Selectmen meet in the Paris Town Office 2-8-10, 7PM.
Monday the Town of Paris starts over again. Right? New plan, some new people - or arrangements to be made for new people? A little shake up, straighten things a bit here, set a couple of things in order there? Pay a few back bills, reset some gears put in motion in a less than desirable way?
Except:
the clock cannot be turned back. It is not just a matter of cleaning house and then putting the furniture all back where it was. The house is our town, and it is not shaped the same as it was 7 months ago.
Recalling an elected official, or two in our case, means that the situation was seriously, dangerously wrong. It means that while those individuals were in office, real damage was inflicted; by their decisions, their actions, and the continuing, unfolding results of those decisions and actions.
The Paris Reporter has pointed out some of the financial burdens of the impetuous actions and self-serving agendas over the 7 months: legal costs, law suits, new hirings. Items not in any budget approved by Paris voters last June 2009.
But consider the audacity of individuals coming into office, and, at their very first meeting as a majority:
*taking action, the consequence of which saddled the town - all of us, tax payers, citizens, residents - with a law suit that has every look of winning.
Then, later:
*turning down, without even a negotiating word, two offers (mentioned here) to settle out of court;
* hiring an interim manager who cost us money and did very little for it;
* then hiring a full time manager, allegedly at a savings of money, but who, in the end, will cost the town more. This new manager was given a contract - crafted purely with the intent of preventing the undoing of it - at the behest of a majority that already had 2 of its members slated for recall, and who have since been recalled.
Certain things were put in place with this contract. Taxpayers were not consulted.
Questions our current selectmen, and whoever else is elected to come on board with them, need to answer:
(1)Instead of being told that everything is ok and costs will be covered, where is the money coming from to pay the overload of legal bills incurred by the previous 3-2 board majority?
(2)Are we financially prepared to deal with this law suit that no one has talked out loud to us about for 7 months?
(3)And, when are you going to tell us, the bill payers, anything about what that cost - and it's implications - might be?
