...5 Paris Selectboard members; 1 town clerk; 2 reporters; 1 cameraman; 5 public at large; all met together in the town office for the first meeting of the year.
No town manager.
Chairman Ray Glover: " ...our manager is not present tonight; he had a doctor's appointment, with a specialist out of town, and if the board agrees...to...accept his absence..." Medical excuse was voted on and accepted by the board.
It is a fortunate patient who finds individual medical expertise at work in the pm.
Coincidence that this meeting was to replace the meeting of Dec. 27 that got snowed out - the meeting that was cancelled 24 hours in advance (Sunday 12-26). Probably would have had awkward discussions at that meeting, anyway...harsh words and concerns about a manager's choice for agenda items and all...
A citizen asked about the replacement for Highway Foreman Frank Danforth. Selectman West said he was with Mgr. Tarr and (TPR understands) former Finance Officer Sharon Gendreau when 6 applicants were interviewed, and narrowed down to 1 - who West thought Mgr. Tarr anticipated hiring. There followed a discussion of how board approval fits in: a rubber stamping after the fact? or a possibility of refusal to approve if the candidate is unacceptable?
As for replacing Finance Officer Gendreau, a former finance officer, Marjorie Risica, will serve temporarily. Mgr. Tarr will seek a full time employee.
A citizen expressed concern about oversight, and asked about how the board would conduct careful supervision throughout the transition process - including monitoring the various accounts. The citizen's concern was as much about the expertise of the current chief financial officer (Mgr. Tarr) as that of a temporary - and eventually a new permanent finance officer.
Former Financial Officer Gendreau will be a hard act to follow. She has provided a stabilizing hand following the loss of former Manager S. Jackson.
Another citizen added her concern about Mgr. Tarr's judgment in financial matters, citing a recent article in Waterville's Morning Sentinel. The 12-29-11 article refers to " 'Accounting restructuring'," specifically, a matter of routing state funds received into a general fund to spend, as opposed to placing them in a reserve fund to use later as they were intended. This happened in Skowhegan, the town where Phil Tarr was manager 2005 to June 2008. [editor's note: During the meeting Monday there was speculation about how many other managers could have come between the issue reported and the current manager in Skowhegan. The manager quoted in the article appears to be the manager who directly followed Tarr. It was only 15 months after leaving that town when Tarr applied to Paris for his current position.]
The incident is not a criminal matter - but it does not inspire confidence. In Paris these last months there has been some sloppiness that has obscured rather than clarified, some ambiguity when transparency would have been more professional. Think golf cart and police car purchases, for example.
This sloppiness and ambiguity did not originate from Finance Officer - Deputy Treasurer Gendreau's office.
Not confidence inspiring. On top of not much confidence there in the first place... The citizens speaking wanted the selectboard to understand that.
And then the topic swerved, to NPSW - the organization designed to coordinate and support the labor that facilitates the way both of our towns handle solid waste. But the topic's focus wasn't as much about the workers, as it was the NPSW board; and Town Manager Tarr's involvement thereon. [editor's note: clarification - the correct title for head of that corporation would be "president", not chairman, as TPR stated in the last posting. It would be "President" Tarr who wears that second hat.]
