the right of the citizens to speak, then why are you not helping the citizens now? It seems you closed up shop after you got your people in office and now your motive is to shut people up. Very crafty. Very deceitful. Very unmoral. Shame shame shame on you for lying to so many people about your "good intensions for the town" in order to get their vote and then walking away. You encouraged people to speak, but you didn't state that they were only suppose to speak about pre-approved items from your side of the fence. You are not consistent with your messaging, and therefore, you are seen as a fraud.
100% my opinion only (but I'm sure a lot of others would share these opinions, as well).
As always. Olive, well said! Also, thank you Jeff for having a mind of your own that gives you the ability to make the right & best overall decisions for the majority of the town!
DeleteTo add to Olive's point about the LTPS inc group, just take a look at the new website of kathy matson of LTPS inc fame. "we neede change in our town government because of: undemocratically run select board, as in columbus and wilder going be the advisory board to ask for emergency funds to pay their dear friend carol skelton for duties as secretary to the selectmen, mishandling of town finances, as in paying 14 grand to someone who supposedly resigned for personal reasons. unfair firing of a town employee, as in Jeff Ritter and columbus did state Mr. Ritter was paid off to avoid litigation because if he did not resign he would be terminated. jeopardizing the town in legal matters as in terminating a contract with a town employee and a law firm and most importantly, ignoring public opinion. so ms. matson, those points are exactly why change is needed in town government in Templeton this May 7, columbus needs to go!!! To Mr. cutis in the gardner news todays letter to editor, if you consider my wanting the chair to follow the law and town by-laws a personal agenda and vedetta, perhaps you should resign from your new position of town liason to state ethics because in my opinion, you don't have a clue what ethical behaviour is. I also did not give up my rights as a citizen of Templeton just because I was elected to the select board. If you think I am not doing right by the taxpayers and residents of Templeton, recall me as you did to Julie Farrell and Bob Mitchell. You were part of that group and you had a sign up on your property. What I would like to hear from you is do you think the board of selectmen should follow the law and the town by-laws and should the whole board of selectmen vote and discuss the chair or anyother member of the board going before the advisory board and asking for emergency funds or any funding for that matter? What say you Mr. Curtis and please stand up at a selectmen meeting and speak to this issue, if columbus allows you to speak.
ReplyDeleteI read on LTPBH page, as well as here, that there is a question of ethics violations by BC & the tax collector for the pay voucher she submitted for work she was not supposed to get additional compensation for & that BC signed off on. I think that the tax collector's office should also be looked at more closely. Talk about someone who is a little too arrogant in her position, as well. None of these people are respecting their employers (taxpayers) anymore. They all think they are above the law. It looks to me like there have been several ethics violations in more than one dept. I think we need a clean sweep in town. I am not saying get rid of everybody but, we do need to do some heavy sweeping & cleaning. That is my opinion & again thank you to the ones who have been trying really hard to get that cleaning done!!
ReplyDeleteIt hit me tonight--We schould have demanded that the BOS use the warrant that was approved at the pre town meeting. I do not think it would have worked, but we schould have tried. All we are doing is make the lawyers ritcher. Where is the bill for March..Do you thinking it is in hideing? I.ll bet it is a winner. They probably are afraid for it to see the light of day , HA HA And we thought the 3,000. desks were bad!! Somebody blew it with that one. {check my blog to see what PAPA BEAR has written.}
Delete