Opening Up Town Hall

The Select Board is working hard to open Town Hall for more hours during the week.

In his report as Liaison to Town Administrative Offices, Select Board Member Norm Russell said that he had met with Town Administrator Maryellen Cranston and hopes to meet soon with other town employees prior to the reappointments. Saying he was new to the Board, he then asked for clarification as to whether it was the job of the Select Board and his job as Liaison to meet with town employees to understand what they do and how effectively Town Hall is operating. “Because I didn’t necessarily get that impression.”
Board Chair Dave DeHerdt said, “That’s our job.”
“That’s what we were elected to do?” Russell asked.
“Yes,” the Chair replied.

DeHerdt also said that he was looking at the job descriptions of Town Hall employees to find a way to reorganize the operations so that Town Hall might be open more than two days a week. In particular, he said he is considering the effect of combining the jobs of Town Clerk and Town Administrator, since it was after these two jobs were joined, ostensibly for the sake of efficiency and cost savings, that Town Hall hours were reduced.

He said the Board was trying to figure out what happened and what needed to be changed to both open up Town Hall to the public and get the work done that needs to be done. He also pointed out that there are employees in Town Hall five days a week, but that the offices are open to the public for only two.

Former Town Treasurer Janet Swem asked whether anybody’s hours had actually been reduced in the restructuring that left Town Hall less available to the public. DeHerdt replied that the hours weren’t really reduced, simply reorganized. That was why the board was revisiting the question of organization.

Former Administrative Assistant Priscilla Phelps expressed her frustration that the current town employees don’t work together. She said that, when she worked at Town Hall, the different employees were familiar with one another’s jobs and covered for each other. Even though there were only four employees, they managed to keep Town Hall open four days a week and still get all their work done. She said we now have “closed doors and little cubbyholes” so that everyone does only their own job. “We were public servants, and that’s not happening anymore.”

Former Town Clerk Anne Yuryan also commented that, when she was training with long-time Town Clerk Eleanor Ward, she was taught that they were here to serve the public. She agreed that that doesn’t seem to be happening any more.

Suzanne Corbett also complained of Town Hall employees spreading private information through town, citing an occasion when she visited Town Hall for a form and learned by the time she got home that an e-mail about her visit was circulating on the internet.

Ricki Carroll suggested that the town look into bringing in volunteers to do basic services such as handing out forms. But Karen Sullivan said that she had once tried to volunteer and was told by Assessor’s Clerk Faye Whitney-Lussier that it was too much work to train somebody. “That’s an attitude that has to change if anyone is to volunteer,” she said.

DeHerdt said, “We have a job in front of us.”

David King