If you have a need to remind yourself what made 611 Paris residents, citizens, and voters so angry on June 22, 2009 that they wrote an open letter to the Paris Selectmen and published it in 2 papers, saying "You did not speak for us when you fired Sharon Jackson!" - get yourself a copy of the dvd made by NPCTV.
You will come across the following little snatch of dialogue:
Selectman Young: Mr. Chairman, I'd like to make a motion...uh... to take a vote on...uh...page 2, termination...
Selectman Glover: So, you're suggesting she [Town Mgr. Jackson] be terminated without cause?
S. Young: Yes.
S. Glover: You're agreeing that this town should be liable for the penalties for termination?
S. Young: Yes.
We all know the rest of this sorry drama. Including the recalls that ended the political careers of a couple of select men.
The above conversation makes it pretty clear that someone, and whoever else was attached to that someone, knew there were going to be repercussions.
Good. Let's send them the bill for the thousands of dollars in legal fees from Bernstein & Shur that dealt with the resulting law suit and questions on how to avoid being recalled.
Let's send them the bill for the thousands of dollars involved in paying Mgr. Jackson the severance pay written into her contract; plus more, because they decided to "ratify" that firing in October, and the severance pay began all over again.
Maybe we can get them to reimburse the town at $1000 for each of the 2 recall elections in November, and the almost $1000 for the election coming up March 9; all of the elections the result of irresponsible decisions and unfortunate leadership skills.
Nice that they - or he and they - or however it gets sliced - agreed that the town should be liable for penalties for termination. Word aound town, however, is that the "town" (i.e. the tax payers) takes a very different view of that decision....
