BY KEVIN SHALVEY
The Town Council corrected an error in judgment that could have created major dissent on the board.
While marching together in the Pre-Memorial Day Parade on Sunday, May 20, council Chairman Paul Roy and councilors Normand Longval, Bob Young and Mike Izbicki discussed changing the starting time of the Wednesday, May 23, council meeting without consulting Councilors Kevin Keyes or Michael Scanlon.
The meeting change would have affected the interview process in selecting a new town councilor to replace Bill Van Anglen, who resigned from the board May 8 because of job responsibilies.
“I inquired of each of the other three that were with me individually, in an effort to move forward with the interviews and make the appointment in a more timely fashion. Never did the four of us have what some are perceiving to be a meeting,” Roy said on Tuesday, May 22.
Roy said the appointment for the vacated seat could have been made at the council’s Wednesday, May 23, meeting, directly after the applicants’ interviews.
At their May 9 meeting, however, councilors approved opening up the seat to applicants until a May 21 deadline. The council would then review the applicants’ letters of intent on May 23, and announce an appointment at the June 13 meeting.
On Tuesday, May 22, Roy changed the time back to the original.
“I want to be clear that my intentions were to try and move forward with the town’s business and not to cast a shadow on it in any manner,” Roy said.
He apologized for any inconvenience for the candidates, who had been notified of the change.
Longval said the decision at the parade was “a convenience thing for everyone more than anything else. It was just the general consensus” between the councilors.
“You can talk about a variety of things (outside a public meeting), but nothing’s official until you have it in your hands, physically,” on an agenda, Longval said.
Young said he couldn’t comment on the parade discussion and directed calls to Roy.
Scanlon said he heard about the change from Roy via e-mail and objected to the time and selction process changes.
“I didn’t realize they were moving forward until I got the packet with the four letters of intent and a notice about the 6 p.m. meeting (change),” Scanlon said.He then called Town Manager Russ Marcoux for confirmation.
“For four guys to get together and change the process decided on at a public meeting is wrong. You can’t do that. You can come back at the next meeting and do that,” Scanlon said.
In a group e-mail on Monday, May 21, Roy wrote, “I spoke with the councilors who marched together in the parade and they were all in agreement. Hopefully everyone can make it.”
Scanlon e-mailed Roy to say he couldn’t attend the meeting until 7 p.m.
Roy responded: “I guess if you’re not going to be there it doesn’t necessarily make a difference. Not that I don’t agree with you, but I was in the minority. If you wouldn’t have snubbed us yesterday I would have discussed it with you then.”
Marcoux said Roy had asked him to change the meeting time and then asked to revert to the original schedule.
“He’s the chair and the agenda stays the same,” he said.
Keyes couldn’t attend the parade, but said the discussion about changing a procedure and meeting time “would strike me as something that should have been done in a public meeting.”
He said the packet he received on Friday, May 18, detailed the process on which councilors had previously agreed.
“There’s probably a learning curve that all new councilors have to go through and I certainly made my share of mistakes when I first started,” Keyes said. “I don’t think there’s any harm done and, hopefully, we can get back on track and follow the right procedures from now on.”
According to the town charter, all town meetings should be recorded and open to the public, unless they’re allowed to be private under the Right to Know law. Also, a quorum for the council is five councilors.
Councilor Mike Izbicki could not be reached for comment.