At their special meeting Wednesday, 9-08-10, at 6:30 pm, Paris Selectboard will enter into executive session "to discuss the process on how to do an evaluation of the Town Manager."
(see agenda)
Questions come to mind:
*"the process on how to do..." Most certainly a procedure would be necessary for an evaluation. Procedures, as well as policies, are currently being updated, even created, on more than one front in the municipal works of the town of Paris. Procedures are the nuts and bolts of the movement of those municipal works, and will be most helpful if they are efficient.
But why would that need an executive session? What's sensitive in this?
*The agenda for the selectboard meeting of Monday 8-09-10 included item #22:"Enter into executive session ...to discuss midterm year evaluation of the Town Manager" Evaluation forms were distributed to individual board members to note thoughts and observations of the town manager in preparation for a group evaluation, but no action was taken on the item at that time.
Once again, agenda of meeting Monday 8-23-10, item #16: "Discussion and action on the process of evaluation of the town manager." When one board member noted not being brought into the loop of why item 16 vs an executive session, Chairman Glover said he had made an executive decision on that. It was not clear if any others at the front table knew ahead of time about the decision.
Even so, instead of discussion and action on the process, a meeting for September 8th was set to discuss the process. No mention at that time of when an actual evaluation might take place.
So, the wording on this topic of evaluation, including a process for it, has gone from
"discuss midterm evaluation," to "discussion...on the process of evaluation," to "discuss the process on how to do an evaluation."
Why is this discussion so hard to get started? Why is there a discussion at all? Why an evaluation now, if there has not been precedent for midterm evaluations for town managers?
And, why is this process planning part sensitive enough to need an executive session?
Maine's Freedom of Access Act, Title 1, §405, 6A(1) states that "An executive session may be held only if public discussion could be reasonably expected to cause damage to the reputation or the individual's right to privacy would be violated." [emphasis added]
This is the law. But if, somehow, there is permission within the law to meet and figure out what to do as a group before the group officially evaluates, then why doesn't the agenda item for Wednesday's executive session read:
"Discussion in preparation for an evaluation of the town manager?"
Seems unnecessary to go to so much bother if there's nothing to hide....
